Electroplating companies provide electroplating using precious and non-precious metals for important industries that are a necessity to our everyday lives such as automotive, aerospace, telecom, electronics, and medical. Depending on which metal is used for this process, electroplating can provide benefits such as improving durability, enhancing appearance, and efficiently conducing electricity among others.
Given the importance of the electroplating process, it’s necessary for electroplating companies to be organized and maintain efficiency, which can sometimes be a challenge. Utilizing the correct ERP tools can streamline many different processes and methods along the way, ensuring improved productivity and output.
Quoting Process
Given that the quoting process is dependent on both which precious and/or non-precious metals will be used along with which method of electroplating, implementing one quoting process can be difficult.
The PCT Module, a custom Paapri tool, helps guide the quoting process through the PCT Cost Estimation and PCT Configure features. These features can also be used to help handle supply and demand depending on the sales and purchase. Through PCT tools, electroplating companies are also able to hold metals in safety stock for emergency use, helping them to avoid a dire out of stock situation.
Barrel Plating
Companies who use a barrel plating method divide high volumes of small parts into loads, attaching load tickets for monitoring during transfers from one work center to another. This process can become complicated and hard track. The Paapri PCT Load feature reduces the complexity of this process, providing a way to easily track and retrieve details of the loads.
After each load is completed, a quality check is done. Instructions in doing this can vary, sometimes being parts specific and sometimes being customer specific. Paapri extended ERP systems can help to make this outside processing more efficient.
In the final stages of the barrel plating method, it’s common to hold an extra percentage of metals in the event that any striping or replating is needed due to quality failure. The Paapri Automatic Inventory Adjustment feature provides an easy way to hold this inventory, while Paapri PCT Scripts provide the ability to handle the strip and replating process. To round the barrel plating process off, Paapri also offers fully customizable PCT labels various electroplating companies.
Selective Plating
During the selective plating method, only a specific part of a piece is electroplated as opposed to the entire piece. Although this process helps to reduce cost, it’s very important to have consistently efficient runtimes – less runtime implies an inefficient outcome and extra runtime denotes business loss as it’s proportionate to precious metal usage. With the help of the Paapri Manufacturing Console, companies can track runtime and control the start and end of a job, increasing efficiencies within the process.
Work Instructions
Work instructions are imperative with any of these electroplating processes as they include specific details based on customer requirements and the parts themselves. However, accurately maintaining these instructions with each record can be a challenge. The Paapri Work Instruction feature streamlines this process, allowing for the entering of detailed instructions, updating said instructions, and the checking of them via various reports.
Quality Check
As the most vital part of the plating process, it’s essential to have an optimized quality check phase which includes printing the results on the Certificate of Conformity (COC). That many ERP systems don’t support customizable COC pdfs, presenting a challenge. Paapri offers the ability to have a fully customizable COC pdf, allowing companies to continue their legacy certificate.
Validating loads with a predefined formula is another challenge within the plating process. Paapri tools can help, providing a Quality module for the recording and validating of quality check results, and the generation of the pdf for COC. Electroplating companies can also generate colorful reports to show detailed results and help determine next steps.
If you’re involved with an electroplating company looking to improve production, efficiency, and processes, Paapri tools and consultants can help.