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Keep a safe eye on C-parts with "LISA"

Keller & Kalmbach repositions itself in the market with a further developed platform

Unterschleissheim, 05.03.2020

"Kanban online" becomes "LISA". Keller & Kalmbach, a specialist in fastening and fastening technology and an expert in C-parts management, has comprehensively developed and repositioned its information system. In addition to comprehensive statistics relating to their Kanban system landscape, customers benefit from visualizations and an alarm system. Interaction, real-time data integration, networking across company boundaries and data consistency are becoming increasingly important.
Lean processes play a decisive role with C-parts, since the costs associated with procurement, storage and provision are many times higher than the price of the parts themselves. It is therefore not surprising that customers are increasingly focusing on these very parts and are looking for the right solutions, also in order to be able to use free resources for the decisive A and B parts. Transparency is crucial here. For Keller & Kalmbach, supplier of fasteners and fastening technology, customer-specific special and drawing parts as well as MRO requirements, this is "daily business". Early on, the company developed away from being a dealer to become a specialist for C-parts management with a broad range of services and support. The company sees itself as a pioneer when it comes to tailor-made solution concepts for industrial companies and is currently expanding its range of digital services.

Keller & Kalmbach repositions itself in the C-parts market with LISA  

"As soon as our customers have decided on a Kanban system, we talk about transparency and possible evaluations around logistic master and transaction data of the logistics system used, in addition to the digitalization of processes. And of course about continuous optimization. This is where our web-based platform LISA comes into play. It makes data available in real time and ensures that customers have a clear overview of their C-parts," says Andreas Jäger, Project Manager Customer Logistic and Services at Keller & Kalmbach. LISA stands for Logistics Information and Service Application and replaces the previous "Kanban online" platform. "With LISA, management, analysis and optimization of C-parts can be achieved in no time at all," says Jäger. To make this work, the company mainly uses fully automated systems, e.g. based on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), which allows objects to be identified contactlessly by radio - as the basis for triggering demand. The use of LISA does not require any software installation. It is often the only way for customers to carry out detailed evaluations. It can also be used to determine high or low runners, create data exports and view project data. "Customers appreciate the many query and filter options and can search for and identify an item or container in all existing supermarkets and storage locations and export the (search) result," continues Jäger. Employees in procurement, logistics, production and work preparation usually work with the system. Keller & Kalmbach has already been using the platform since 2009 and is continuously developing the system in-house - with LISA now in an enhanced new identity. In principle, all Keller & Kalmbach kanban systems can be mapped via the platform. Third-party suppliers connected via eLogistics are also integrated so that statistics can be visualized across companies. eLogistics is an intelligent software solution from Keller & Kalmbach that is used for automated inventory management and enables the control of all material and information flows of articles with recurring requirements.

LISA supports industrial companies with new features

Looking at LISA's new functionalities, it is striking that the family-run company has turned its attention to practical features and is equipping the platform with more interaction. Customers can now verify and graphically display their forecast figures based on actual deliveries or call-offs. This allows production planning to be checked and improved. For Keller & Kalmbach, the function enables a fast planning response to ensure sustainable customer supply. A digital image of the implemented shelf and container infrastructure is also integrated - with a helpful traffic light system. With just one mouse click, comprehensive information on a Kanban container can be displayed - the customer sees ad hoc how many containers are currently on the shelf and whether a subsequent delivery is possibly already on its way. "A milestone is the alarm system based on this. Here, an alarm message is sent proactively in the event of an impending supply bottleneck," Jäger is pleased to say. This enables Keller & Kalmbach to intervene at an early stage, ensures stable processes and fast reactions. In production logistics, the C-parts specialist is seeing increasing integration of mobile terminals such as smartphones and tablets. LISA has an integrated QR code and enables customers to use any mobile device to take a look at a desired shelf or specific container. This is a practical function if an employee is standing at a shelf and wants to call up information about a container, the articles it contains or the current stock. A QR code can also be printed on a container or attached to a shelf.

Keller & Kalmbach is working at full speed on new developments from LISA and is increasingly focusing on the networking and digitalization of processes. "We're only revealing so much - the features will ensure that industrial companies have an even better overview of the use of their C-parts and an important tool for monitoring them," promises Jäger. In any case, Keller & Kalmbach has BigData analyses firmly in mind in order to link data from different internal and external sources and thus be able to provide detailed evaluations for customers. Companies have long since recognized that existing data must be transferred into valuable knowledge. In addition, the C-parts specialist is working on a concept for even better logistics and product-related consulting and is continuously developing logistics systems to be fit for future requirements.