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Gridmaster Ltd.,
Kettering
Northants
NN15 5DU

01536 515218
sales@gridmaster.co.uk

Estimating/Pricing/Costing & Scheduling software
for all Manufacturers & Workshops

In today's market, with everyone and every customer, it's just in time and on-time. As if quoting and winning work wasn't hard enough, today's economy requires that after you've won the work, they want it when ? The market is not only cost driven but quality and delivery driven as well. Kentech's Kipware® series of machine shop business software is designed to keep you competitive in today's and KipwarePLN® is an integral part of that package. KipwarePLN® puts the power to plan and schedule your company, your people, your deliveries, your whatever .... in one easy-to-use software package built to eliminate the clutter and complexity that makes for long learning curves and slow or no return on investment.

Like all our intelligent machine shop software, KipwarePLN® combines an easy to use interface that enables you to work right out of the box with just the right mix of necessary power and features ... real world powerful without being overkill.

The Basics ...
What can KipwarePLN® do for you

• KipwarePLN® can provide your shop with the following :
  • Accurate delivery and completion dates for tasks or people based on the actual hours worked and efficiency factors.
  • Complete and Accurate hours required and charges ... including regular, overtime and provisional hours for each day of the week ... for tasks or people scheduled.
  • The ability to easily and quickly track and report completion dates for individual items or multiple items ... such as assemblies.
  • A comprehensive look at available and non-available time slots for tasks, items or people being scheduled.
  • Manage all your schedules ... rename, delete, copy, move ... using an easy-to-use user interface.
  • Quickly and easily print a variety of reports that can cover a variety of requirements.   Back to Top

Operation ...
How Does KipwarePLN® Work?

• User Defined Interface - Users can create labels and captions in the software that help define the fields within KipwarePLN® that are used for scheduling. Since multiple interface files can be created and loaded as needed ... KipwarePLN® gives you the power to schedule all the tasks in your company from one, easy-to-use software package. You can set-up KipwarePLN® to schedule tasks, equipment, employees .... or all of the above !!!!
• Database Driven - Users create database files that drive KipwarePLN®. One database is a HOLIDAY database file ... which contains dates for all non-working or holiday days within a given year. Other database files ... and the number created is unlimited ... contain the hours worked, start times, end times, lunch & dinner times, and efficiency factor ( KipwarePLN® helps you calculate that too ) for any item, task or employee being scheduled. Once these database files are created, and of course you can add to and alter them at any time, KipwarePLN® does all the work and uses this information when calculating schedule data. The labor database file is very easy to configure using our fill-in-the-blank form, but is very complete so you know your schedules will be calculated accurately. The labor database file includes
  • Regular hours worked for each day of the week.
  • Overtime hours worked for each day of the week.
  • Labor Rate charged for regular hours worked.
  • Labor Rate charged for overtime hours worked.
  • Start and End time for each day of the week.
  • Lunch Time length and time.
  • Dinner Time length and time ... if applicable.
  • Provisional hours ... user defined non-regular, non-overtime hours to be used as required.
  • Efficiency Rating ( because not everything operates at 100% ) easily calculated using our fill-in-the-blank Efficiency Calculator.
• Auto Calculations - In this mode, the user selects what to schedule, inputs the start date, quantity and time required ... and KipwarePLN® automatically calculates the COMPLETION DATE using the database files. In addition to providing a complete breakdown of regular and overtime hours required for each day of the week, KipwarePLN® also calculates all the costs involved ... regular and overtime ... for each day of the week.
• Manual Calculations - In this mode, the user selects what to schedule, inputs the start date and the desired completion date. KipwarePLN® will then calculate regular and overtime hours required along with the complete regular and overtime costs breakdown based on the database files.
• Organizing and Reporting - Creating accurate data is only a fraction of scheduling, what you do with the data is just as important. KipwarePLN® provides for a variety of reporting and organizing options for whatever ... details are outlined in the FEATURES section below.     Back to Top

Why KipwarePLN® ?
KipwarePLN® Features

• Auto Calculation - In this mode, the user selects what to schedule, inputs the start date, quantity and time required ... and KipwarePLN® automatically calculates the COMPLETION DATE using the database files. In addition to providing a complete breakdown of regular and overtime hours required for each day of the week, KipwarePLN® also calculates all the costs involved ... regular and overtime ... for each day of the week.
• Manual Calculation - In this mode, the user selects what to schedule, inputs the start date and the desired completion date. KipwarePLN® will then calculate regular and overtime hours required along with the complete regular and overtime costs breakdown based on that machines database file of hours worked for each day of the week.
• KipwarePLN®'s Auto-Check Feature - As each schedule is created, whether in auto or manual mode, KipwarePLN® checks the START and END data against schedules already created and checks for conflicts ... generating an error screen and displaying the pertinent conflicting data.
• One Year Planner - Using the schedules previously created, KipwarePLN® organizes them, sorts them and displays the available and un-available hours in a simple but complete tabbed view - one year planner. This one year plan can be manually created where the user picks and chooses schedules to include ... or auto-planned where the software automatically finds all the schedules to be included.
• KipwarePLN®'s LINK Feature - Organize individual schedules that may be related into an assembly file and view the due dates on one complete, easy-to-use view screen ... and use a variety of SORT options to organize the view.
• Organizing & Reporting - All the calculated data is displayed in a simple spreadsheet format on the screen for the user to review. The details of the form are outlined below. Pressing the PRINT SCHEDULE option will send this complete form to the printer for a hard copy printout. A variety of other formatted and non-formatted report printing options are available ... including the ability to print any screenshot with the press of a single button !!    Back to Top

Designed for the "Real World"

• Completing the LABOR DATABASE and HOLIDAY SETTINGS gives KipwarePLN® all the info it needs to create accurate schedules. The user can then input the time required and start date data into the scheduling screen. Once completed, the user simply chooses the CALCULATE button and KipwarePLN® does all the work. Searching database files and performing all the necessary calculations in seconds to provide you with accurate delivery, cost and time requirements. Alter any data on-the-fly and re-create as many schedules as required or desired.
• With the KipwarePLN® Auto Check Feature you'll always know when you're trying to schedule over a time slot already booked ... without having to do anything special as the auto-check feature is always on !!
• KipwarePLN® is user configurable for a variety of different currencies including DOLLAR, EURO, POUND, FRANC, YEN, PESETA, RUPEE.
• Users can create an unlimited number of KipwarePLN® user interface and labor database files. This feature gives your company the ability to schedule anything and everything in your company .... whether it be employees, equipment, deliveries, classrooms or whatever ... using one, simple, easy-to-use software package.
• Powerful graphing and reporting features allow for quick and simple scheduling - enabling the user to see times already committed to tasks and to schedule accordingly to fill the "down" times. Both individual and multiple capacities can be viewed using the simple graph and schedules can be confidently created accordingly.
• All reports and data are EXCEL and LOTUS compatible to allow the user even more flexibility and data manipulation.     Back to Top

For the Machine Shop: Advanced cycle time calculation based on Material and Speeds/Feeds data and the parameters of your Machinery Modules for Machines of all types.

For Fabrication Shops:  Cycle time calculation for CNC Turret Punch, Laser & Flame Cutting. Standards for Welding, Shearing, Punching, Folding etc..

For the Construction Industry: BOM (Bill of Materials) construction to unlimited levels.
(build & price an Aircraft, Boat or House).

All estimates are quick to create. Macros of standard routines can be called and existing estimates cloned and modified.