Index Braille

Improved production fluency with Jeeves Desktop Client 

While Index Braille was well aware that necessity is the mother of invention, the company could hardly have dreamed that the invention of a braille printer would lead to almost total dominance of the world market. Jeeves Desktop Client is one cog in the machinery.

The mother of Björn Löfstedts, Index Braille’s founder, went blind at an early age and he soon understood the need for a braille printer. On discovering that the majority of the world’s blind people are illiterate, for the simple reason that there is almost nothing for them to read, in 1984 Björn built his first braille embosser in his garage. Today, his company Index Braille has at least two-thirds of the global market for braille printers.

“For this reason, we require extraordinary production fluency; we need to know which production orders should and can be started, without any hitches,” says Nils Huhta, Development Manager at Index Braille.

To this end, they use Jeeves Desktop Client’s dashboard on the factory floor.

One much-appreciated function of the dashboard is that it can automatically search for and present the production orders scheduled for production on that day. The dashboard can also be configured to exclude any orders for which necessary components ran out on the previous day.

If production components that were previously on backorder were delivered and registered in Jeeves ERP on the previous day, any affected production order can then be started and will be presented on that day’s schedule.

“Production operators do not therefore require a great deal of knowledge of Jeeves as they do not need to perform these types of inquiry; they can simply get started. We can still be sure that we are manufacturing the right product on that particular day, meaning that we avoid starting orders that may come to a standstill, and quickly catch up on delayed orders. This is vital to efficient production,” continues Nils.

The new flagging function in Jeeves Desktop Client also prevents problems. This means that when an order is opened and started, the production operator flags it so that other operators can see that the order is underway and can instead begin another one.

Nils is working to roll out the new Desktop Client across the rest of the company and will be using its smart functions as motivation for others to use it, such as the abovementioned automatic search functions but based on each user’s role.

Nils has seen for himself just how useful other Desktop functions are; for example, the ability to enter internal comments and flag articles that cannot be completed. This means that everyone is aware that the article is incomplete, as it shows up on the dashboard under flagged articles. When, for example, spare parts arrive and it is time to proceed with the article, the entered comments help to remind users of how far work has come, what is missing and what remains to be done.

“This makes life easier and avoids the need to remember or write down all the details on a post-it, which then often disappears,” explains Nils Huhta.

The fact that the desktop only includes shortcuts to the applications that the user needs makes working with Jeeves easier. The function that displays relevant support programs in a separate side menu for each program window also increases user-friendliness. The support is there when needed and the user avoids searching among the many programs and subprograms in Jeeves.

“I see that users quickly become more independent and get more out of Jeeves using the Desktop Client. That’s good,” says Nils.

Everyone contributes to improved business development

All companies benefit from ensuring that their employees do not simply focus on their own duties but also see those tasks as part of the company’s overall performance.

Here, Jeeves Desktop Client also has benefits. At Index Braille, overall information like the above is now also presented in diagrams and tables on the dashboard.

“It is valuable to permit all employees to contribute more independently; here, Jeeves new Desktop Client and its dashboard are valuable. They provide support to users, departments and the company as a whole that allows them to be less reactive and more proactive. This is why we intend to make sure that everyone works in Jeeves Desktop Client, something that other Jeeves customers might be well advised to look at,” says Index Braille’s Development Manager Nils Huhta with a smile.