Partnership Philosophy
By its very nature, the process control industry is long-term and conservative. Changes made today on a control system will probably still be in effect in 10 years time. Unlike other computer based industries, it is simply not that easy to change systems or vendors every year. Because of the long term nature of our business, we at St. James foster a partnership approach with our customers. We aim to be in businees with our customers for an extended period and we can achieve this only by creating trust and by providing products and services that meet (and exceed) our customers expectations.
Focus Area
Our focus area is in the MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) or Level II area which is located between the real-time process control level and the ERP business level. MES systems typically result in
- an immediate increase in the awareness of the process by Supervisors and Managers,
- Improved decision making and quantum improvements in production and quality and
- a major reduction in the "computer houekeeping chores" and an increase in job satisfaction of the users.
Real Benefits
In concrete terms, a recent study by the independant MESA organization showed that a survey of companies that have implemented MES solutions:
- 60% reported cycle times cut by 40% or more,
- 67% reported reduction in data entry by 75% or more,
- 50% reported reduction in lead times of 30% or more.
- 60% reported a reduction in WIP by 25% or more.
Complete Range of Services
St. James Software offers a comprehensive range of services to the integrating corporation. These services include:
1. Analysis of the required information and the formulation of a specification and implementation plan to create a workable computer based system. This covers the complete range the of process from definition of the I/O in the PLC, DCS or SCADA system to the definition of key process indicies, to the specification of the user interface on the Intranet.
2. Implementation of the Information System either on a per diem basis or as a turnkey project.
3. Maintenance and support of systems typically on-line or (if required) via site visits. This support is usually covered by a comprehensive annual support contract.
4. Training (either on-site or in our training facilities). Training courses cover the various jSuite products as well as the products we represent.
