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Comprehensive P&O
Technology Category
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Supply Chain Visibility
Services
- System Integration
- Software Design & Engineering Services
The Challenge
Comprehensive Prosthetics & Orthotics (CPO) was facing challenges with their order processing and manufacturing workflow. The company's clinicians were sending plaster casts and clay impressions along with paper forms to their central fabrication facilities. This process often involved back-and-forth calls to rectify errors or clarify details. The order data was then manually transcribed and issued to the floor as a paper work order. During production, a job traveler moved through each work center, and technicians referenced the paper work orders for fabrication. Whenever a customer called with an order inquiry, it required a tedious process of going to the floor, locating the job traveler, and relaying the order status back to the customer. CPO needed a solution that would connect their clinics directly to the manufacturing floor, providing immediate visibility for customers and managers while streamlining the process for their technicians.
About The Customer
Comprehensive Prosthetics & Orthotics (CPO) is one of the largest orthotic and prosthetic service providers in the US. They receive orders to manufacture medical devices from their own network of brick-and-mortar clinics, which span across Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Missouri. Hundreds of their clinicians submit orders to two central fabrication facilities, in which they manufacture each product custom to their patients’ needs. The company was facing challenges with their order processing and manufacturing workflow, which involved manual processes and often resulted in errors and delays. They needed a solution that would streamline their operations, improve visibility into the production process, and enhance customer service.
The Solution
CPO implemented FactoryFour to streamline their order flow from their network of clinics to their manufacturing facilities, while increasing supply chain transparency through greater visibility into production. CPO used Forms in FactoryFour to configure custom digital order forms for their clinics to submit detailed order information directly to production facilities. Support for uploading media file types such as 3D scans enhanced the order experience. Each clinic was given access to a FactoryFour portal where they could view these forms and see the status of their submitted orders in real-time. Error validation and autofill templates were added into the forms to reduce human error and increase speed of order submission. Once an order is submitted by a clinic, it automatically appears in the manufacturing facility’s queue for approval. CPO then uses Workflows in FactoryFour to move the order through the production process. As a device is being manufactured, CPO’s clinics can immediately see the status of their order and receive email notifications when certain events occur, such as when their device is completed and shipped. Managers can also gain deep insights on order progress, creating dashboards to monitor specific metrics on the manufacturing floor in real-time.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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