Intelligent. Flexible. Unique. 31 July 2014

Fastening specialist Ferdinand Gross GmbH & Co KG has repositioned its Kanban activities and simultaneously launched a new release of the Kanban visualisation software FALCON.

Continuity, experience and quality have been the watchwords for Ferdinand Gross for 150 years, with the company among the largest suppliers of fastening technology in Germany. One specialty of the Swabian company is intelligent C-parts management, which is now bundled under the name Ferdinand Gross Kanban.

Ferdinand Gross says that the consistent advancement of Ferdinand Gross Kanban into a holistic and absolutely flexible delivery system underlines its abilities as a service provider for the industry. With Ferdinand Gross Kanban, the company takes on the administration of small parts and organises the stockholding for customers. In addition, with an individual fleet of vehicles – the Kanban-Express – Ferdinand Gross can ensure trouble free and continuous delivery, giving customers the certainty that their products will always be up to date so that they can benefit from a competitive edge.

Deutsche Bahn banks on Ferdinand Gross and FALCON
One of the companies that have relied on the services of Ferdinand Gross for years is Deutsche Bahn AG. The transport company relies on Ferdinand Gross Kanban in all plants. The company was also one of the first to recognise the potential of the Kanban advancement FALCON and implemented the revolutionary software immediately. 

In late 2012, Ferdinand Gross brought Kanban systems to a new level with FALCON, putting a powerful instrument of control into its customers’ hands. The FALCON software solution provides a visual representation of which C-part is where and on which Kanban shelf. The FALCON system also enables absolute visualisation of all Kanban storage locations with all products and data – on PCs as well as tablets and smartphones. Ferdinand Gross says it has returned the overview and the control of its C-parts management to the purchasing agent with this intuitively operated tool.

New innovative search options
In the newly released 3.1 version of FALCON, Ferdinand Gross has implemented numerous suggestions of customers. The full text search now allows not only searches for DIN and customer item numbers, but also for dimensions, quality levels or item texts. A combination of different types of data is also possible – for instance if the design engineer enters 10.9 8x25 in the search mask, they will find all screws with the appropriate dimensions and quality level. They will also know immediately which standard screws are already in stock. Wildcards are also possible: Entering 10.9 8x2* will call up a list of all screws with this quality with the diameter of 8mm and a length starting with 2.

Ferdinand Gross points out that the search options are almost unlimited – whether searching for item numbers across the entire site or only on the shelf – the results are visible immediately. FALCON can also search for item designations, product properties, container numbers, delivery notes and even batches. A combination of these search options with wildcards (*) or a positive (+) or negative query (-) increases the possible results. This makes the web-based software even more productive and additionally flexible and profitable for all departments – whether it is production, logistics, purchasing, quality assurance or controlling. FALCON 3.1 can also display information on items requiring certification, as well as the warehouse coordinates of the containers including storage location designation.

No installation needed
The new features are already implemented in the system – and because FALCON is still an internet-based software, all FALCON customers can benefit immediately from the innovative add-ons without installation.

“Whether in the office or on the road – with FALCON 3.1 from Ferdinand Gross, C-parts management just got a little bit more transparent and more convenient.”

www.schrauben-gross.com
Claire Aldridge Deputy Editor t: +44 (0) 1727 743 889

Having spent a decade in the fastener industry experiencing every facet – from steel mills, fastener manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, as well as machinery builders and plating + coating companies, Claire has developed an in-depth knowledge of all things fasteners.

Alongside visiting numerous companies, exhibitions and conferences around the world, Claire has also interviewed high profile figures – focusing on key topics impacting the sector and making sure readers stay up to date with the latest developments within the industry.