Characteristics of project management in manufacturing and the supporting software platform, Magic Cube Table

　　Fierce global competition in manufacturing and the reshaping of supply chains have caused both domestic demand and export growth in China's manufacturing sector to fall short of expectations. Simultaneously, changing consumer demands, including a surge in personalized needs and shorter product lifecycles, present new challenges for China's manufacturing industry. In this context,

　　Therefore, the Make-To-Order (MTO) manufacturing model, with its high response rate, low inventory levels, and flexible adaptability, is gaining recognition and adoption among more domestic manufacturing enterprises.

　　Under the MTO model, each order can be considered an independent project. However, manufacturing enterprises often face the situation of managing multiple projects concurrently, involving the centralized and coordinated management of multiple related projects. This includes resource coordination between different projects, such as human resources, materials, production time, and scheduling. This necessitates the introduction of a program management approach (program management characteristics: multiple projects running concurrently, multiple projects with interdependencies), placing higher demands on the production management of manufacturing enterprises.

　　The MTS (Make-To-Stock) model is equivalent to single-project management. Manufacturing enterprises are adept at production management using traditional ERP systems. However, upgrading to the MTO production model and introducing program management concepts, with the characteristics of increased product variety, high and frequent demand fluctuations, and the increasing complexity and temporary nature of production processes, traditional ERP systems cannot perfectly solve the conflict management and coordination of multiple projects and struggle to keep up with program management approaches. Since old systems are not suitable, if enterprises wish to custom-develop new systems, they first face high initial development costs, as well as ongoing costs for feature additions and maintenance, and significant time consumption. Faced with this dilemma, manufacturing enterprises urgently need a suitable solution.

　　Magic Cube Grid provides a unique solution to meet the new needs of program management in manufacturing enterprises. Magic Cube Grid is a configurable software platform that empowers users to flexibly build personalized usage scenarios and quickly adapt to market and enterprise changes. This platform is fully applicable to the multi-project coordination management of the MTO production model. Through digital capabilities, it comprehensively enhances the production and delivery capabilities of manufacturing enterprises, controls overall product quality, and builds unique core competitiveness.

　　Advantages of the MTO Program Management System based on Magic Cube Grid

　　Flexible customization of order production plans and piece-rate rules: In the MTO model, multiple projects run concurrently, with varying processes and raw materials. Enterprises can use the rich configuration modules built into Magic Cube Grid to develop order plans that meet their needs and customize piece-rate rules, allowing for accurate representation of production costs and profits.

　　Flexible production processes, achieving process standardization and automation: Under the program management approach, order changes and additions are difficult to predict. Magic Cube Grid provides flexible production processes. Enterprises can conveniently plan and adjust production tasks in real-time based on changes in orders and newly added orders. The modularity of the process allows for automated adjustment of business processes, while automatically reminding relevant personnel, ensuring orderly production.

　　Real-time tracking of production progress and control of product quality: With multiple projects running concurrently, controlling production progress and product quality is crucial. Through Magic Cube Grid, manufacturing enterprise personnel can track order production progress in real-time and obtain product records in real-time, ensuring on-time delivery and product quality.

　　Seamless integration with external systems, providing decision support and control capabilities: Program management is a high-level management approach for enterprise executives to handle strategic projects and organizational multi-projects. Magic Cube Grid, with its industry-first "external field group" function, can seamlessly integrate with other external systems of the enterprise, enabling managers to have real-time control over key information such as personnel, finance, materials, production, supply, and sales, while providing comprehensive statistical analysis and accurate data support for decision-making.

　　Automated data analysis and raw material procurement forecasting: In the MTO model, demand forecasting is difficult for manufacturing enterprises, requiring a certain production cycle and, if necessary, some inventory. Magic Cube Grid provides users with customizable material analysis reports that production management personnel can view as needed, providing a clearer and more intuitive display of material changes at each stage and automatically generating procurement forecasts, with one-click submission for pre-ordering.

　　Years of persistent research and development and continuous improvement have enabled Magic Cube Grid to gain over 150,000 loyal users, including many large and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in China and abroad. Let's take a look at how they use Magic Cube Grid to achieve production management.

　　Huawei UAE Representative Office

　　Huawei's UAE representative office used Magic Cube Grid as a development platform to develop a program management system supporting the MTO production model, taking only one month from requirement to launch. The new system incorporates base station surveying, design, and material requirements into management, allowing for material aggregation based on base station orders to guide production and transportation planning. After launch, the UAE representative office leveraged the flexible scalability of Magic Cube Grid to continue optimizing the new system, quickly making functional changes and additions based on actual situations and needs, allowing the new system to fully support all project requirements. The use of the new system not only improves overall work efficiency but also enhances managers' control over project progress. The close connection between various stages accelerates project progress.

　　Huarde Crane

　　Huarde Crane is a professional manufacturer of non-standard European-style cranes, a typical MTO production model where each order is a project, usually with multiple projects running concurrently. They used Magic Cube Grid to customize a system application that meets Huarde's entire workflow. Through its unique integration capabilities, it synchronizes SAP data bidirectionally to the application, helping various departments track production, delivery, installation, and other data and process progress in real-time, replacing Oracle P6 project management work. The new system significantly improves work efficiency and enhances managers' overall control over project progress, enabling close cooperation between various processes and accelerating production. After the system went live, Huarde continued to use the flexible scalability of Magic Cube Grid to continuously improve and expand its functions to adapt to the changing management needs of the enterprise at different stages of development, greatly supporting Huarde's enterprise management innovation needs.