AXION - VALUE ADDED SERVICES Axion-VAS is a warehouse automation system extension developed particularly for 3PL logistics companies. Axion-VAS can be operated as integrated with Axion Blade Express warehouse automation system and it also has the opportunity to communicate through the integration module with other systems. It is very important for 3PL companies to monitor the services provided to the customers, review the costs and invoice the service provided to the customers. For the companies carrying out production, monitoring the production costs creates an important added value. The system can work as integrated to the handling module within Axion Blade and will track some operations based on movement and handling by integrating some movements within the warehouse to Axion-VAS. Axion-VAS has the structure to track the handling operation and discrete production at simple production points and it has production planning and simple in-house inventory module with product definitions, product tree definitions and the location tracking module where POP (auxiliary material / packaging material) inventory embedded will be maintained. Unlimited amount of customer definition can be made within Axion-VAS and the charging of production / labor and handling for these customers can be made. Furthermore, production planning based on production points, product tree arrangement and consumption information can be entered. The input inventories can be melted with BackFlush procedure according to the final product amount produced as a result of the production procedure and the accuracy of the inventory is provided with wastage procedures. Production module can also report actual realization information and display the planned and realized consumption and production amounts by saving the actual consumptions to the system. Capacity information such as man-hour or maximum product amount based on production points can be entered. Axion-VAS contains history based charging and simple current account tracking based on customer and can save and charge any kind of service provided to customer based on transaction if it is operated as integrated with Axion Blade Express Warehouse Automation system. For example, If services such as transferring a pallet from one location to another for the customer or pallet combining or dividing are carried out, then these transactions can be reported within Axion Blade Express Warehouse Automation System, as well as it can be both reported in Axion-VAS and charged according to the customer if requested. Axion-VAS also has the feature to issue invoice to the customers and it can also monitor the current account of the customers with the current account tracking it contains. You can access the presentation document related to the product from the following link. Axion-VAS 1.0 Presentation Document

Definitions

Company Definitions: All definitions and transactions within the system can be made based on company.

Customer Definitions: Customer definitions can be made within Axion-VAS. The areas within ABE such as the customer code and customer short name, customer long name together with the Product Definition are also available within Axion-VAS. The customer integration within the integration module of warehouse automation system can also be added to Axion-VAS as receiving data from outside.

Product Definitions: Product definitions can be made within Axion-VAS. The areas within ABE such as product code and product short name, product long name together with the Product Definition are also available within Axion-VAS. The product integration within AVE integration module has been added to Axion-VAS as receiving data from outside.

BOM Definitions: Product tree definitions (BOM) can be made within Axion-VAS. Axion-VAS uses the product tree definitions for feeding the inventory stock to automatic production with Backflushing and for inventory decrease in production/bundling/handling transactions. The product tree display how many units from product/raw material/semi-finished product will be used for producing 1.000 units from the final product. (In order to prevent remainders and rounding) New items can be added while creating the production plan to BOM definitions if requested. The availability of this option will be parametric based on production point. The product tree integration within ABE integration module will be added to Axion-VAS as receiving data from outside. Various items such as man-minute, energy consumption, water consumption m³ consumed for producing the final product can be added to BOM definitions if requested. Such definitions will take place in consumption definitions. Consumption definitions can also be added to BOM.

Production Points: The production points can be defined in the system. The production points do not only contain the production places, but they also include the handling / bundling locations. Extra features definition can also be added for the production points. The entry point location definition related to each production point can also be performed in the system.

User Definitions: Axion-VAS is used with a username and password. Authorization based on user role can be made based on the transactions performed on the screens of Axion-VAS.

Operations

Production Plan Entry: The production plan number, final product to be produced and production amount are saved in the production plan entry screen. Upon selecting the final product, the product tree of this product is displayed automatically and if there is any product tree change permission is available at that production point, then the user can add new material or consumption. Information such as production date, production priority, lot no. to be given to the product to be produced and production point can also be entered in the production plan screen. With the preparation of the production plan, the plan will be deemed as prepared and material collection order can be given (Ready Status). The inventory control of the materials within the product tree will not be performed while preparing the production plan. (This feature will be added in the coming versions.) The production plan can be released for collecting the materials whenever requested. By pushing the create production collection orders button on the screen, the materials and amounts which will be requested from Warehouse Automation System automatically received by Axion-VAS Integration module. At this stage, Warehouse Automation System integration will start the procedure for bringing the required materials from the warehouse. The status at this stage of the plan returns to Collection Status and no change can be made on the production plan at this point and it can only be cancelled. Cancellation procedure can only be performed if the data from Axion-VAS integration module cannot be received. After this stage, the cancellation procedure can only be performed with the authorized password.

Production Point Input Inventory Change: Cumulative based inventory tracking can be made on production point in Axion-VAS. In this cumulative based inventory tracking, the user can waste the material by entering manually. Material wastage transaction is saved as wastage to Axion-VAS integration module. If the inventory amount requires change due to various reasons, then this transaction will be added to the coming version. But at this stage, it is considered that there will be no different amount change other than accounting based wastage and/or inventory status change. Inventory status change is not available in version 1.0. The wastage transaction can be performed from the hand terminal if it is used.

Production point goods supply: Entry point inventory is created manually through the hand terminal or by reading the product barcode for the materials brought by the warehouse automation system to production entry point.  At this point, LOT or FIFO tracking is disabled. Only cumulative inventory tracking based on amount is performed. Tracking based on lot and FIFO will be added to the coming versions. In case its preferred to enter over PC instead of hand terminal, then the entry point inventory can be created from a screen similar to the hand terminal from the production point feeding screen. In both cases, it is required to select production plan number. When the material requested to be supplied in the production plan is arrived, then the production plan enters into new status. In case hand terminal is used, the operator code and password is requested on the hand terminal screen and these transactions are logged. The materials at the production point increase the inventory at this point on cumulative basis regardless to production plan numbers.

Realization of Production: In case it is requested to use hand terminal for the realization of the production, the hand terminal user will select the production plan and the production will be realized by entering the amount from the hand terminal. With the realization of the production, the status of the production plan will turn into a new status and the amount expected to be produced is decreased by the produced amount. In case the production is realized, then the materials in the product tree from BOM definition of the final product is decreased automatically by backflush from the input inventory. This is increased for the production plan in consumption. If requested, the consumptions can be manually corrected in the production plan (in order to enter the actual consumption in cases where the actual consumptions can be calculated). The same transactions can also be made over PC.

Reports – Lists: Different reports and lists can be received from the system based on Date Interval, Production Plan, final product, consumed material, consumption intervals and user/operator and these can be exported as Excel file.

System Technology Explanations: The system will be operated in Windows operating systems (minimum Ms. XP Pro Edition). The data will be kept in SqlServer 2005 on the server. The database control, security and backup will be performed by the customer. The software is developed with ORM technology in C# software language in Ms. .Net IDE.

Expension Related to Coming Version Plans

Other features and all additional transaction developed for Axion-VAS 1.0 version will be added to the system within the version plan. The upgrades of the versions on the customer side are performed within the scope of the service agreements. No license fee is requested for the version upgrades, but only man-day implementation fee is requested for major version upgrades (in upgrades affecting the database outline and requiring implementation process). The following features are considered at this stage as can be added to upper versions.

·         Lot and Fifo tracking at entry point inventory

·         Automatic performance of transactions such as printing special customer, product, dangerous material labels at exit point

·         Defining price information based on customer and operation and automatic customer current account transactions

·         Exchange rate based tracking of price information and using TCMB exchange rates