MPX Windows

New Rapid Modeling Technology for Manufacturing Lead Time Reduction

What would decreased lead time mean to you in terms of competitive advantage? Your product features and quality have helped you build your business. But perhaps manufacturing cycle time issues are limiting your firm's current opportunities. If WIP and inventory are increasing as you try to respond to fluctuations in demand, maybe its time to put aside stopgap measures and really strengthen your lead time reduction capabilities.

You need quick results and tangible, sustainable benefits. That's why you'll want to get MPX from Network Dynamics. MPX is a quick, easy-to-learn system you can use for reducing manufacturing lead time. Within minutes of taking MPX out of the box you will begin to explore its revolutionary "Rapid Modeling Technology." In less than a day you can be...

• Testing alternative production levels and constraints
• Seeing the impact of varying lot sizes on WIP, Throughput and Lead Time
• Modeling multiple products and complex bill-of-material structures
• Planning for new product introductions
• Easily analyzing alternatives to justify new equipment purchases
• Comparing the benefits of alternative work cell configurations
• Evaluating  the effects of dynamic labor/equipment utilization on production capacity

Whether you are in manufacturing, finance, marketing or engineering, MPX will become an indispensable part of your manufacturing planning. Unlike simulation and MRP/ERP systems, MPX is quick to learn, easy to use and lightning fast.

With MPX you can easily define and answer complex problems; in minutes you will have the "proof of concept" information you need to carry out critical initiatives. MPX is ideal for management decision support, production planning, capacity planning and strategy development.

Windows-based MPX is economical to implement and requires no programming skills. Dedicated work groups, cross-functional teams or individual planners can use MPX to their advantage. Plus, MPX is menu driven; just plug in production variables. Tabular inputs make building manufacturing models a snap. User-friendly screens, status lines and prompts guide you to clear, meaningful comparisons and fast results

Powerful features

Developed by an award winning team of manufacturing systems experts, MPX utilizes sophisticated "queueing network analysis" algorithms. Windows-based MPX has all the powerful features that have made previous versions so popular, including:

• Rapid modeling engine for quickly evaluating dynamics and interactions of manufacturing systems
• Modeling of multiple products (each with own routing, lot size, setup and run times), including complex bill-of-material structures
• Modeling of both equipment and labor constraints, including the effect of dynamic labor-machine interactions ("operator interference")
• Modeling of "real world" manufacturing details, including effect of equipment failure, scrap and rework loops.
• "'What-if" scenarios for easy modeling of improvements, such as setup reduction
• Critical outputs, including utilization levels, work-in-process (WIP) and actual lead times
• Fully compatible Windows 32-bit application includes Windows-standard functionality such as Cut, Copy, Paste (to/from spreadsheets or word processors); Open, Save and Print dialog boxes; multiple open windows (with Minimize, Maximize), etc.
• Uses Microsoft Access database for model data storage; allows easy user interaction with other databases for loading MPX inputs and transferring results
• Allows equations for setup/run times and routing probabilities; quantity dependency parameters specific to a product, labor or equipment item
• User specified setup time per lot, per transfer batch and per piece, plus run time per lot, per transfer batch and per piece
• Run options, including: 1) Exclude selected products for current Run; 2) Find maximum production achievable; and 3) Run a range of lot sizes
• Reports, including Bill-of-Materials Tree Chart displaying lead time for an assembly built-up from lead times of all subassemblies and components
• Simultaneous display of results for multiple "What-if" scenarios
• Equipment can be designated as “out of area” for improved interpretation of output graphs
• Department codes have been added to Labor, Equipment, and Product input screens to help segregate products.  Output data is subtotaled according to the Product department codes
• Editing of "What-if" and basecase data directly in the "What-if" records screen
• Advanced sorting capabilities for all input/output tables
• Detailed operation output tables include additional descriptions for each data column

• True global optimization of lot sizes and transfer batch sizes
• MPX will determine a set of lot sizes and transfer batches that will achieve production and give a minimized WIP value and a minimized lead time
• There is only 1 globally optimal set of lot sizes and MPX will get there with minimal input from the user
• Utility to handle multiple "what-ifs" as a group, such as:
• Creating and manipulating monthly production plans, equipment and labor, or overtime adjustments
• Multiple user levels
• New sorting fields
• More reports for input and error data
• New "What-if" families to model and track multiple time periods, for example you can create a month by month production plan for the next 6 months

Start reducing lead times now!

If you're just hearing about MPX Windows and rapid modeling technology for the first time, you'll want to find out more about this easy-to-use, versatile system for lead time reduction. For quick results and sustainable benefits call for more information. If “time is of the essence” in maintaining and strengthening your competitive position, you will want MPX, today!

Industrial Package

"We were getting our output in less than a minute...There is an advantage to keeping your thought process going while you're generating alternatives...[You] look at the output, see what you don't like, and automatically say, 'OK, let's try this [other] alternative'."

MPX is so cost-effective, and so easy to use, that you will very quickly adopt it as a standard daily tool for managing your manufacturing enterprise.

MPX will recover the cost of the software several times over with a single successful application. Specific paybacks commonly experienced by our users include:
 

• Cutting lead time by 50%, thus strengthening sales in competitive bidding situations
• Identifying a $100,000 milling machine that was not needed to meet capacity requirements
• Saving 10% overtime by fine tuning lot sizes
• Providing early evaluations of a green field plant design, thus avoiding potentially costly errors in configuration

Can I get a demo of MPX?

Yes, you can download a copy from this web site - Download MPX, or contact us by phone or email and we will send you a copy.