New system helps JR navigate information. (James River Corp.'s Parchment, MI mill order/production management system)

New system helps JR navigate information To assure consistently high quality, printers and converters need accurate information on availability, price and delivery. They look to the paper mill to provide this flood of information. A steady flow of information is also important for mill personnel making critical process or product decisions.

With this in mind, in 1987 mill management at James River Corporation's Specialty Papers Business in Parhment, Mich. reviewed market trends. Their customers wanted:

* On-time shipments, as they lower inventory levels and move toward just-in-time (JIT) product deliveries;

* Bar coding of roll tickets and package labels, for easier product identification and inventory control;

* Real-time order status inquiry capability, to verify shipment dates for planning their production schedules; and

* Roll/sheet history data, for quality analysis and accelerated product development.

Parchment management philosophy stresses a "teamwork" attitude. For the mill to meet these customer demands and work together successfully, everyone in the business unit must have access to consistent and timely information.

In late 1988, mill management installed a $1.4 million Order/Production Management System provided by MAJIQ, Inc., Redmond, Washington. The system gives mill personnel on-line tools for managing the process of planning, producing, finishing and shipping paper.

Changing the culture

The most difficult task management faced was to charge Parchment's business culture from an informal, manual system to a structured, information-intensive system. Training more than 250 employees to use the new MAJIQ computer system was a challenging task. Teaching them to make decisions based on the new …