The PC Topp.NET Articles page has been enhanced with new article specific settings for set-up waste and run waste. These allow PC Topp to calculate an order’s target quantity to be produced on the corrugator (i.e. the ordered quantity plus the expected waste) more precisely.

The options for defining set-up waste and run waste of orders for a specific article are similar to those for the article speed settings. (It applies to both speed and waste settings that order specific settings override article specific and machine specific settings.)

• Production History Data
  PC-Topp uses production history data for calculating article specific speed and waste under the following conditions:
  • In the Article Configuration the article history is enabled,
  • There is production history data available for this article,
  • There are no article specific settings.
  Using history data for calculating the orders’ speed and target quantity offers significant advantages:
  • Differences in the production of individual articles are allowed for.
  • Corrugator Scheduling gets more precise because it can take real production data into account.
• Article Specific Settings
  If there is no history data available for the article PC-Topp checks whether this option is set. It can be used for difficult articles to enter speed and waste figures derived from practical experience.
• Machine Specific Settings
  If there are neither history data nor article specific settings for the article then PC-Topp falls back on the machine specific settings. (Machine specific  waste is defined under “Calculation of Target Quantity” on the Machine Settings page.)

As of now any application that can access the PC-Topp SQL Server database can print bar codes. The first example of this new option is the new PC-Topp.NET corrugator material list. It is now available as a Crystal report in a standard as well as a personalized version that supports bar codes.

The new material list displays the actual program sequence, i.e. the sequence at the corrugator (not the sequence in Program Memory). Much like the classical material list but in a clearer structure, both versions of the PDF material list show

• The required quantities per program and paper code in meters and kilograms, organized by outside liner resp. single facer,
• The total quantity to produce per flute type,
• The roll size distribution per paper.

If subsequent programs require the same paper and roll size on the same single facer then the required quantity for this paper code is totalled in the first program where this paper is used.

Additionally, the personalized extended version of the new material list supports paper bar codes for reading with a bar code scanner. The paper bar codes are displayed next to the respective paper codes in a large font size so they are easily scannable with a pistol bar code reader.

Just as you can select programs for printout on the Corrugator Control page you can also mark one or more orders to have their job cards printed out in PDF format (via the new button Print Order button in the Action section).

Comments entered for programs in Program Memory are now displayed in the Queue tab of the PC-Topp.NET Corrugator Control page.

The slider for marking the number of days with medium resp. low priority orders to take into account in Automatic Optimisation now has two additional markers showing the number of days preset for the flute type in question in the Optimisation Parameters.

Moreover, if you change the slider settings to override the Optimisation Parameter settings the system will remember them for 5 minutes.

The Production Progress Report which is available for the  conversion machines and the corrugator gives an overview of production speed and efficiency by machine including graphical representations for at-a-glance information.

AS of now, PC-Topp can also handle quadruple flutes.

As of now, shift times and downtime reasons can be entered in the Corrugator Control page.

The Board Grade Upgrade Summary shows all board grades by flute type including up- and downgrades, with data on quantity and cost, and totals by flute type.

The conversion machine schedules as well as the list of internal complaints and the paper stock are available as PDF files for easy printout.