Girus: for Lean Manufacturing

Girus productivity management systems are a comprehensive set of integrated hardware and software tools for print managers to measure and analyse shop floor performance and provides a range of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for individual machines, machine operatives and the shop floor as a whole. Girus is specifically designed for printing companies wishing to introduce lean manufacturing techniques, improve productivity and reduce waste.

Girus T20 machine interface hardware, simple retrofits to any printing machine and unobtrusively monitors every second of machine activity and measures every metre of material used. Data collected by each T20 interface can be analysed in real time or retrospectively by the Girus Productivity Toolkit, which is a collection of production analysis, and reporting tools suitable for all printing companies, both large and small.

What Girus is NOT

Girus is not a general MIS suite of software covering the whole company, or a set of tools developed for use in other industries and adapted for printing. The tools have been designed from the beginning as a highly focused set of integrated software and hardware modules to enable print managers to maximise productivity and minimise waste.

Girus Desktop for small and medium-sized companies with a range of printing equipment and up to five staff needing to access data on a regular basis

Girus Enterprise for large and multi-site companies, and with the need for unlimited access to data from within the site and elsewhere.

Girus productivity management systems consists of a core of T20 machine interfaces and sensors connecting your production machines directly to your existing computer network. The T20 interfaces unobtrusively collect productivity data from the shop floor and store this in a database which can either be hosted on one of your existing PC's or a dedicated Girus Server. Girus also encompasses the Girus Productivity Toolkit which is a suite of software tools designed for the analysis and reporting of productivity data, plus a number of optional modules, which all work together to provide a complete productivity management environment.

Girus provides both real time and retrospective data reporting on a complete range of Key Performance Indicators for each machine, each operator and the plant as a whole. KPIs reported on include:

Make-ready times
Running speeds
Equipment utilisation
Waste generation
Overall Equipment Effectiveness

Each KPI is expressed graphically and/or as single figures for each machine or the plant as a whole, with a mass of data being captured continually, behind these figures for immediate drill-down or later review. OEE is the most significant figure for printing operations, as it expresses overall productivity.

The KPI data provided by the system has five main paths of analysis:

Via Girus Virtual Shop Floor, it allows the print manager to see at a glance the status of all machines in real time and so manage the operation optimally at all times

Via Girus Reports, it provides the analysis required to identify weaknesses in the operation and thereby form the basis of a lean manufacturing plan for the plant and the introduction of productivity improvements

Via Girus Trends, it provides a longer-term trend analysis of key performance indicators allowing measurement of the effectiveness of changes in operating procedures

Via Girus Schedule, it allows the print manager to plan and manage the print operation more efficiently by utilising real-time feedback directly from the shop floor

Via links to third party MIS and accounting systems, it enables the printing operation to be better integrated into the company s workflow and results in better decision-making throughout the company.