Information Builders Case Studies Cascades Standardizes on iWay for Justin-Time Operation

Edit This Case Study Record

	Cascades Standardizes on iWay for Justin-Time Operation Information Builders

Cascades Standardizes on iWay for Justin-Time Operation

Information Builders

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Industries	Paper & Pulp
Applicable Functions	Discrete Manufacturing Procurement
Use Cases	Manufacturing System Automation Predictive Maintenance
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration
Challenge	Cascades, a packaging and tissue products manufacturer, was implementing SAP R/3 enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications across its numerous mills, plants, and paper manufacturing facilities. This was part of an enterprise-wide strategy to reengineer financials, procurement, purchasing, production planning, warehouse management, plant maintenance, and other essential business functions. However, a significant challenge in this multi-year SAP deployment involved integrating the new SAP environment with the existing infrastructure. Cascades needed integration technology to monitor shop floor equipment and seamlessly move data, messages, and transactions across this complex infrastructure. Read More
About Customer	Cascades is a company that produces, converts, and markets packaging and tissue products that are composed mainly of recycled fibers. The company was founded in 1964 and employs close to 12,000 people in more than 100 production units in North America and Europe. With its proven management philosophy, half a century of experience in recycling, and continuous efforts in research and development as driving forces, Cascades continues to deliver innovative products on which its customers rely. Read More
Solution	Cascades standardized on iWay to monitor variables within the production process, consolidate the results for offline analysis, and exchange real-time data for running payroll, executing plant floor processes, purchasing raw materials, etc. The Cascades Tissue Group uses GE Proficy Plant Applications to monitor machinery and gather statistics about physical conditions in the plants. Sensors on the equipment gather data about temperature, humidity, and other operating conditions that affect the quality of the finished products. The IT department uses iWay Service Manager to obtain log files of this information and send those files to a central data center for processing. The team deployed the SAP interfaces in two phases. In Phase 1, they created secure FTP channels to move legacy data into a multichannel architecture. These interfaces enabled plants to send and receive data between a legacy inventory system, a legacy production manufacturing system, and two SAP modules: SAP Order Management and SAP Planning. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)

Applicable Industries

Paper & Pulp

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing

Procurement

Use Cases

Manufacturing System Automation

Predictive Maintenance

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Challenge

Cascades, a packaging and tissue products manufacturer, was implementing SAP R/3 enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications across its numerous mills, plants, and paper manufacturing facilities. This was part of an enterprise-wide strategy to reengineer financials, procurement, purchasing, production planning, warehouse management, plant maintenance, and other essential business functions. However, a significant challenge in this multi-year SAP deployment involved integrating the new SAP environment with the existing infrastructure. Cascades needed integration technology to monitor shop floor equipment and seamlessly move data, messages, and transactions across this complex infrastructure.

About Customer

Cascades is a company that produces, converts, and markets packaging and tissue products that are composed mainly of recycled fibers. The company was founded in 1964 and employs close to 12,000 people in more than 100 production units in North America and Europe. With its proven management philosophy, half a century of experience in recycling, and continuous efforts in research and development as driving forces, Cascades continues to deliver innovative products on which its customers rely.

Solution

Cascades standardized on iWay to monitor variables within the production process, consolidate the results for offline analysis, and exchange real-time data for running payroll, executing plant floor processes, purchasing raw materials, etc. The Cascades Tissue Group uses GE Proficy Plant Applications to monitor machinery and gather statistics about physical conditions in the plants. Sensors on the equipment gather data about temperature, humidity, and other operating conditions that affect the quality of the finished products. The IT department uses iWay Service Manager to obtain log files of this information and send those files to a central data center for processing. The team deployed the SAP interfaces in two phases. In Phase 1, they created secure FTP channels to move legacy data into a multichannel architecture. These interfaces enabled plants to send and receive data between a legacy inventory system, a legacy production manufacturing system, and two SAP modules: SAP Order Management and SAP Planning.

Impact #1	Managers have a more accurate, real-time view of the operation. They can track sales and production continuously, moving the business closer to a just-in-time operation.
Impact #2	Standardizing on one general-purpose middleware environment makes it easier to develop and support new interfaces, since reusability ensures economies of scale.
Impact #3	The new ERP system boosts efficiency by reducing in-process inventory and associated carrying costs.

Impact #1

Managers have a more accurate, real-time view of the operation. They can track sales and production continuously, moving the business closer to a just-in-time operation.

Impact #2

Standardizing on one general-purpose middleware environment makes it easier to develop and support new interfaces, since reusability ensures economies of scale.

Impact #3

The new ERP system boosts efficiency by reducing in-process inventory and associated carrying costs.

Benefit #1	15 plants are live with the new iWay interfaces.
Benefit #2	Once SAP is fully implemented, between 60 and 65 plants will use these new iWay interfaces.

Benefit #1

15 plants are live with the new iWay interfaces.

Benefit #2

Once SAP is fully implemented, between 60 and 65 plants will use these new iWay interfaces.

Download PDF Version

Overview

Cascades Standardizes on iWay for Justin-Time Operation

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit