JAVELIN Product History

Listed below are the previous releases of JAVELIN, to view what features where introduced in each of the releases click the buttons below.

JAVELIN Version 2022.1

JAVELIN 2022.1

With new functionality, screen improvements, and more information integration, the latest release of JAVELIN 2022.1 has plenty to offer users wishing to upgrade their MRP ERP system. Major new enhancements include:

  • New blanket/nett off sales order function
  • Sales and purchase orders e-mails
  • MRP improvements
  • Sales process and information updates
  • Capacity display of load and usage of constraints
  • Production improvements

New Blanket/Nett off Sales Order function

An innovative new process to manage customer contracts has been developed to fill the gap between sales forecasting and sales EDI. The Blanket/Net Off Order functionality enables a customer contract/blanket order to be entered in a tentative form and, as the true demand arises, it can be entered on an active order and netted off from the blanket order.This ensures the overall requirement stays consistent. With a blanket order in place, purchasing and manufacturing can be planned, aiding capacity loadings, and purchasing in economic quantities.

Sales and purchase orders e-mails

Monitoring interactions with customers and suppliers on orders has been enhanced with a new facility to attach emails to purchase order and sales order comments. When initiated, the program scans the user’s inbox or outbox, allowing them to preview and select the required email. The email is then stored in JAVELIN, allowing other users with access to the screen to view the email. In addition, it is possible to create a new email or reply to a stored email. This new functionality assists the organization of relevant emails and promotes sharing of key information with other team members. Furthermore, there is now the option to automatically include other customer and supplier contacts in the CC field when emailing purchase order and sales order acknowledgements from JAVELIN.

MRP improvements

The dates and times when MRP was last run and PO and WO snapshots were created, are now clearly visible on the MRP screens with warning messages when these are out of date. This provides assurance that users are viewing and actioning MRP information based on the most recent data. The MRP Purchase Order Suggestions screen has been updated to make it easier to select a different supplier for PO creation. Additionally, by using the MRP Mapping data, more key information for production is at the user’s fingertips with the earliest Sales Order Due and Promize dates for a Works Order displayed on the Works Order Maintenance and Inquiry screens. There are further improvements to these screens, including an icon for unprinted status and a new range of 'Held’, 'Released’ or 'Both’. The maintenance screen also shows the lead time for the part.

Sales process and information updates

Updates to the sales area include a screen make-over to the sales order schedule process which will speed up entry of order lines, with different parts accessible from the one screen. Analysis of Delivery against Sales Order Due Date is improved with a new inquiry that displays the first and last delivery note for an order line, along with the number of days early/late. Sales Order Reference Date has also been added to several inquiry screens. Additionally, Contract Review now has its own menu and clearer naming to separate it from NCRs.

Capacity display of load and usage of constraints

A significant improvement to the Advanced Scheduling Capacity Used Inquiry is the display of load and usage of constraints for work centers or cells. This means that users can easily identify situations where the load of a resource is limited by the constraints rather than the availability of the resource itself. In addition, the scheduled date feedback screen now has an Inquiry version, allowing a quick and easy comparison of Scheduled End dates with Sales Order Promize dates.

Production improvements

The production documentation print has been substantially improved. With sort options for the output and more selection ranges which will reduce post print sorting and collating time. There is a helpful function to display how many orders will be outputted before committing to print, along with better clarity on printed/unprinted status to reduce the likelihood of printing unwanted documents. There is also an option to re-trigger the print in case of issues with the printer. Subcontract orders now allow changes to the comments, headers and footers on P&R notes which can also be done retrospectively to allow for corrections after processing is complete. When booking scrap and reject parts, users can now force a comment to be entered to ensure relevant information is recorded at the time of the event. Also, recorded defects that are linked to NCRs will show the first Incomplete NCR, if available, or the 1st Complete NCR, with a message to indicate multiple NCRs.

Other items

There are many other improvements to screens and processes that have been made in JAVELIN 2022.1 enhancing the overall user experience, including:

Pre sales

Users can now select the “Method of Manufacture” when creating an estimate from parts.
Users can define default clauses on quotes.
Addition of quote number on sales orders and lines which can be populated via order confirmation or manually.

Purchasing

PO line has tooltip on price that shows the next price break quantity and cost.
Option for each buyer to have a different delivery address.
Purchasing inquiry screens now include PO line numbers and acknowledge/promise dates.
The goods received note print has been included within document copy control giving more flexibility on its output and there is also better process on the storing of goods received.

Inventory

Users can now keep track of unplanned issues and receipts by enforcing a reason code to be entered at the time of the transaction.

Finance

Users can attach a scanned document to a purchase invoice in the PI matching screen.
Ordered price versus invoice price report has an improved selection criteria which enables all variance to be viewed in one go and can be exported to Excel.

JAVELIN Version 2022.0

JAVELIN 2022.0 Release

The Focus of the JAVLIN 2022.0 release is access to information with a suite of developments and improvements incorporated into the ERP system. In addition, the exploration of incorporating data from Javelin into MS BI offers a myriad of possibilities for data analysis with valuable insights to help drive business change.

Building on the functionality in Advanced scheduling the new development of Conformance to Schedule brings in the ability to measure how well manufacturing are adhering to the schedule.

When an Operation Scheduled on the Work To List is started or processed, the Scheduled Start and End are now recorded. Customization is used to extend this functionality by incorporating operations that should have started or those that due to start within a defined number of hours.

All this data can be viewed within the New Conformance to Schedule Inquiry which displays all operations, their actual start/end, the expected schedule start/end and other pertinent details to assist in monitoring of the accuracy of the planned schedule. With better understanding of where deviations from the schedule occur improvements can be effectively targeted.

With the Advanced Scheduling area Outwork duration can now take into account the Javelin factory calendar, extending the operation duration when spanning closed days. This will improve schedule accuracy especially around bank holiday periods.

The Exit from the European Union has necessitated the addition of more information for users in JAVELIN Version 2022.0.

Where the country of origin of a purchased part is different to the supplier country of origin, this can now be easily handled by specifying the Country of Origin against the Supplier/Part combination. This will then automatically override the Supplier’s Country when a GRN is created.

Declaration Text can now be entered against VAT Categories. This value will default onto Delivery Notes and then onto Invoices.

A new field called Packing Type can now defined with details on weight and dimensions; this can be specified against a Part. When the part is added to a Delivery Note the expected Packing will be defaulted in based on Weight or Pack Qty. The Delivery Note Packing Details are also defaulted onto Invoices.

Within the Delivery and Invoice Maintenance screens the Intrastat tabs have now be renamed to reflect the Export details and give access to the Declaration and Packing information.

The Standard Javelin prints for Invoice and Delivery note contain the declaration and packing information. With the invoice containing an Export summary section.

For customer with the API for WIP bookings, Start and End Jobs can now be recorded and processed individually as normal SFDC start/end logging, enabling greater granularity of data.

Others General Changes and Improvements Include:

The original graphs with JAVELIN have now been replaced with Google Graphs, with a modern look and feel. An internet connection is required to display these graphs.

For users with a telephone application installed their Windows client (internet or softphones installed on their computers) there is now the option to speedily dial phone numbers stored within Javelin. Icons next to the phone numbers will trigger the default pc phone to dial the required number when clicked.

There have been multiple improvements to purchase invoice matching inquiries and reports. There are now additional fields, filters and zooms from selected fields to the relevant inquiry screens. All this helps make these inquiries more informative and export to excel more beneficial.

Employee Maintenance now has the benefit of showing which scheduling cell an employee belongs to, extending where this information can be viewed.

The work center replacement program has been updated with additional options to include or exclude open and closed operations. When a work center is replaced you can choose to exclude the closed ops which means you can easily maintain the history of works order with operations on the old work center.

Greater flexibility over the default PO delivery address as it can now be can now be defined within PO customization, where you can select from the list of own addresses. Prior to this enhancement, the first address in the list would always be the delivery address used.

To help with data integrity an Illegal Character Check has been applied to all key fields. The characters !?*’ will not be allowed to be entered.

Finally, to assist our users to develop greater knowledge and insights from the data stored within JAVELIN several starter MS Power BI templates will be provided in the Templates folder. Covering the areas of Sales, Purchasing, Scheduling Load and SFDC Errors. These templates will be added to and enhanced considerably over the coming months.

JAVELIN Version 2021

JAVELIN 2021 Release

Despatch Pallets Feature

With the new despatch pallets feature, as parts are added to a delivery note, JAVELIN 2021 automatically assigns the goods to an available pallet... and if any aren't available it will create a new one. A pallet can contain several delivery notes to the same address, and a delivery note can also be spread over several pallets.


Master Production Schedule

The master production schedule enhances MRP and gives greater control on forward planning. For example, users can enter or import their own schedule for designated parts in specific periods, which MRP will honour instead of the normal supply or demand. The entry screen shows real demand and the available quantity each week. The screen can be filtered for parts that use a specific work center. part maintenance and supply vs demand will indicate when MPS is in use for that part.


New Program

A new program in the purchasing environment, expedite feedback, speeds up the updating of supplier results for acknowledged date, review date and comments, by importing from an Excel or CSV file. The confirmation screen in request for quotation now displays all responses, and allows the best option to be selected, with the ability to change due date before confirming. Other updates include supplier price books specified by part Issue; a new profile option of automatic acknowledgement that creates purchase order lines as acknowledged; and in the subcontract update program acknowledged dates can now be updated as well as due dates.


Trader Profile

Customer profile functionality has been renamed trader profile, and extended to suppliers, enabling purchase documents to be customized for specific groups of suppliers.


Work Orders

Works orders improvements include how splitting of orders is managed, with two options to suit different requirements. The new works order split fully splits a WO into multiple refurbishment works orders, apportioning outstanding materials and operations, while keeping traceability to the original. The other option, works order partition, splits off part of the order, leaving the original open to continue processing. Material, labour and outwork costs are transferred, but unlike the WO split, previously processed operational data, including outwork, is not available to the newly created order.


Ops Button

The new update ops button refreshes outstanding operations in line with the current part routing; and there is now increased visibility of excess supply, with this field displayed on several works order screens.


Advanced Scheduling

Advanced scheduling now has a priority escalation field, for high priority works orders to be fast tracked by scheduling, before other orders in the work to list. This provides greater control over scheduling output for business-critical situations.


Part Security

JAVELIN 2021's new part security feature controls user access to data for specific parts and is of particular interest to companies with ITAR and other security requirements. The part security code is defined against a part, or inherited from the Item Type defaults, with only designated employees given access to that component's document view data.


Icons Addition

Icons added to shop floor data capture's work to list clearly indicate which operations are available to start, according to the previous operation having finished, and material issue status.


Proof Of Export

For companies dealing with third-party forward shipping, a new proof of export function allows HMRC export information to be entered and tracked against the  invoice details.


General Enhancements 

A range of general enhancements include:

  • A taskbar icon showing outstanding actions, CRM actions, project tasks, NCR tasks, and WIP validation failures, acting as a quick access to the relevant screen
  • VAT category is now a customisable list of options, in readiness for possible Brexit changes
  • On the multi sales Issue screen, new icons to show the OTIF (on time in full) status of the lines being shipped i.e. late, on time or early to the OTIF
  • Added efficiency in creating NCR templates, by copying items from previous templates
  • Stock take output now has an option to include part descriptions on printed count sheets and stock take tickets
  • MAP Up buttons throughout the system show any top-level sales order demand as a tool tip
  • Quotes have a new comment box; and in the quote print function the customer reference is included in the email header and body text
  • Dashboard sales graphs now have options to breakdown by sales order type, and to select whether to exclude either consignment or call off orders


  

 

JAVELIN Version 2020.1

2020.1 Release

Contract Review

Following on from the NCR development in 2020.0 a new type called Contract has been added to facilitate the Contract Review process. This new type is associated with a Sales Order. There are options available to enforce/warn a valid Contract is assigned/completed before being able to change a Sales Order from Tentative to Active. There is also a Customer Profile Option to force all Sales Orders to be created as Tentative. Along with the functionality to create templates for contract review, assign tasks to users and or groups. This will be of major benefit for companies who do Contract Reviews allowing them to bring that process into Javelin.


Document View

Document View program has been revamped to make it easier to set up and use. Users will be able to drag and drop document file paths. Documents can also be assigned to print on specific printers. When setting up Doc view drive letter are no longer required as UNCs can now be used. All common applications that are associated with opening a document are now automatically chosen replacing the need to make the association manually.


Operation Type

A new works order Operation type has been created which gives the key advantage of being able to trigger material issue for operations other than the first operation. This new op type can be specified against a work center and enables setting the default for Key Op.


Traceability

Trace buttons have been added to many screens, these are similar to the MAP button but will show the Trace tree from or to the selected item.


Purchasing

By creating a new SQL view combining purchase order lines and purchase order cancellations it is now easier to create purchase order prints that show changes to a purchase order instead of “print as new”. “Print As New” is a now a Parameter sent to Crystal PO Templates.

Also within purchasing there is a new feature that allows prices on open purchase order lines to be updated from price lists if required.


Authorization

Improvements for Purchase order approval have been made by separating out Supplier Approval and Purchase Order Approval. This means that for changes on purchase orders the PO authorization is only triggered when the PO value changes and the Supplier Approval check will only be triggered for date changes. There is a new option called “Outstanding Value” to allow PO Authorization to use the Outstanding Value rather than Total PO Value.


Bill of Materials

A new inquiry called BOM compare has been created, this will compare the BOM of two part issues displaying the difference. Making BOM comparisons more visual and hence easier. Also BOM Enquiry and Reports now default to only two levels.


Advanced Scheduling

Advanced scheduling has been developed in conjunction with our customer requirements and requests.

Within the advanced scheduling setting there is a new option to prevent Cells from switching between jobs. Essentially meaning that when a operator in a cell starts an operation it will run until complete before moving the operator onto another operation. There are additional options around how to reduce overall lateness or individual lateness. Extending from setting the priority on work orders priory can be set instead using product group or responsibility code. Adv scheduling will now consider the due date and acknowledged date on purchase orders for Outwork/subcontract operations. A log report can be triggered to record all decisions made by ADV and showing the reason behind the decisions with the aim of the user being able to interrogate those decisions. Finally to assist with reporting on capacity, records are now created for zero load period.


Adv Planning Board

Improvements have been made to the Adv planning board including defining the sequence that work centers are displayed on the board. The height of the lines can be resized to optimize the lines displayed and this setting will be retained in subsequent sessions.

The unscheduled operations table now includes the Part no and the columns are sortable. A print button has been added to enable printing of the current view.


Release Notes

Stock that is issued to a single sales order line at one time will now be on the same Release Note.  A new

button has been added to generate a new Release Note if Multi RN functionality is not required.

There is a now a Customer Profile option to force previous functionality ‘Single ROO per RN’ 

 

JAVELIN Version 2020.0

2020.0 Release

  JAVELIN 2020.0 is geared towards tracking, logging and actioning things that have gone wrong.

Non-Conformance Report | NCR

The new Non-Conformance Report (NCR) addition supports users’ supplier, customer, and internal quality processes by recording and monitoring NCRs with multiple user-defined templates.

It links NCRs to supplier returns, customer returns, works orders, quarantine stock transactions, defects and scrap. There’s also a general option available to create NCRs not related directly to specific parts, but for any other need to record a non-conformance.

Many companies already keep track of non-conformance information outside JAVELIN… in an Excel spreadsheet for example. Being able to directly link the information to purchase orders, works orders and sales orders within JAVELIN means everything is secure, and the system produces full reports.


Advanced Scheduling

A number of updates have been made to Advanced Scheduling. A new function can now consider the acknowledged date of a purchase order item, rather than the due date, and will delay the scheduling of operations until the material is received. This allows supply to be delayed, but the schedule is more accurate, while maintaining the due date that MRP is showing.

Other items of new and enhanced functionality to Advanced Scheduling include options to ignore Alternate Ops and Alternate WCs; an Unscheduled Operations Inquiry has been added, with filters, which can be printed and exported to Excel; and new metrics for the number of alternative ops, the number of ops scheduled on obsolete WCs, and the number of unscheduled ops. Also, new applicable warnings have been added to a number of items after a Scheduling run. And the Planning Board for Advanced Scheduling now retains the last settings on Number of Days in View and the Highlight option.


Max Cycles For Configured Parts

JAVELIN MRP can now be set to check for Configured Part demand, automatically approve, and repeat MRP to calculate and flush through any Configured demand. This new functionality speeds up the process considerably.


Supply v Demand

Supply v Demand inquiries now consider the Sales Order line. This is related to contract control, in that unique contracts are Sales Order line dependent, so this is now incorporated into the supply and demand inquiry.


New Sales Function

An important new Sales function sees clarification of Sales Order item dates. The Promize Date is the date the customer expects to receive their goods, while the Sales Order Due Date will be calculated from the Promize Date minus the transport time. This is the date that MRP uses to ensure the goods are available for despatch. The update makes this much clearer and presents the dates in a logical order.


New Security Feature

A new security feature now prevents accidental despatch against a Sales Order line with a zero value. Zero Price Sales Order items now default to To Be Arranged and are not available for Sales Issue. If the price is meant to be zero...for instance, a free sample…the TBA flag can be manually unchecked, allowing Sales Issue.


Stock Details

Stock Details are now recorded for Non-Trace parts, making it easier to report against stock, as the data is stored in one table. Another important function is that Stores now have optional restrictions of Planned Issue, Sales Issue, Production Receipt, and Goods Receipt, preventing specific Stock Transactions, to enforce any Stock Usage Limitations, such as Prevent Planned Issue from Bulk Store, or Sales Issue from Quarantine Store.


New Country Field

Following customer requests, JAVELIN developers have created a new Country of Origin field on the Goods Receipt note, which defaults to the Supplier’s VAT country. This provides more transparency by identifying where the purchase originated from. The function can be over-ridden, if required.


Nest Material Issue

Nest Material Issue within Shop Floor Data Capture now consolidates Supply, and amortizes Demand by the required Contract strength. The Stock Transaction Log now records and displays the program used to perform the transaction.  


Overdue Item Inquiry

Previously only available as a report, an Overdue Items Inquiry has been added, enabling data to be exported to Excl. Also, new filters have been added to Mass Stock Transfer, based on Row, Bin and Contract.


Documents Section

In JAVELIN’s Documents section, default attachments can now be added to each document type.  Key use for this, is attaching terms and conditions to all Purchase Order emails. Customer focused documents can now have their own customer profile set against each copy. Updates to the Works Order Data Pack Print mean that Documents set against the Works Order or Works Order Part can now be printed. In earlier versions of JAVELIN, the data pack could only be defined on the Part.  


Active Directory Logon

Logon keystrokes can also be reduced, with Active Directory Logon now being supported, as JAVELIN can be activated automatically when the user logs on to Windows.


Other items of new and enhanced functionality include:

  • WIP recording is now easier to use, and multiple lines can now be entered. Outwork WIP operations are now booked by a separate program
  • Icons can now be dragged and dropped within a desktop tab, making the desktop more intuitive and easier to modify
  • Settings of most Inquiries are now saved according to the user/machine, and open at that point when next accessed
  • All email address fields now have an icon to create a new email
  • Faster Configured Part Formula calculations
  • Several optional ranges added to Set WO to Uncosted
  • The Supplier On Time In Full report has the option to use the First Acknowledged Date
  • Purchase Invoice Matching now requires that goods and VAT totals match individually, rather than as a total. This covers off rare instances where the total may match, but component values don’t
  • For customers using Standard Scheduling, the maximum number of weeks in the Daily Schedule has been increased from three to 99.

 

JAVELIN Version 2019 R1

2019 R1 Release

Graphs

Seventeen new graphs are available for display in the latest release of JAVELIN production control software, providing vital information at a glance. The graphs can be displayed within the JAVELIN desktop or in a new dashboard window.

This new functionality in JAVELIN 2019 R1 covers a wide variety of business areas, including sales, purchasing, work in progress, scrap and reject, and scheduling. The graphs can be customized to show different time intervals, horizons, specific field values and groups.

They give a full visual overview of how the business is running, on one screen. Dashboards can be set to automatically refresh with the latest data, reducing the need to go into the system and run reports.


API (Application Programming Interface)

The new release features a chargeable bolt-on enabling data to be imported from third-party software. Information such as WIP, Clock in-out, and Stock Transactions can all be accepted by JAVELIN, populating SQL tables. One of the key areas we’re anticipating is linking to software controlling hand scanners and key fobs for clocking in and out of buildings. The workforce then simply log on to specific jobs and operations with JAVELIN’s Shop Floor Data Capture, and management use the employee utilization analysis reports for an update.


The Cloud

In response to a number of users’ inquiries about storing their data on Cloud-based applications, 2019 R1 has been successfully tested with Azure Cloud Services. The JAVELIN team is looking to work in partnership with individual customers to develop it.


WIP

Within Work In Progress, creating new Works Orders from existing ones will be particularly valuable to companies manufacturing tailored products which later need to be replicated. It saves time, because you don’t need to manually retype specific Works Order details. In addition, a new screen allows users to open or close existing operations easily without having to ‘Record’ or ‘Cancel’ WIP.


Obsolescence

The amount of data held in JAVELIN is constantly growing, so the ‘Obsolete’ function has now been extended to cover a number of additional codes, such as Op Narratives, Non-productive codes, Product Groups, Responsibility Code, Salesperson, Buyers, and WIP booking codes. Many manufacturers need to retain data for traceability, and Obsolescence functions allow users to keep screens tidy by hiding redundant information. Obsolete codes are not available for selection when creating new records.


Costing

The Costing function now has new SQL Data Views that store the latest cost records. This improves external reporting as historic costs do not need to filtered out. Additional filters have been added to the Delivery Note and Cost of Sales reports, to ensure users only print the records they need.


MRP

A new default method of handling reorder level supply has been introduced. Any supply that fulfils the reorder level demand will now be considered as Advances Only. This improves situations where demand is dynamic by allowing multiple reorder supply dates for each part.


Menu Maintenance

Menu maintenance has been redesigned, providing new grouping functionality and improved screen design, making it is easier to see which menu permissions have been assigned to each user. Groups such as Purchasing, Sales, and Finance can be created, each with their own menu rights, so it’s quicker to maintain permissions across the user base. New recruits to the company can simply be added to the relevant group.


Purchasing

Companies are increasingly wanting to put labels on goods, so a new function in JAVELIN 2019 R1 allows definable pack sizes on the Part Supplier screen. Users can now enter pack sizes, so when items are received JAVELIN produces the correct number of labels for that suppliers’ part. We’ve also added the ability to select a number of pre-defined Supplier terms, rather than just having a free text field.

A new search command within Miscellaneous Purchase Order Items makes it easier to find the required part, and the screen now includes extended description and nominal codes.


Emails

Documents linked to Parts can be set to automatically attach when emailing Quotes, Sales Orders, and Purchase Orders. Documents can also be attached by supplier. As terms and conditions can be specific to each supplier, this new functionality means individual supplier documents can be automatically attached to emails.


Company branding

The latest release now supports company logo or image on the JAVELIN desktop. In addition, Icons can be assigned to work centers as well as store location, for quicker identification.


Sales

New functionality allows the mass update of Due and Promize dates on Sales Orders. Where users have multiple items all with the same date on a single Sales Order, it can now be changed with one click instead of having to do it line by line.

As scheduling is becoming increasingly more important, users need to know when a Works Order is due to finish, so a new screen, Scheduled Date Feedback, shows the WO end date and sales order date. The sales due date and promise date can be updated to tie in with the scheduled WO end date.


Sub Contractors

Supplier Approval now applies to Sub Contractor Purchase Orders. It gives control over subcontractors’ adherence to quality standards. Price book changes can now be rapidly applied to update existing routing costs.


Quality

Inspection results that fail specified criteria can now be recorded, so additional samples will be required to pass.


Accounts

Invoice maintenance screen now includes a tool tip to show multiple Sales Orders associated with each delivery note.


Miscellaneous

An increased number of screens now have access to documents, improving accessibility to information such as supplier certification, customer drawings and requirements, spreadsheets, Word, and PDFs. If a user has the software to open a document, it can be linked in JAVELIN.

Finally, a new “Replace” button allows tools to be exchanged on routings.


Overall JAVELIN 2019 R1 is all about focusing on supplying key information faster, while taking steps to increase system integration and make growing databases easier to manage.

 

JAVELIN Version 2018 R2

2018 R2 Release

Around a dozen key areas in the new 2018 R2 release of Hexagon’s JAVELIN ERP/MRP production control system contain items of new and enhanced functionality.

Part Status

In addition to existing warnings and error messages about non-compliance within operations, the latest release includes a Part Status, which allows the user to create their own warnings that can be specific to clients. Examples would be where a part is pending, or a review is coming up. The operator can add a pre-warning, which flashes up on screens such as Sales Orders, Purchase Orders and Works Orders.


Stock Check

A major reworking of Stock Check separates recording the physical and financial changes into two phases, meaning errors are verified and corrected quicker and easier.


Price Book Button | Bulk Contract

A Price Book button has been added to the Part Inquiry so that the price can be amended quickly and easily. And changes have been made to the Bulk Contract functionality, enabling updates to be made to active data while the system is live. Also, parameters and variables…which previously appeared in the order they were put into the system…now have a sequence number, so the operator can specify the order.


Icons Enhancement

A general enhancement throughout JAVELIN 2018 R2 puts icons on to many key screens, defined by Item Type, Product Group, Responsibility Code, or Part Status. This means aspects such as individual lines and Orders can stand out, and the icon also shows the status of the orders is open, closed or late.


Advanced Scheduler

The Advanced Scheduler was originally introduced three years ago, running in time sequence down to ten millionths of a second, with the results appearing on the Planning board.  The latest version includes a valuable Undo button for the last action. And, following client feedback, the Horizon now defaults to the end of the current calendar year instead of ten years, as in previous editions.


Contract Costing Runs

Contract costing runs are now managed from the Command line, so they can be scheduled to run overnight. This is particularly valuable for long, time consuming, runs, meaning the system can be freed up during the day for other functions.


CRM

A number of enhancements to CRM include an autogenerated 15-character reference on the front page, and booking dates as an optional field which defaults to Due Date, but can also change to range or location. The Add Prospect is now auto populated when the first item is added to the Opportunity…and the delivery date/time display has switched to just the date, for easier reporting.


Works & Purchase Orders   

Works Order and Purchase Order reporting on MRP has been made easier, along with the ability for MAP data to be expanded. And Responsibility Code and Planner ranges have been added to the suggested WO reports, with Responsibility Code and Buyer ranges to the WO report.

It is now possible to add 9,999 lines to the PO. It used to have 999 lines, but customers requested considerably more. For example, if they supply regular batches of a product they may want a blanket Sales Order, and keep on adding lines…making it an open Sales Order for mass production. Also, icons can be added to the lines as a Favourite.


Supplier Default Ancillary Charge

The Supplier Default Ancillary Charge can now be defined against a Supplier, automatically added to all new Purchase Orders. And Crystal Templates will now generate Reject Notes.


Sales Order | Copy

Sales Order Copy now allows a New Due Date or Promize Date to apply to all lines at once. The addition of an Optional Reference date on each SO line gives users the ability to add specific items, especially for reporting purposes. Andy Mills says it is a free date field which does not take part in any calculations.


Sales Order | Inquiry Screen

The SO Inquiry screen is larger in JAVELIN 2018 R2, showing more information at once, including line comments. Also, instead of having to go through a set sequence, Delivery Note and Picked Items can now be canceled in one operation from a single maintenance screen. And previously, even Batch Invoicing routines were the dame, they had to be managed individually as part of the invoicing process. Now operators can set the way they want to/ do it in the housekeeping customization function, cutting out repetition and the chance of errors.


Work In Progress Status

On Work In Progress, the Split Works Order has been streamlined providing the most efficient way of splitting a WO. And WO deletion includes several new range options, along with options to delete unstarted or complete orders.

When the Refurb WO is created, a new piece of functionality called Default Refurb Routing adds the original principal manufacturing method, such as punching or profiling, to the specific part. This makes it quicker to import the default routing to rework the part.


Non-Productive Booking

Non-productive booking, such as lunch breaks, is now defined within shift patterns, so supervisors can see them across the shift, instead of needing to access each operative’s record. These breaks can automatically take the break duration from the work orders that the employee has been booked onto.


Other Enhancements

A number of system changes include additional security measures giving management more control over access to the JAVELIN database for Crystal Reports…and employee absence data is further restricted, which will assist with GDPR compliance.

An enhancement to the PowerUser License Reservation function means an Administrator or Manager may now have reserved a number of licenses, so they can always be able to access the system.

 

JAVELIN Version 2018 R1

2018 R1 Release

There are around 25 items of new and enhanced functionality in the 2018 R1 JAVELIN Release

Direct Excel Export

In JAVELIN 2018 R1, when you create reports that include the job cost sheet, cost of sales, stock valuation and work in progress, amongst others, there’s now the option to export them directly to Excel.


Revamped Maintenance Screen

Information pulled from four screens into one overall maintenance screen. This is particularly useful for resolving hung bookings. For example, if an incorrect quantity has been booked in on the shopfloor, or an operator starts or ends a job which has already been checked as complete, a warning shows on the screen and highlights what the actual issue is. He says manufacturers often face issues of incorrect quantities being booked, but this enhancement provides a quick and simple solution.


Data Movement Capture Triggers

Continuing a process begun in 2017 R2, triggers are now available for capturing all movement of data. For example, if amendments are made to a Works Order, the trigger captures what has been altered, what the old and new values are, who carried it out, and the date and time. The function has now been extended to include Works Orders, materials, operations, Sales Order comments, Purchase Order comments.


Item Type Defaults Function

The Item Type Defaults function does away with the need to re-key information. When a part is being created it can be given an item type, which defaults a number of key part fields. This has been extended in JAVELIN 2018 R1 to include store location, cure date, life category, configured part, and configured component.

These variables, parameters and attributes can also be brought into the system from a CSV file, allowing existing parts to be updated.


Automatic Contact Identification

A range of documents and drawings are attached to the Purchase Order email as it’s sent out. This includes CAD files, Excel files, Word documents and certifications. There is also a function in JAVELIN 2018 R1 which automatically identifies a customer’s specific contact to receive an invoice email, instead of it being sent to the person named on the Sales Order.


Shop Floor Data Capture Enhancements

Overall, the system works with three types of cutting tool – tracked, consumable, and durable. Major enhancements give more control to the machine operator, meaning they no longer have to wait for a supervisor to issue tracked tools, which can now be assigned directly from Shop Floor Data Capture. Tracked tools differ from consumables (which are simply listed tools) in that they are monitored for cycle counts and calibration while being used.


New Durable Tool Type

And there is a new tool type in the latest release: known as Durable, which allows multiple quantities of the same tool to be generated. Durable tools don’t have to be linked to Work Orders, and the system’s flexibility allows users to assign tools to different areas of the job process, such as employee and outwork, as well as the Work Order. JAVELIN records whichever area the tool is assigned to.

 

JAVELIN Version 2017 R1

2017 R1 Release

The much-awaited new release sees major development of some existing functionality plus the introduction of a major new feature; Project Management.

Keep Calm and Manage

 We are all used to directing shop floor staff via JAVELIN output such as Work To Lists, Routing Sheets, Delivery Schedules, etc. but a number of new developments focus on managing or tasking users outside the direct manufacturing sphere.


Projects

In response to a number of client’s requests for ways of managing non manufacturing functions (such as design or programming) we have taken the opportunity to work with a JAVELIN client who have requirements to run major project management programs in advance of, and during the life cycle of, extensive contract.

The new Projects module allows the definition of structured tasks within a specific project plan with standalone target dates or with inter dependency on other tasks.  Planned times can be assigned to specific persons and the progress monitored both in time and cost expended against the original estimates.  The plans are interactive in as much new estimated time to completion for each can be input whilst time booking which, once approved by the Project Manager, will be adopted into the plan along with potential changes in target dates.

The whole suite has been developed to make use of the power of SQL, providing real time updates of progress and predicted completion dates and costs at any level of the project hierarchy.

Projects can be associated with Works Orders, Sales Orders or Estimates wherein the costs of working on the various tasks will be added to the overall costs of that data element. (Contract costing required for direct cost booking to Sales Orders).


User Tasking

Action Notes have been available for several versions now, but this function tends to be underutilized by sites due to its limitations in contact points with JAVELIN data.  This release sees a rework of the underlying data structure to allow it to link in to far more trigger points.  

Notes or Actions can now be assigned against Parts, Suppliers, Customer, Sales Order / Line, Purchase Order / Line, Quote / Line, Defect Note, Project Plan Task and Works Order, tasking users to perform actions to resolve underlying issues and evolving a complete trail of associated activity as a series of simple, editable notes.

In addition, a new Task Dashboard, triggered by a Ctrl-F8 hotkey or optionally when users login to the system, will display outstanding tasks against the specific user not only within Action Notes but also CRM and Projects where applied.  Users can review and interact with these tasks directly without having to move to other areas of the system.


Shop Floor Data Capture Feedback

Get immediate alerts when things are going wrong.  Currently only a periodic run of the WIP Booking Validation report will highlight when operators have made erroneous bookings.  Now, as well as these being logged and the WIP processing being aborted JAVELIN can email select employees, such as the operator’s supervisor, immediately a mistake has been made.

Realistically Reject and Scrap always occurs somewhere but certain operations may never generate rejects, rework being done in real time, or perhaps you don’t want to allow the booking of scrap or holding a works order at a certain work center by putting the decision in the hands of an inspector or other responsible person at a later stage.  Now SFDC terminals can have unique customization to decide which terminals facilitate these functions, making it easier for the operators to concentrate on their specific duties.

Finally, operators can now make comments as they complete bookings – this may be just for information or indicate why they are not on target or invoke actions at a later date.  The text is stored against each booking and can be examined via works order maintenance.


Advanced Scheduling Inquiries

A new suite of inquiries and reports have been added to make the most of the new features of Advanced Scheduling.  These now expose scheduled times as well as dates and allow far more drill down to source information and clearer analysis of important results within each screen.


Improved Outwork Control

Make repeat shipments of a single works order without having to manually generate additional P&R note records via the new Outwork Shipping screen.

Group outwork orders by process type to make the most of minimum charges or batch quantity price breaks for specific subcontractors.

Process orders in different units to the works order with automatic conversion including pre and post processing tolerances.  (Typically weight v unit quantity).


Streamlined Quotations

The new layout of Quotation Maintenance should be familiar to users of Sales Order.  The screens have been redesigned in a familiar Header / Items format with all the fields required for a single price break quote now contained within the main Items screen.  You only need to visit the Price Break button if you want to quote multiple price breaks.  

Quote and Quote Item discount have also been incorporated and these fields will pre-populate their equivalents on the sales order when confirmed.


Whilst these developments form the core of this release there are always other minor changes and improvements in every release.  For full details of how moving to JAVELIN 2017r1 can help you contact your account manager.

JAVELIN Version 2016 R2

2016 R2 Release

A short but sharp interim release in advance of our regular April update, 2016r2 sees the introduction of two new features the development of which was partly funded by a client.  If you would like to see specific advances or functions guaranteed in future releases then please discuss the options for funded development with your Consultant or Account Manager Andy Mills.

Be Strong when others are Weak

 Since its inception, JAVELIN MRP has always been able to link supply to demand of specific sales orders, (and more recently specific sales lines), on a part by part basis.  But what if you want to allocate some supply of a part to one sales order and leave the rest for ‘automatic’ allocation on a first come first served basis?  Up until now that’s not been very practical to achieve, since strong contract parts are always strong contract and must therefore always have contracts associated with any supply.  ‘Weak‘ contract parts have always been treated as ‘None’ contract by MRP, so supply can be mapped to any sales order demand.  You could manually apply specific sales orders to stock, purchase and works orders, but these would be ignored by MRP.

But now the effective contract designation of ‘Weak’ contract parts can be determined by parameters on individual sales orders / lines.  This application applies right down the BOM structure, as far as weak parents linked to weak child levels exist.  Thus it’s now possible to hive off part of the stock for your favourite contract and protect the integrity of supply without tying up surplus to ‘dummy’ contracts.

Mass Stock Transfer

Ever wished there was a way to consolidate all stock of a part into a specific location or move multiple ROOs to a specific contract in a single operation.  Well now you can with this new function.  Simply enter or scan a ROO reference (or Part number for none traceable parts) and all stock for that specific part will be displayed.  You can optionally filter by Store reference and / or Contract.  Now ‘Pick’ multiple records, (your specific reference is selected automatically), manipulating the list until it contains the items you wish to transfer.  Confirm the new location and contract designation and all selected stock details will be re-assigned.  There is even customization to prevent users from changing contracts within this screen if desired.

Whilst these developments form the core of this release there are always other minor changes and improvements in every release.  For full details of how moving to JAVELIN 2016r2 can help you contact Andy Mills

 

JAVELIN Version 2016 R1

2016 R1 Release

See the bigger picture with JAVELIN 2016r1 Advanced Planning Board

This new interactive tool visualizes the results of the Advanced Scheduling Engine provided in the previous JAVELIN release (JAS), augmenting the ability to plan manufacturing to the second.  But it is much more than just an inquiry screen …

Manual Manipulation

Manual override of operation sequence and positioning is afforded via ‘drag and drop’ of individual ops or reprioritization of complete works orders by removal and automated reloading at specific locations.

Fencing

Re-sequenced operations can be ‘fixed’ within a work center, or all work centers and other operations re-scheduled after this prioritized load.  Fenced ops will always remain a priority in subsequence runs until removed or completed.

Resource Limitations

Where modeled, the resource limitations imposed by both Cells (typically employees) and / or Tools can be displayed on secondary planning boards to detail the loading in the main board.

Close up or Overview

Additional boards can be opened simultaneously and will interactively update to allow the impact of manipulation in a narrow time window to be viewed across a more expansive time frame or provide a quick overview of potential ‘trouble’ areas to explore more closely.

RADAN Interface

Program nesting has been extended to allow direct interface of the nested operations into JAVELIN’s sister product’s powerful punching and profiling CADCAM package.  Utilizing the integrated sheet optimiser the best material utilization is assessed and if confirmed the part programs are coded ready for downloading into the appropriate machine tool.   Program details are passed back to JAVELIN to allow SFDC booking against individual runs.  JAVELIN can also display the details of the nests and other valuable information generated by RADAN.

MRP Suggestion Approval Rationalization

These screens have been reworked to provide better filtering and information and allow direct confirmation from within the screens.

Suppliers Price Books

Amendment date is automatically updated by any change to qty or price within the record.

 

JAVELIN Version 2015 R2

2015 R1 Release

Elephants never forget – and neither will you with 2015 R1 CRM

For some time JAVELIN has contained basic functionality to allow contacts with customers and prospects to be recorded.  It has always been the intention to develop this into a full blown Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) and 2015r1 see the first release of this optional module.

Prospect Database

Prospects allow existing and potential customers to be recorded along with any other contact that may be involved in long running projects (Engineers, Architects, etc.)

Opportunities

Any opportunity to ultimately make a sale can be recorded.  This record can be as extensive as required, with an infinite number of user defined fields added automatically or selectively to suit specific projects.

Activities

Details of contacts (i.e. phone calls, conversations and emails) can be registered against prospects, customers, opportunities, quotes and sales orders, all optionally linked to any of the other entities for total cross source analysis.

Tasks

Actions can be placed against individual users to follow up previous activity or perform future tasks. Email alerts can be sent to users and incomplete tasks are placed on the individual’s ‘To Do’ list, which can be displayed on demand or when they first log in.

Automated Actions

Key business functions (e.g. confirming opportunities, printing quotes, revizing sales orders, etc.) can automatically trigger Activities and Follow Up tasks (e.g. progress the quote).

Definable Business Flow

Intermediate status changes of key entities can also be set to trigger activities. Customisable links between different activities / tasks can be established with definable timescales between each.

Campaigns

Sales campaigns, such as E-shots, exhibitions, etc. can be recorded and activities linked. Activities and Tasks, coupled with status codes, allow the organization of such Campaigns to be monitored and progressed. Initial contacts can be imported en-mass from functions such as external mail shots and subsequent successes (opportunities, quotes or sales orders) registered to allow analysis of effectiveness.

Reports and Inquiries

JAVELIN CRM has been designed with flexible configuration of analysis codes and data to enable individual sites to get to the data that’s important to them.  This data is organized in a logical manner within the SQL database allowing full access via Crystal or any other report generator. However there are a number of master enquires and reports (To Do lists, Project Timeline, Predicted Work Value, etc.) included as part of the functionality to allow most simple interrogation (and some complex) to be performed directly.

But that’s not all ….

As you can appreciate the major effort in producing the full CRM suite has taken much of our development resource. In addition our back office boys are hard at work bringing some innovative advances to the scheduling and capacity planning areas which are not yet ready for exposure. Even so 2015r1 does have a couple of new offerings in addition to CRM:

Scheduling

More news about these developments later but in preparation the planning board has already had the .NET treatment.  Apart from improvements in the speed of loading and drag drop reactivity there would seem little difference other than a useful detail drill down area, but the changes behind the scenes pave the way for real time buckets rather than individual days and better validation of manual manipulation.

Sized Part Nest Issue

Sized parts (area and length based dimensional stock elements) are becoming a favourite option for many sites, as is operation nesting (grouping several ops form different works orders for easy handling in SFDC).  But the two technologies created some problematic topics when attempting to amortize material issues over nest.  This has been resolved in 2015r1 by building in some logical assumptions and automating a whole series of issues and returns of offcuts.  The result is a simple ‘pick and poke’ material issue function that logically amortizes the identified material over the nest and returns the desired offcuts to stock in a single action.  It even offers the ability to ‘second guess’ the offcut when using coiled material.

Multi Sales Confirmation

With more sites making use of the Quotation and Estimating functions in JAVELIN and the advent of Configured Parts potentially generating quotations with many line items this development was a logical progression of the existing ability to confirm individual quotation lines into sales items.  The simple checkbox selection system allows anything between a single item to the entire quote (9999 lines) to be placed on to a sales order in a single operation with the minimum amount of user input, in addition to creating new Parts, BOMS, Routings and Works Orders for all levels of the structures of parent items.

 

JAVELIN Version 2015 R1

2015 R2 Release

Advanced Scheduling

  • Next Generation Scheduling system
  • Schedules to actual times, not daily capacity
  • Uses Industry Standard ATC Dispatching algorithm with Enhanced Constraints
  • Much more complex than the existing system, but is faster
  • Can currently be run side by side with the traditional Scheduling system.
  • More development to follow, including regenerative Drag/Drop on the Planning and Genetic Algorithms.

Manufactured Sized Parts

  • Handling of sized manufactured parts
  • Definition of WO output in terms of pieces
  • Handling of Outwork for sized parts
  • Mass Contract approval of PNR

Supplier Approval

  • Multiple Approval Qualifiers
  • Suppliers may have 1 or more Approvals, all with Expiry Dates
  • POs may not be raized, or received if the Supplier Approvals have expired
  • New coded field Supplier Status that appears on many Supplier Inquiry screens to help choose appropriate Suppliers

Obsolete Work Centers

  • WC can now be marked as Obsolete
  • Will not appear on Zooms or Planning Board, and warns when you attempt to use one

MRP Suggested Approval

  • Programs rationalized so that PO and WO use the same terminology
  • Action date meaning rationalized

Favorites

  • Many Entities can now be marked as Favorites (Star Icon)
  • Favorites appear at the top of Selection and Inquiry programs
  • Favorites are stored by USER, so each person can quickly find the items particular to them

Telephone Auto Dial

  • All phone numbers in the system now have a Dial icon next to them (Dial Icon)
  • Clicking on the icon will invoke your TAPI client to dial that number
  • NB A Connected TAPI Client is required
  • Activated by a non-chargeable Module

Pack Handling at Goods Inwards

  • Generate multiple GRNs for single receipt to allow batch identification for component reels, etc.
  • Number to be based on pack size / quantity
  • Rationalize use of Cert Ref across multiple batches
  • Auto Generate cert ref controls

Quote for set of Parts

  • New field on Quote “Summary Quotation”
  • Internal Quote Print will only show the Expected Quantity Break and a Quote Total

Enhanced SFDC Information

  • Call Crystal reports from within the SFDC Work To List, passing source parameters to provision a configurable display of further information regarding Works Orders, Ops or Nests.

Others

  • 128 Barcode Font now automatically installed
  • Manning % now split into Labour and Setup (Sequencer Only)
  • Manning %s new Default Value allowing 0 as an override (Adv Scheduler)
  • Credit Information – Summary Information now always has the ability to display details
  • Narrative Next Numbers now generated in Parallel to prevent record locking and improve speed
  • Employee Absence Import – Allows import of Holidays etc from HR
  • Perpetual Stock Check – Last Checked and Max Parts per count
  • WO Bookings – Zoom to see individual bookings
  • SFDC Materials – Serial Nos now available
  • Intrastat Report – Now a regular report. No longer attempts to replicate the defunct paper return
  • Cure Date and Life Cat – Now definable literals
  • Stock Turnover – New Inquiry and Report
  • “Material Cost Code” renamed to “Additional Invoice Charge”
  • Prospect Import
  • CRM – Date Attribute added

 

JAVELIN Version 2014 R1

2014 R1 Release

Automate the mundane & concentrate on the detail with 2014 R1

The latest release of the JAVELIN MRP software contains many features designed to eliminate the more mundane manual tasks currently imposed in some areas of the system, allowing users to concentrate on the more important functions involved in running production.  

Nominal Code Source

Define a hierarchy of defaults and validation rules for Nominal, Cost Center and Department Codes

Call Off POs 

Create a “Call Off” purchase order against an agreed contract period / price.  MRP suggestions will be netted from these PO lines, creating new lines whilst keeping the total supply in balance

RFQ

Many enhancements to make the status of RFQs clearer along with the ability to raize RFQs against MRP suggestions 

Suppliers

PO Review time frame now customisable on a Supplier by Supplier basis

Part Defaults

Changing Item Type now only changes defaults that have a value

Scrap Management 

“Do Not Assume Over Production is Scrap” customization can now be set at Part level

T&A

Single screen Clock in/out function designed to simplify process with single scan of Employee badge into same screen to ‘toggle’ in/out status

JobView Windows Document 

Use Windows Default Application to open attached files without setting up individual viewers. But it’s not all about the mundane – there are a number of enhancements to improve flexibility and functionality:

Batch Sensitive Lead Times 

Lead times of WOs are now calculated using actual cycle times for the Batch Quantity coupled with an additional fixed element via Lead Time Groups which can then be varied manually to cover production bottlenecks

Issue Definition 

Issue definition and the current issue of a part have now been separated as two distinct functions allowing reversion to previous issues and estimating / quoting future issues

Displaced WO Inquiry 

This important scheduling inquiry has been further enhanced with added ranges for Run No, Late Only and Sales Issues (only show WO related to Sales Demand) along with access to MAP (MRP Action Plan) Demand to visualize what consequences the displacement may have
 

JAVELIN Version 2013 R2

2013 R2 Release

The latest release of JAVELIN contains some powerful tools for manufacturers of configurable products designed from a number of basic building blocks or operations.  

New functionality includes:

  • JAVELIN Configured Parts allow the Routings and BOMs associated with a particular part or complete assembly structure to be defined using a series of formulae 
  • These formulae can reference Parameters entered against the sales order line (e.g. Length, Height, Color) and Variables associated with Work Centers or Materials (e.g. Cutting Rate, Thickness, Hardness)
  • This same flexibility of unlimited variables has been incorporated into the existing Synthetics formula based calculations which have now been extended beyond the estimating area to allow use of segment definition in routings 
  • All formulae are evaluated during works order creation to provide the actual material and operational requirements for a particular instance of a configured part
  • Whilst the full configuration functionality is an optional module unlimited Variables and Parameters are available as standard, providing an invaluable tool for Crystal Report analysis and customized documentation

Tool Purchasing

  • Miscellaneous Purchase Orders can now be associated with the purchase of tooling or repair / re-calibration of existing tools 
  • Conventional Goods receiving procedures have been integrated to place tools into a ‘Good In’ location ready for relocation / use within the tooling module 
  • Full traceability and visibility of tool orders is available through the tool screens, many of which have been redesigned to show more relevant data and information  
  • A new report allows the cost of tools to be monitored and allows amortization of tooling costs across parts produced using the tool  

Crystal Templates and Reports

  • Sales Pick List has been added as a document option within Document Copy Customization  
  • Copy Customization now allows definition of saved output options for Crystal Templates (Excel, PDF, CSV, etc)   
  • A new utility has been added to allow the easy mass remapping of Crystal reports to the current data base – a boon for anyone writing reports against the demo database before moving to the live data.  Use it when you upgrade to 2013r2
  • New ‘Data Views’ added to assist report writing.  These appear as tables within the Crystal ddf but are actually amalgamated from several tables automatically by the SQL Service making it far easier to produce summary reports.  How many sub reports would it take to see stock, sales orders, purchase orders and works orders for a group of parts.  All this is now available as a single view

Security and Program Access

  • It’s now possible to limit access to the main maintenance programs (Parts, Customers, Supplier, SO, PO, WO, Quotes, Estimates) even when they would be available in query mode via a zoom from another screen.  Simply remove the user’s rights to the associated Hot Key Inquiry and they will no longer be able to access the program from anywhere in the system
  • A similar mechanism prevents viewing of Costing information within the part maintenance screen itself if the user does not have access to the Part Cost History Inquiry

 

JAVELIN Version 2013 R1

2013 R1 Release

It’s about Time – No not the release date but the content.  JAVELIN, 2013r1 launched in October 2012, focuses heavily on saving time both in day to day activity and on interfacing with the system: 

New functionality includes:

  • Major developments in the use of bar code scanning functions pave the way for wireless device communications, allowing data entry ‘on the move’
  • Locate, Issue, Count and Verify Despatch of stock via mobile scanners (suitable hardware / infrastructure required)
  • Perform stock checks live on wireless tablet devices
  • New areas of functionality provide a base level entry into Customer Relationship Management (CRM) allowing contacts with Customers and Prospects to be recorded and monitored and tasks set for other users to follow up
  • Nesting extended to export data to CNC programming suites for material optimization
  • Re-import the resultant programs and cycles information to allow SFDC control on a program by program basis
  • Sales Invoice electronic export for ‘EDI’
  • Import Sales Forecasts and amalgamate as a single demand for parts ensuring advanced material supply and manufacture for ‘pipeline’ or predicted sales orders
  • Actual orders are ‘netted off’ against the forecast demand with full user control over the timescale of unfilled predictions
  • Multi sales issue function allowing ‘single click’ pick of stock across various ranges
  • Simple update of WO material allocations from modified BOMs
  • Print Release notes with Delivery Notes 

 

JAVELIN Version 2012 R2

2012 R2 Release

Release 2012r2,  our fourth release of the SQL based version JAVELIN, was launched in April 2012.  As normal this version contains new functionality, some of which has been specifically requested by our Customers.
 
"It's JAVELIN listening to what our customers tell us they want in the software to help them become even more efficient".

New functionality includes:

  • Estimating screen redesigned to accommodate automated recalculation of values and price breaks for Material Prices, Sub Con Prices and Addition Costs
  • New program to enter, view and chase Proof of Delivery information against Delivery Notes. Option against Customers to prevent invoicing of goods until a POD has been received
  • Export Sales Invoice details via user defined Crystal Templates, facilitating Customer EDI.  Templates definable at Customer account level allowing different formats for individual customers. 
  • New Contract Control option of “Unique tying supply to specific SO and SO Line. Aimed at sites manufacturing bespoke items that are different each time they are made, allowing effective control under a generic part number
  • New import program to allow mass update of none critical part fields (product group, normal store, buyer, etc).  Import for selected parts and selected fields
  • Serial Nos can now be rapidly entered using normal barcode scanners 
  • WC can now be defined as Standard Time and planned time is always booked by SBDC regardless of actual time clocked on to job
  • Each Scheduling run now has an associated description.
  • Cure date recordable against incoming ROO at Goods In

 

JAVELIN Version 2012 R1

2012 R1 Release

Release 2012r1, our third release of the SQL based version JAVELIN, was launched in October 2011 at our Annual Customer Events.  As normal this version contains much new functionality, some of which has been specifically requested by our Customers.

"It's JAVELIN listening to what our customers tell us they want in the software to help them become even more efficient".

Quality Phase I 

  • Enhanced Reject / Scrap booking via Defect registration 
  • Print and Progress status of Defect 
  • Multiple codes per defect 
  • Processing of Defect to ‘wind’ back reject quantity through existing operations or batch on new works order 
  • Trace additional labour / material costs to defects 
  • Enhanced analysis reports and inquiries 

SBDC 

  • Can now book Qty Complete when completing Setup 
  • Jobs can now be Suspended and automatically Restarted when using a new Suspend type of  non-productive code 

Forward Contract Purchasing 

  • Designed to allow advance purchase of strong contract items without a sales order 
  • Also allow recognition of surplus supply 
  • Purchase or stock strong contract items against ‘dummy’ sales orders 
  • Link ‘real’ sales to dummies so MRP recognizes existing supply 
  • MRP confirmation of stock transfer to real sales order 
  • Supply can now be marked as “Fixed” (MRP Type “F”). This is similar to type N except it is only considered to be available on it’s due date 

Configuration 

  • “Session Time Out” Magic.ini setting causes the application to exit after being idle for the specified number of minutes. By default Session Time Out is not implemented
  • “ServerFarm=Y” Teminal.ini setting that causes Terminals to be identified by User ID only, ignoring Machine Name. Intended for TS/Citrix Farms where the machine may vary, but the configuration will not
  • ICONTYPE Logical name will specify the icon displayed in the upper left of the Application. Useful for identifying Demo or Test systems. Valid values include “Demo, Toolkit, Special, Planit” 

Consignment 

  • Stores can now be designated as Consignment Stores and assigned to a Customer
  • Stock in Consignment Stores can be adjusted/transferred
  • Sales issue allows Consignment Stores to be selected

Others 

  • Parts can be marked “Obsolete” which excludes them from most lists, processes and inquiries 
  • Circuit Refs now under Issue Control (Data Upgrades to the Current Issue of a Part)
  • Quotation Items now has “Update Descriptions” button which will refresh the Part No and Descriptions from Estimates or Parts for all lines
  • ROO Drg Issue now visible within Stock Details Inquiry (2011r2) 
  • Parts can be marked "Exclude from Authorization".  This will exclude the Part from the Authorize Structure Treeview 
  • “Create Returns Note” menu renamed “Sales Returns Notes” 
  • Failed Count Report now has Value and Nett Value totals 

JAVELIN Version 2011 R2

2011 R2 Release

Find your way with JAVELIN MAP

All users should appreciate the MRP engine is a powerful tool , churning through supply and demand of everything in the database and making a series of suggestions about what to do to maintain a status quo.  More recently the results have become somewhat easier to interpret with the introduction of the MRP treeview.  The first part of the MAP development takes this concept further.

Imagine sitting on a sales order line within sales order maintenance and being able to drill down into how that sales line is planned to be fulfilled.   The new MAP button does just that, not only displaying the works order(s) that will provide the product but allowing you to drill further to see where the materials or components for those works orders are expected to come from.  Of course the data includes suggestions for new orders or modifications to existing, a boon for time pressed Contract managers, and it works for none contract, weak contract and strong contract parts alike as everything is processed by MRP.

Or maybe something has gone wrong on a works order, a broken tool or components scrapped perhaps, and you need to know quickly what effect this will have.  Shift-F6 will bring up the works order hotkey and the new MAP ^ button will allow you to drill up and see what the works orders original qty was supposed to supply.  Alternatively if you are about to start a works order and want to know where the materials are coming from use the other MAP button to drill down.

MAP buttons appear in all key processes and inquiries – Goods Inwards for instance to tell you where to send newly received parts; Stock Inquiry to identify whether stock is really free stock; etc.  But another new development brings Scheduling and MRP closer together.

It has always been possible to build works orders into Assembly Structures, indicating which works order feeds another, but this has always been a one off ‘hit’ when raising a series of orders via MRP or a laborious manual task.  Worse still if MRP moves a works order the links are broken and have to be re-established manually.  However this functionality has now been replaced by focussing scheduling on the MAP data.  Thus the information for assembly hierarchy is automatically updated every time MRP runs without the need for manual intervention.  So if priorities change the next scheduling run will pick up the latest set of MAP data and build its structures accordingly.

Future developments within the MAP project include providing more detail as to why a works order is delayed (capacity restraints at this level or lower down the assembly links) and easier ways to action the effects of material supply interruptions but 2011r2 has already set the standard for clearer direction.

How much is that doggy in the window?

Well maybe not a doggy but certainly steel, nuts and bolts or any other bought out item required – this is certainly a question that many purchasing managers will be asking of their suppliers.  JAVELIN 2011r2 sees the introduction of the long awaited RFQ (Request for Quotation) functionality to aid this quest.

Using this facility inquiries can be raized for one or more part (even none existent parts if triggered from within an estimate) against one or more supplier.  These can be emailed and progressed similar to a conventional PO, and the resulting quotes recorded and collated to allow a particular response to be turned into a ‘real’ purchase order.  If you can get your supplier to co-operate you can even send them a spreadsheet to fill in with his responses and then import directly back into JAVELIN to update the RFQ.

Another kind of map

Well, not so much a map but an eagle eye view of your shop floor, configurable to show your machines in the locations they sit.  The Factory view gives a quick overview of the status of the selected machines – color coded for easy recognition.   Data is streamed live from the SFDC terminals so is as up to date as the last booking.

They’re not awkward, they’re a Customer

Ever come across a customer that wants his own style of paperwork, right down to the part description.  No?  I don’t believe you.  But the customer is always right and with Customer Part numbers and more recent innovations in the area of Crystal based documents it’s become more and more feasible to give them what they deserve.

Now 2011r2 adds another option to pave the way to customer utopia by allowing extended part description to be held against the customer part number, so effectively against the customer.  So now if Pierre wants his invoice in French and Luigi prefers Italian then “its-a no problem” either way.

I don’t care how far it is – you promised it yesterday

Whilst correct use of Safety Lead time will ensure product is delivered on time when transit times are always the same, sometimes the same product has to be shipped to widely differing locations.  TRADITIONALly the Sales Promized Date caters for this scenario, allowing customers to be advized a later date than the due date, but someone has to remember to set it on the order!   But not anymore.  Now each customer address can have a specific transit time registered against it.  This is added to the due date when a new line is raized on the sales order and automatically stored as the promised date.  One less excuse for a late delivery.

 

JAVELIN Version 2011 R1

2011 R1 Release

Release 2011r1 see’s some radical changes to both the name and inner workings of the JAVELIN software.  First the name - from this point onwards the product will be known as JAVELIN, a name which we feel is more in tune with the depth and breadth of the ever expanding package.  But this release goes a lot further than re-branding.  After 20 plus years of running on the Btrieve (former name for Pervasive) database we have finally thrown in our lot with Microsoft and moved to their SQL database.  This move and the reasons behind it have been well publicized amongst our user base, culminating in our recent user seminars where our Development manager highlighted the benefits and we demonstrated early advantages of the connectivity afforded by SQL.  However it’s not all behind the scenes stuff, we have still managed to add some useful functionality.

ISO Approved Part Control

This switchable option locks down critical Part, BOM and Routing information and prevents unauthorized changes.  When changes are made a complete history of who, what and when is generated automatically.

Project Log

Initially developed to assist our in-house testing prior to JAVELIN’s release this handy function has now become part of the standard system.  Users can register queries and questions against specific programs in a central file accessed by the context sensitive Ctrl-J key combination.  The site administrator or implementation team can monitor and add responses.  These queries and responses can remain on the system for as long as required, building into a FAQ library for future users of the functions

Wiki

In a similar vein Ctrl-W will trigger the JAVELIN version of a Wiki – a central deposit for user knowledge.  Filed against the specific program the WYSIWYG rich text memo can be utilized to provide site specific procedural information ‘online’.

Serial Number Generation

Adding sequential serial numbers no longer requires the user to type each number.  All points of entry now have a ‘generate’ button which will automatically add serial numbers to the list.  These numbers can be prefixed with the ROO ref or any other combination of characters desired and existing numbers are ‘skipped’ automatically, allowing the same range to be generated over a number of receipts.

Partial GRN Inspection

Waiting for Goods Inwards Inspection of a complete delivery is now a thing of the past.  The re-designed screen allows the GRN qty to be split into rejects, good items and items still to be inspected thus facilitating immediate storing and use of the good items as soon as they have cleared inspection without having to wait for the balance.  And for good measure we have added a quick link to supplier returns for the rejects in line with the streamlining of this process developed in 2010r2.
 

JAVELIN Version 2010 R2

2010 R2 Release

Sales Item Attributes

Sales Items can now be linked by a set of Primary and Secondary Attributes. These might be unique serial numbers or descriptors of Customer owned equipment or sites. Analysis of sales via these attributes allows tracking of all work performed over a period of time against any one particular attribute.

JobView

It is now possible to attach external files to individual Works Orders, Purchase Orders, Sales Orders, Quotes, Estimates, Customers, Suppliers, Work Centers, Employees and GRNs rather than just Part Records.  Particularly useful for Quality information on individual jobs or Contract information on specific sales.

Purchase Reject Process

The purchase reject process has now been speeded by chaining all the phases together so you do not need to choose each process from the menu or enter the same details multiple times. Return All to Supplier is a new program to return all outstanding purchase rejects to a supplier in a single process.

Factory Modelling

A number of enhancements have been made to the capacity planning data management to provide more efficient setup and ongoing maintenance.

  • The main screen now displays all modelling information without the need to drill down via buttons
  • Shift Patterns can be named and copied
  • Employee Attendance Patterns can be defined and applied to groups of employees simultaneously – especially useful for sites applying rolling shift patterns
  • Holiday and Sickness Periods can now be entered against Employees rather than defining each day
  • Known closed days are now removed from the Calendar automatically as they are defined without the need to rebuild

Out Standing Delivery MRP Status

This is a new MRP based report that shows outstanding SO Lines, the associated MRP Explorer information and Status indicators.  Provides a useful tool for Contract Managers progressing work and identifying holdups. This is a working report based on customer input to date but could still be subject to further development. Suggestions for improvements from potential users are welcomed.

Material Availability Inquiry

Additional option within Sales Info Hotkey which gives the earliest possible delivery date for a given quantity of a manufactured part based on material availability, taking current MRP suggestions into consideration. Will only use genuinely free stock, or apply Normal Lead Times where new demand is identified.

JAVELIN Version 2010 R1

2010 R1 Release

MRP Explorer

This new tool provides insight into information and suggestions provided by MRP.  The graphical tree view allows users to browse the supply chain in any direction, confirming the ‘pegging’ of supply against demand at all levels.  Explosion of low level amalgamated contribution of components or raw materials, provides explanation of the top level demand determining the suggested supply.  Drill down from top level contract demand  will highlight any potential shortages in supply of all lower level requirements, even when these parts are non contract orientated.

Jobview Link Imports

A further extension to the growing number of standard data import routines, enabling the creation of Jobview document links via a CSV file import.

Sales EDI

Now enhanced with a number of additional options, including automated Call off against a Tentative Schedule.

Multiple Return of Planned Issue

Perform a mass Return of Planned Issue of all or selected range of materials previously issued to a specific Works Order.

Op Time Feedback

A new routine to calculate the average actual time booked for specific ranges of Routings, with the option to update the planned time with a derivative of this average.

Publish Cost of Sales

The Cost of Sales report can now identify and report on cost changes to invoices already detailed in previous Cost of Sales figures.

Additional enhancements

In addition to the 'headliners' JAVELIN 2010 R1 also provides a significant number of  other product developments enhancing existing functionality and usability.

  • Part Narrative is no longer copied to the WO Text under control of a new General Customization flag
  • Typing into fields while in Query Mode now does not loose key presses on fast PC’s / slow networks
  • New Default for “GRN Inspect” on new Parts
  • Store Purchase Parts speed improvements
  • Estimate Routings now have an additional Comment field that prints off as a Narrative (When using Narrative Type C)
  • “Who is In JAVELIN” now has button to display the Computers that are consuming a UniPaas license
  • Shelf Life removed for Non-Traceable Parts
  • Part Maintenance inquiries (e.g. Stock, SO, PO) now default to all records and have easier to use flags to restrict view to Current Issue / Live data
  • Sales Orders now have “Contact” field which is chosen from one of the Customers Contacts. This prints on the Order Acknowledgement
  • Purchase Supplier Rep extended to 30 characters. Printed on PO as “FAO”
  • Purchase PO Acknowledgement date field extended to Consumable Pos
  • Within Screen Based Data Capture (SBDC) starting an Op from the Work To List when scheduled as an alternative Op of WC causes the WC to become the actual WC