‘TouchMES’ increases production speed and efficiency; enables leaner manufacturing at lower cost

Houston, Texas headquartered forklift manufacturer and distributor Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (‘MCFA’) has implemented international supply chain solutions provider TouchPath’s ‘TouchMES’ manufacturing execution system, integrating it with the company’s ERP system to increase production capacity and support expansion. From its 860,000 sq ft, 850  employee Houston plant, MCFA manufactures Mitsubishi forklift  trucks, Cat® lift trucks and Jungheinrich warehouse products, distributing them across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean via a network of 450 dealers. MCFA is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

TouchMES is a modern, performance-driven system that continuously monitors the status of all production including shop floor processes, automatically updating the ERP to enable leaner manufacturing at lower cost according to TouchPath user feedback. Managers and supervisors have instant access to TouchMES-generated key performance indicators that support management decision making for greater efficiency and productivity, using real time dashboards and production status screens.

Additional TouchMES functionality installed for MCFA includes the visibility of production throughout the system, clear to build functionality of sub-assemblies and the linkage of every shop order directly to a customer order number. Forklift trucks are made to order at MCFA. TouchMES uses MCFA-defined rules to control the manufacturing process: for example drag and drop capability allows the company to schedule and release orders to the shop floor, but capacity rules are applied that also control the mix of orders, in real time.

Commenting on MCFA’s decision to deploy TouchMES John French, MCFA senior manager supply chain says “As we are vertically integrated, we needed to optimize real time control of our manufacturing and distribution processes especially around the manufacturing of key Work In Process Sub-assemblies. TouchMES allows us to manage and maximize capacity while meeting the specific demands of each customer. In short the system allows us to scale production while remaining highly responsive.”

 TouchPath international CEO David Myers adds: “TouchMES brings full manufacturing, machine control data to the ERP environment in real time, improving company performance”.

TouchPath uses smart, flexible modules that can be bolted together in almost any combination to deliver a customized solution at an off-the-shelf price, deploying systems technology that captures more information for better business performance and faster ROI.