The demand for cold-formed steel (CFS) continues to increase year after year. As more project owners embrace cold-formed steel, visibility into the manufacturing process is imperative for manufacturers wanting to capture market share and grow. From quality control to capacity management and project status, precision and efficiency depend on real-time visibility into data and operations.
Production management platforms are changing operations for CFS manufacturers, bridging new levels of efficiency, and strengthening relationships with owners and contractors.
Technology advances unlock efficiencies and growth
Technological advances free manufacturers from disconnected systems, siloed data, and inefficiencies. A growing number of manufacturers are adopting production management platforms to deliver projects with predictability in the most efficient and productive way possible. From the factory to the field, a single source of real-time project data unlocks growth and efficiencies in several areas:
Production
Manufacturers often struggle with real-time visibility into production. Without understanding where projects stand, improving how they are delivered is difficult. Viewing the granular status of every project in one platform helps optimize production processes. With real-time insight into capacity and production, manufacturers can ensure high-quality output while planning and scheduling tasks to optimize resources, stay on budget, and meet deadlines.
Some production management platforms allow manufacturers to bring design files from any software into manufacturing. This eliminates the need for the time-consuming and error-prone processes of re-processing or duplicating work. Working from a single source of truth is critical to eliminating errors so the entire team can access project drawings and models in a single centralized platform.
Efficiently planning the delivery and handling of materials on the job site is fine for small builds but vital for larger projects or those on space-constrained urban sites. From the rollformers to panel installation in the building, thoughtful pre-planning results in a smooth, timely flow of materials. Planning software enables the efficient order of manufacturing, assembly of shipping bundles, and placement on the site.
Traceability
Manual, disconnected processes make it difficult for manufacturers to comply with regulations that require them to track and document the origin of CFS. Moving to a platform that digitizes product tracing ensures up-to-date and accurate documentation, helping manufacturers maintain complete traceability of materials and processes for quality assurance with minimum burden on the factory staff.
Inventory management
Tracking materials and components across projects is not always easy. Production management platforms track materials and components and can forecast and alert site managers when stocks are low, ensuring a lack of materials will not unexpectedly delay production schedules.
Analytics
Knowledge is power, and with access to real-time and historical project data, manufacturers can identify areas for improvement and confidently make informed decisions to deliver projects more efficiently and drive growth. Owners can use data to increase their business’s maturity and profitability by analyzing labor effectiveness, optimizing stock holdings, understanding capacity, and integrating data with enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other systems.
As more owners and contractors embrace CFS construction, manufacturers must adapt. Leaning into technology can help manufacturers do more work with fewer resources while improving quality. Disconnected workflows and paper processes are being replaced with production management platforms that provide a single source of real-time data for better decision-making, enhanced quality control, precision, and seamless communication with contractors and customers.
Ray Bagley is head of product at FRAMECAD
