Replenish before the shortage happens
Predict shortages from actual consumption, generate replenishment tasks automatically, and connect line side, warehouse and delivery into one traceable task chain. SMT lines warn and call material automatically; assembly and insertion stations can raise material requests from a PC or PDA, so every call has a basis and every issue has a status.
On SMT and assembly floors, the warehouse and the line often sit on different information chains. Whether a reel is nearly empty, when it must arrive and how far a task has progressed all rely on manual patrols, phone chasing and experience, which easily puts replenishment behind the production pace.
How much material is left on a placement machine, and how long it can run at the current rate, has no unified view. Material handlers struggle to judge the right moment, so they either deliver too often or too late.
The warehouse is notified only when the line is about to run out, compressing kitting, transport and loading time; urgent insertions then disrupt the normal delivery plan.
Requests from different stations and channels are hard to consolidate; changeovers, line stops and approaching end of run can still produce unnecessary replenishment actions.
The line does not know whether the warehouse has finished kitting, and the warehouse does not know the actual remainder. Shortages, delivery delays and cancelled tasks lack a unified record, raising the cost of troubleshooting.
RockPlus eCall turns the material state on the shop floor into replenishment tasks the warehouse can execute: judge the need first, organise kitting second, and track delivery and loading results last.
A material pull loop built around monitoring, forecasting, calling, kitting, delivery and feedback, keeping supply actions close to real production consumption.
Show reel barcode, part number, current remainder, consumption rate and expected run time by line, machine and feeder slot, so positions with insufficient material are found quickly.
Estimate sustainable run time from recent consumption records and apply configurable thresholds to form graded shortage warnings, with extra reminders for short tape length and similar cases.
Convert qualifying warnings into replenishment tasks and aggregate routine demand by a configurable time window; barcode duplicate prevention, line-stop hold and end-of-run judgement reduce idle tasks.
Raise an urgent call by scanning a reel barcode with a PDA; assembly and insertion stations can submit demand by part number and quantity from a PC or PDA, all entering the same task flow.
Manage line-side material barcodes, quantities and locations, and flag demand that can be satisfied from available line-side stock, improving the reuse of partly used reels.
View materials and target locations by task, advance kitting status by scanning an employee card with the operation recorded, and print task sheets and barcode labels or report shortages.
Existing projects exchange replenishment requests, part master data and shortage or error receipts with QAD ERP over file interfaces; other ERP integrations must be assessed against the site interface.
Line side sees remainders and task progress, the warehouse board highlights pending and urgent tasks, and managers review routine and urgent call statistics by line and period.
The remaining quantity on a reel does not by itself indicate shortage risk: part numbers, products and takt times consume material at different rates. RockPlus eCall combines feeder slot and per-board usage, reel remainder, recent consumption rate and completion progress to estimate run time.
Two slots with the same remainder can differ several times over in remaining run time. Using time as a common measure makes replenishment decisions comparable, and leaves room for warehouse kitting and line loading.
Remainder, consumption rate, available boards and remaining time in one view, without patrolling machine by machine.
Shortage warnings form automatically as thresholds are approached, with urgent risks highlighted.
Warnings of different levels at the same position follow configured rules, controlling duplicate requests.
Line stops, material-specific holds and sufficient material at end of run stop further idle calls.
Line-side demand should not end with a notice that the warehouse has been informed. RockPlus eCall organises call demand into traceable tasks, so warehouse pickers, delivery staff and line-side operators share the same task status.
Review pending work by line, line item and priority.
Confirm state by scanning an employee card, recording operator and time.
Record a shortage status when demand cannot be met, so the line sees the risk early.
Shipped and completed status is queried on the same task, cutting phone confirmations.
Trace each step back from the task details and status log.
Automatic calling depends on equipment data. Stations without that data raise requests manually and the system aggregates them; both sources end up in the same task chain.
Operators scan a reel barcode with a PDA or raise a request in the relevant client. The system marks urgent demand as a priority task and applies duplicate submission control.
Stations for bare PCB, manual insertion and offline electronic materials can enter part number and quantity; the system aggregates requests into pending tasks. This is manual demand, not SMT reel warning.
When usable material already exists in the line-side store, the task can point to that stock and location and hand kitting to the line-side store, reducing transfers from the main warehouse.
RockPlus eCall starts from consumption data on the shop floor and coordinates systems around tasks and status records. Existing projects involve the following interfaces and terminals.
The page highlights business rules and collaboration boundaries rather than a single real-time interface. How each layer connects depends on the data sources and permissions available on site.
Integration note: the above reflects actual interface practice in existing projects. It does not mean that any placement machine brand can be connected out of the box, nor that placement machines are connected directly over PLC. Equipment compatibility, ERP interfaces and terminal forms for a new project are confirmed through site assessment and version review.
Placement programs, completion data, reel remainders and quantity correction.
The everyday monitoring entry point for line-side operators.
A consolidated request entry for manual material use.
Shop-floor operations and dashboard display.
Suited to electronics manufacturing sites with many material types, fast-changing consumption and the need for tight line-to-warehouse collaboration.
For SMT lines with many reel types and fast-changing consumption rates, automatic replenishment demand is formed from real-time remainders and remaining run time, easing temporary shortages and manual patrolling.
For bare PCB, manual insertion and offline material scenarios, call requests are submitted, aggregated and tracked from a PC or PDA, passing station demand to the warehouse more clearly.
For partly used reel reuse, main warehouse replenishment and external store collaboration, tasks and stock information build a shared line-and-warehouse view, reducing repeated communication and unclear material flow.
From visible remainders and shortage warnings to automatic calls, warehouse kitting and delivery feedback, production and warehouse work from the same material demand.
Material remainders and consumption rates become actionable advance warnings.
Less reliance on manual patrols, estimated experience and verbal chasing.
Demand, kitting, shipping and completion unified in one task chain.
Available line-side stock is identified, reducing unnecessary duplicate replenishment.
Material demand, shortage feedback, operators and status changes stay queryable.
The actual degree of improvement depends on line takt, warehouse layout, master data quality and project scope, and must be verified on site.
Common questions on how eCall differs from WMS, the boundary between automatic and manual calling, and equipment and ERP connectivity.
A WMS focuses on inventory, locations, receiving and shipping and warehouse operations. RockPlus eCall focuses on the pull collaboration problem on the production floor: when material is needed, which material is needed, and how far the warehouse has progressed. The two are complementary; whether to integrate them at system level depends on the specific project scope.
No. In existing solutions, SMT automatic material calling is calculated from reel remainders, recipe and consumption data. Assembly stations submit requests manually and the system aggregates them into tasks automatically. The data foundation and degree of automation must be evaluated line by line.
Because replenishment needs lead time for warehouse kitting, delivery and line-side loading. RockPlus eCall identifies replenishment needs early from remaining production time and warning rules, instead of notifying the warehouse only after a reel runs out.
The system can apply rules for barcode duplicate prevention, task merging, line-stop hold and end-of-run judgement. Rule parameters should be configured according to the actual delivery cycle, process and management requirements.
Task status, shortage feedback and task operation history can be queried in the related clients and dashboards, so line-side staff can follow progress and locate where an exception occurred.
Existing project practice covers Siemens SIPLACE data interfaces and QAD ERP file integration. Other equipment brands, ERP systems and interface protocols need to be assessed against the data sources, permissions and business processes available on site.
Less passive waiting on the line, more advance preparation in the warehouse. From visible remainders and shortage warnings to automatic calls, kitting and delivery feedback, production and warehouse work from the same material demand.
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