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| Chapter 4 Profit increase begins with a trial. |
| You can start with the free trial version. |
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| Minimizing our customers' cost and risk is our first priority. We recommend that you carefully check the feasibility of using Asprova in your factory before making a final decision. |
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First, experience for free
Please download the profit increase diagnosis sheet, free trial version of Asprova, and introductory manual from the Asprova web site at no cost. Try operating the trial version following the explanation in the introductory manual. Then create a prototype by entering your own factory's data. A free introductory seminar is also available. Please contact us if you are interested.
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| Then, experience for a fee for more detail
In hands-on training, you can learn Asprova's features as you actually operate Asprova on your PC and create a prototype using your factory's data for evaluation. Before officially deciding to deploy Asprova, you can also use a rental set by spending a small amount of money to carefully investigate all the features of Asprova using your own data. If you choose to take advantage of the rental set, you can reduce your risk to the minimum. In the profit increase diagnosis, we will create a prototype using actual data of your factory, analyze the prototype, and diagnose the likely results of using Asprova at your factory. In general, you can achieve superior results from your deployment if you proceed with guidance from an expert. Therefore, for actual deployment, we recommend that you take advantage of consultation services from Asprova Corporation or an Asprova sales partner to increase the benefits you obtain from the deployment.
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Cost, time, and risk of implementation
Implementing a profit increase project using Asprova, including the Asprova license fee, consultation fees during the implementation, and peripheral program development, costs $100,000 or more per factory. A standard implementation takes 4 to 6 months. During this time period, your employees will need to set aside time to prepare master data and do other work related to the implementation. Furthermore, the risk that the project will fail to achieve its goals during a specified period is not zero. However, by following the steps described below, you can lead your profit increase project more surely to success.
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| Steps for Implementing a Profit Increase Project |
| Description and Points |
Support System |
1 |
Understanding the current situation and setting goals
Complete the profit increase diagnosis sheet with the results of your investigation of the current situation and the target values you aim to achieve. Set goals halfway between the ideal situation and reality. Since adding to or changing goals in the middle of a project can become a source of confusion, be sure to set clear goals from the outset and leave them unchanged until the project is done.
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Introductory Seminar [Free]
Profit Increase Diagnosis Sheet [Free] |
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Learning Asprova
Install the free trial version of Asprova on your PC. Follow the explanation in the introductory manual while practicing using Asprova on sample data. |
Trial Version of Asprova [Free]
Introductory Manual [Free] |
3 |
Creating a Prototype and Investigating Systematization
Create a prototype by inputting your own factory's data. Evaluate the prototype, investigate the extent of the new system and the need for development of peripheral functionality or interfaces with existing systems, and break up problem areas into the following categories:
A: Problems to be solved with Asprova's standard features
B: Problems to be solved by adjusting your operating procedures
C: Problems to be solved by developing peripheral programs or plug-ins
Before officially resolving to deploy Asprova, be sure to create a prototype and test it thoroughly, so as to be as sure as possible that your profit increase project will be a success.
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Hands-on Training
[For a fee]
Rental Set [For a fee]
Profit Increase Diagnosis [For a fee] |
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Signing the Contract and Assembling a Project Team
Sign a contract regarding the Asprova license, program development, and consultation. Start the profit increase project by assembling a project team officially endorsed by your company. The project team typically consists of three or more people, including one project leader, one or more people involved in production planning, and one or more people involved in system administration. |
License Agreement
[For a fee] |
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Preparing Data
Prepare data for actual use. Preparing the necessary master data is a lot of work. In general, you should expect it to take one month or more with one person working full-time on data preparation. Be sure to make arrangements so that the person in charge of data preparation will be able to set aside a sufficient amount of time for this job. Sometimes data preparation can drag on for a long time because of the difficulty of preparing a large amount of data at high precision. In such cases, we recommend starting operation with data at a certain level of precision and gradually improving the precision of the data as operation proceeds. |
Consultation [For a fee]
Program Development [For a fee] |
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Developing Additional Programs
In most cases, Asprova will be interfaced with an existing system. Developing an interface with the existing system helps the planning cycle to proceed smoothly. In addition to employing our help, you can develop peripheral programs including interfaces with existing systems yourself using tools such as Microsoft Access and Visual Basic. |
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Writing the Operation Manual
Put together an operation manual describing the new procedures for issuing work instructions, gathering results data, and processing orders with Asprova. |
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Holding an In-house Orientation Session
A profit increase project involves re-organizing your way of doing things. You will adopt new ways of issuing work instructions and gathering production results data. Before starting test operation, hold an orientation session to explain the meaning of the operation procedure and the way to carry it out. |
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Starting Test Operation
Start test operation. Test operation typically takes one to two months. Once test operation is completed, you can switch over to actual operation.
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Maintenance
Items you manufacture and equipment you use for manufacturing will change over time. In order for you to use Asprova for a long time, we recommend that you enter into a maintenance contract for necessary maintenance and software upgrades. |
Maintenance Contract [For a fee] |
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