WorkPLAN
Encyclopedia
WorkPLAN is a range of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
software products (WorkPLAN Enterprise and MyWorkPLAN) developed by Sescoi
for custom manufacturers or departments who work project-based and need specialized ERP software for project management
..
The typical users of this ERP software are from the following industries: mold and die manufacturing
, engineering
, tooling, automotive
, aerospace
and defense
.
Sescoi started development of a new generation of WorkPLAN ERP from 2003, which it launched as two complementary products. The first of these is MyWorkPLAN, a modular ERP for project management
, launched in 2006. The second one is WorkPLAN Enterprise, a full ERP software for custom manufacturers, mold and die makers and engineering departments, launched in 2008. These two products use MySQL
as a database engine
, and they include a redesigned user interface
with a navigation tree
similar to the one used in CAD
systems.
Version 3 of MyWorkPLAN and WorkPLAN Enterprise was released in 2009.
Both products are an officially SAP
Certified Solution since the 25th of november of year 2009. MyWorkPLAN and WorkPLAN Enterprise can receive jobs or task lists from the SAP ERP
or other ERP systems, detailing parts and quantities of components to be produced. WorkPLAN then manages the manufacturing process, including the production planning and scheduling, production performance monitoring, and recording the time spent on each task by each employee or machine in real time, using touchscreen
s, barcode reader
s or data-entry forms. As production proceeds, data can be fed back into SAP in the form of time taken, events completed and parts produced. Detail such as set-up times, processing times, teardown times, quantities completed, reworked or scrapped can be included in the information flow. Real-time recording of this information in WorkPLAN helps keep the SAP system up to date, producing a dynamic exchange of data, and safeguards the business information, so when it's presented to managers, it reflects the true and current status of manufacture. Companies using SAP solutions at a corporate level can benefit from this integration, which enables to optimise the performance of specialised areas within the organization, such as engineering departments or manufacturing units of moulds, dies or prototypes.
Version 4 was launched at the Euromold show held at the Frankfurt Trade Fair
in December 2010. This version includes new tools for customer relationship management
(CRM) and a combination of detailed and simplified planning methods. It also includes an updated user interface
, a new web enabled access to the system and new functions to manage batch production
.
files, bills of materials
, quality, touch screen
to control time and attendance and to record time spent on tasks, purchasing, stock management
, key performance indicators
, management overview and strategic analysis.
.
The two new products, MyWorkPLAN and WorkPLAN Enterprise, have been programmed using PowerBuilder
, Delphi and C++
, and they use MySQL
as a database engine. Both products incorporate technology from US company Tom Sawyer Software
, for the graphical creation and visualization of links between tasks.
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
software products (WorkPLAN Enterprise and MyWorkPLAN) developed by Sescoi
Sescoi
Sescoi is a developer of industrial software for computer-aided manufacturing, enterprise resource planning and extended enterprise productivity. Its WorkNC software is one of the market leaders in the CAD/CAM field and is used by more than 25% of companies in demanding countries such as Japan...
for custom manufacturers or departments who work project-based and need specialized ERP software for project management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
..
The typical users of this ERP software are from the following industries: mold and die manufacturing
Die (manufacturing)
A die is a specialized tool used in manufacturing industries to cut or shape material using a press. Like molds, dies are generally customized to the item they are used to create...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, tooling, automotive
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
, aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
and defense
Defense industry
The defense industry, also called the military industry, comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military materiel, equipment and facilities...
.
History
The first version of the WorkPLAN ERP software was launched by Sescoi in 1992. Version 12, released in 2006, is the last version of this first system.Sescoi started development of a new generation of WorkPLAN ERP from 2003, which it launched as two complementary products. The first of these is MyWorkPLAN, a modular ERP for project management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
, launched in 2006. The second one is WorkPLAN Enterprise, a full ERP software for custom manufacturers, mold and die makers and engineering departments, launched in 2008. These two products use MySQL
MySQL
MySQL officially, but also commonly "My Sequel") is a relational database management system that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. It is named after developer Michael Widenius' daughter, My...
as a database engine
Database engine
A database engine is the underlying software component that a database management system uses to create, read, update and delete data from a database....
, and they include a redesigned user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
with a navigation tree
Tree (data structure)
In computer science, a tree is a widely-used data structure that emulates a hierarchical tree structure with a set of linked nodes.Mathematically, it is an ordered directed tree, more specifically an arborescence: an acyclic connected graph where each node has zero or more children nodes and at...
similar to the one used in CAD
Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
systems.
Version 3 of MyWorkPLAN and WorkPLAN Enterprise was released in 2009.
Both products are an officially SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
Certified Solution since the 25th of november of year 2009. MyWorkPLAN and WorkPLAN Enterprise can receive jobs or task lists from the SAP ERP
SAP ERP
The SAP ERP application is an integrated enterprise resource planning software manufactured by SAP AG that targets business software requirements of midsize and large organizations in all industries and sectors...
or other ERP systems, detailing parts and quantities of components to be produced. WorkPLAN then manages the manufacturing process, including the production planning and scheduling, production performance monitoring, and recording the time spent on each task by each employee or machine in real time, using touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
s, barcode reader
Barcode reader
A barcode reader is an electronic device for reading printed barcodes. Like a flatbed scanner, it consists of a light source, a lens and a light sensor translating optical impulses into electrical ones...
s or data-entry forms. As production proceeds, data can be fed back into SAP in the form of time taken, events completed and parts produced. Detail such as set-up times, processing times, teardown times, quantities completed, reworked or scrapped can be included in the information flow. Real-time recording of this information in WorkPLAN helps keep the SAP system up to date, producing a dynamic exchange of data, and safeguards the business information, so when it's presented to managers, it reflects the true and current status of manufacture. Companies using SAP solutions at a corporate level can benefit from this integration, which enables to optimise the performance of specialised areas within the organization, such as engineering departments or manufacturing units of moulds, dies or prototypes.
Version 4 was launched at the Euromold show held at the Frankfurt Trade Fair
Frankfurt Trade Fair
Frankfurt Trade Fair , with 448,000,000 Euros in sales and over 1,600 active employees, is one of the world's largest trade fair companies. The group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices, and 52 international sales partners. Thus, the Messe Frankfurt is present in over 150...
in December 2010. This version includes new tools for customer relationship management
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
(CRM) and a combination of detailed and simplified planning methods. It also includes an updated user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
, a new web enabled access to the system and new functions to manage batch production
Batch production
Batch production is a technique used in manufacturing, in which the object in question is created stage by stage over a series of workstations. Batch production is common in bakeries and in the manufacture of sports shoes, pharmaceutical ingredients , inks, paints and adhesives. In the manufacture...
.
Functionality
WorkPLAN ERP products allow companies or departments to automate and manage the most important activities such as project costs, quotations, orders, planning, document management, analysis of 3D CADComputer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
files, bills of materials
Bill of materials
A bill of materials is a list of the raw materials, sub-assemblies, intermediate assemblies, sub-components, components, parts and the quantities of each needed to manufacture an end product...
, quality, touch screen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
to control time and attendance and to record time spent on tasks, purchasing, stock management
Stock management
Stock management is the function of understanding the stock mix of a company and the different demands on that stock. The demands are influenced by both external and internal factors and are balanced by the creation of Purchase order requests to keep supplies at a reasonable or prescribed...
, key performance indicators
Key performance indicators
A performance indicator or key performance indicator is an industry jargon for a type of performance measurement.. KPIs are commonly used by an organization to evaluate its success or the success of a particular activity in which it is engaged...
, management overview and strategic analysis.
Technology
The first version of the WorkPLAN ERP was programmed using Unify VISION language, and with Unify DataServer as a database engine from Unify CorporationUnify Corporation
Unify Corporation , one of the early developers of database management systems and tools for database development, was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Roseville, California...
.
The two new products, MyWorkPLAN and WorkPLAN Enterprise, have been programmed using PowerBuilder
PowerBuilder
PowerBuilder is an integrated development environment owned by Sybase, a division of SAP. It has been in use since 1991, peaking around 1998 with around 100,000 users....
, Delphi and C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
, and they use MySQL
MySQL
MySQL officially, but also commonly "My Sequel") is a relational database management system that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. It is named after developer Michael Widenius' daughter, My...
as a database engine. Both products incorporate technology from US company Tom Sawyer Software
Tom Sawyer Software
Tom Sawyer Software is a software company that provides products used to build data visualization and social network analysis applications. Organizations use these applications to better understand relationships, trends, and patterns in their complex data sets to identify emerging opportunities and...
, for the graphical creation and visualization of links between tasks.
Interfaces with other systems
WorkPLAN Enterprise and MyWorkPLAN have interfaces with the following types of software:- MS OfficeMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
, MS ProjectMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft Project is a project management software program, developed and sold by Microsoft, which is designed to assist a project manager in developing a plan, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing the budget, and analyzing workloads.The application creates critical path...
and Open OfficeOpenOffice.orgOpenOffice.org, commonly known as OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source application suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software... - Accounting systemsAccounting softwareAccounting software is application software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and trial balance. It functions as an accounting information system...
(SageThe Sage GroupThe Sage Group plc , commonly known as Sage, is a global enterprise software company headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest supplier of enterprise resource planning software , the largest supplier to small businesses, and has 6.1 million customers...
, QuickBooksQuickBooksQuickBooks is a line of business accounting software developed and marketed by Intuit.-History:Intuit was founded in 1983 by Scott Cook and Tom Proulx in Mountain View, California, USA...
, Datev, CegidCegid GroupCegid Group is a business software development company based in Lyon, France. It is a member of the CAC Small.- External links :* * * * * * *...
, EBP, Varial, etc.) - PayrollPayrollIn a company, payroll is the sum of all financial records of salaries for an employee, wages, bonuses and deductions. In accounting, payroll refers to the amount paid to employees for services they provided during a certain period of time. Payroll plays a major role in a company for several reasons...
systems - Other ERP products (SAPSAP AGSAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
, Navision, etc.) - CAM Software (WorkNCWorkNCWorkNC is a Computer aided manufacturing software developed by Sescoi for 2, 2.5, 3, 3+2 and 5-axis machining. WorkNC is well known for having always focused on automation and ease of use since its first release in 1988. WorkNC-CAD was introduced in 2002, making WorkNC a complete CAD/CAM product,...
) - CAD and PLM software to import Bills of Materials (VisiCAD, Think3, TopSolid, AutoCADAutoCADAutoCAD is a software application for computer-aided design and drafting in both 2D and 3D. It is developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. First released in December 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, notably the IBM PC...
, Cimatron, ProEngineerPro/ENGINEERCreo Elements/Pro, a product formerly known as Pro/ENGINEER is a parametric, integrated 3D CAD/CAM/CAE solution created by Parametric Technology Corporation . It was the first to market with parametric, feature-based, associative solid modeling software...
, Unigraphics, etc.) - CAD/CAM software, for analysing CAD files (STEPISO 10303ISO 10303 is an ISO standard for the computer-interpretable representation and exchange of product manufacturing information. Its official title is: Automation systems and integration — Product data representation and exchange...
, IGESIGESThe Initial Graphics Exchange Specification is a file format which defines a vendor neutral data format that allows the digital exchange of information among Computer-aided design systems....
, CATIACATIACATIA is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite developed by the French company Dassault Systemes...
V4 & V5, Unigraphics, SolidWorksSolidWorksSolidWorks is a 3D mechanical CAD program that runs on Microsoft Windows and is being developed by Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes, S. A. . SolidWorks is currently used by over 1.3 million engineers and designers at more than 130,000 companies worldwide...
, SolidEdgeSolid EdgeSolid Edge is a 3D CAD parametric feature solid modeling software. It runs on Microsoft Windows and provides solid modeling, assembly modelling and drafting functionality for mechanical engineers...
, Pro/E, ParasolidParasolidParasolid is a geometric modeling kernel originally developed by ShapeData, now owned by Siemens PLM Software , that can be licensed by other companies for use in their 3D computer graphics software products....
, STLSTL (file format)STL is a file format native to the stereolithography CAD software created by 3D Systems. This file format is supported by many other software packages; it is widely used for rapid prototyping and computer-aided manufacturing. STL files describe only the surface geometry of a three dimensional...
, etc) with the option of using WorkXPlore 3DWorkXPlore 3DWorkXPlore 3D is a CAD viewer developed by Sescoi for reading, analyzing and sharing 3D and 2D CAD files without having to rely on the original CAD application. It was launched in 2008 and is supported from Sescoi offices in the USA, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, India, China and Korea, and 50... - Advanced planning and scheduling systems (Ortems and Preactor)
- CRM software (Sage Vente Parner, etc)
- Shop Floor Data Collection systems
- Manufacturing systems, through the XMLXMLExtensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
agent