Parts that cross cells
Mill, press, mould or assemble: each operation stamps itself on one part record.
Containment is a query. Automotive supplier software for IATF 16949.
A suspect batch lands and the customer wants to know what it touched. With Bulk you answer while they're still on the phone, and the schedule swings that used to book premium freight get absorbed before they cost you.
- Live takt & OEE
- Part & batch traceability
- PPAP & control plans
- Scheduling & takt response
This is your line. These are the modules on it.
Where Bulk fits best.
Lots a customer will ask about
Goods-in books the supplier lot; a suspect batch traces back before the call ends.
Spreadsheets beside a working ERP
Keep the ERP and the EDI translator; Bulk runs the line in between.
Audits that expose the gaps
Control-plan checks stay on the part, ready before the auditor asks for them.
From release to genealogy, one thread.
Take the schedule in
The release lands against the part; Bulk reads the delivery paperwork, nobody re-types a quantity.
See schedulingRelease receivedScheduling · Part 8841-K · today 06:40
Week 35 pulled forward · 2,400 pcs · EDI release
Queue re-planned
Build to the control plan
Each operation stamps operator, machine and time; the control-plan check lands in line.
See productionOp 40: PressProduction · Part 8841-K · Cell 3
R. Novak · Press P-07 · check 40.2 recorded 09:15
Running · takt 48 s
Check and contain
An out-of-tolerance result raises the nonconformance, holds the batch and escalates to 8D.
See qualityNCR-1183 raisedQuality · Batch 8841-K-07 · raised 11:02
Bore Ø22.00 H8 over on 6 of 250 parts
Batch 07 on hold
Trace and submit
A customer flags a lot; every component lot, operation and affected part lists in one query.
See data threadLot 5520-AData thread · Lot lookup
3 component lots · 5 operations · 1,180 parts · 2 shipments
Containment list in 0.4 s
Today's reality: built on paper.
Schedule swings and expedites
The pull-forward reaches the whiteboard after the premium freight is booked.
PPAP and IATF evidence, reassembled by hand
Every audit means rebuilding evidence someone should already be holding.
Line-side data on paper
A clipboard keyed in at shift end shows the lost hour tomorrow.
The blocks that hold a tier-one.
Live takt & OEE
A lost hour shows on the cell TV while the schedule can still recover.
OEE & analyticsPart & batch traceability
A suspect batch becomes one query listing every affected part, not a two-day trawl.
Data threadPPAP & control plans
Checks captured in line; the audit evidence assembles itself instead of being rebuilt.
QualityScheduling & takt response
Absorb a release swing without the whiteboard and give the customer a real date.
SchedulingKanban & consumables
Stock tracked against the job that used it, so a shortage warns before the line stops.
InventoryDelivery paperwork & OCR
ASNs and certs read once; the dispatch pack assembles without re-keying a lot number.
Inbound OCR
Same parts. Fewer surprises.
90%Time to trace a suspect lot at Halden Driveline
99.5%First-time-right at PPAP submission
0Re-keys from EDI schedule to dispatch
“A customer containment used to mean two days trawling travellers to find every affected part. Now it is one search: the whole genealogy, every part off that lot, on screen while they are still on the call. The surveillance audit stopped being the week everyone dreaded.”
HD
Quality Manager at Halden DrivelineAutomotive supply, machined & assembled driveline parts
Questions, answered.
01
Is Bulk an MES or an ERP for automotive suppliers?
Neither, on purpose. An MES assumes an integrator and a PLC network; an ERP wants your whole business re-platformed. Bulk is the traceability, production-tracking and quality layer for the line. It captures part-and-batch genealogy, drives the control plan and holds containment, and sits alongside whatever ERP or accounts system you already run. Most suppliers our size are replacing spreadsheets and whiteboards, not systems.
02
Does it support IATF 16949 and PPAP evidence?
Yes, that is the point of holding it on one record. Control-plan checks are captured in line and stay attached to the part, capability and containment are driven from the same nonconformance flow, and the genealogy needed for a PPAP or a surveillance audit assembles from the production record instead of being rebuilt in spreadsheets each time.
03
Can it react to a customer schedule swing?
Yes. Releases land against the part number (EDI or portal) and a pull-forward shows up as a live queue against your cells and people, so you can re-plan and give a real date rather than discovering the expedite at shift end. The schedule and the shop floor read from the same record.
04
Can it trace a finished part back to component lots?
Yes. Every part carries the supplier lot booked at goods-in, each operation with its operator and machine, and the control-plan results. Give it a lot or a serial and it walks the full genealogy in seconds, then lists every other part made from the same lot: the containment query a recall turns on.
05
Do we have to replace our ERP or EDI setup?
No. Bulk runs the line and its records; it reads the customer schedule and feeds dispatch, but your ERP, accounts and EDI translator stay. This is the layer between the machines and the back office, not a rip-and-replace project, and not a big-bang cutover.
06
How long does rollout take?
One part number, end to end first (release to dispatch, proven on real work in weeks), then the rest of your programmes follow on the same pattern. You are an early-access customer, so you work directly with the build team and the configuration is shaped around your line and your customer's requirements, not a template.