Alcan Solves Programming Overload with Systems Conversion Consultants

In the fall of 1999, Alcan Cable decided to make a change with the way they brought contract programmers into their shop to help with their programming backlog.  In the past, they brought in contract programmers with AS400 and RPG experience.  They’d never brought in “PRMS experts” before, but decided to give it a try… 

Project Profile

Alcan decided to “try out” an SCL Technical Consultant in late September of 1999.  Having a medium-size shop filled with experienced analysts and project leaders, wasn’t helping them work on over 70 small projects; all of their staff was booked up with large projects.   

At first the programming assignments consisted of fixes and minor changes to custom reports.  That is how Alcan was used to getting outside contractors used to their environment.  And their environment is not a “simple one.”  With an AS400 in Atlanta using CA-PRMS Order Entry and six manufacturing facilities around North America, all with their own AS400’s using CA-PRMS manufacturing and inventory applications, there’s a lot to get used to! 

Alcan found a distinct advantage to bringing in SCL Technical Consultants.  They found the learning curve for a new programmer was greatly reduced!  By keeping their modifications and custom programs within CA-PRMS conventions, the process became a matter of learning the distribution and manufacturing process at Alcan, not learning CA-PRMS. 

The assignments quickly went from minor program fixes to development of applications that interfaced with CA-PRMS. 

Over the last 22 months, Alcan has been able to reduce their programming backlog from over 70 small projects to 25.  In addition, the age of open items went from over one year, to one-two months.  Regarding the open project list, Mark Barlow (Project Leader at Alcan) said, “SCL has helped reduce the outstanding requests, and have helped increase request turn-around time considerably, which increases user satisfaction.” 

In addition to small projects, SCL Technical Consultants played a key role in a major Product Number conversion project that Alcan implemented in the winter of 2001.  They also wrote a Time Reporting system used by the Sedalia, Missouri plant, which allows machine center operators to report time directly into the system (instead of on paper time sheets); the Time Reporting system is also fully integrated into the CA-PRMS Shop Floor module.

and 23 warehouses, Alcan Cable is the supplier of choice for aluminum cable products.  

Alcan Cable operates throughout North America – in the U.S. as a division of Alcan Aluminum Corporation and in Canada as a division of Alcan Inc.  Alcan Cable’s headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia with U.S. manufacturing operations in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Sedalia, Missouri; Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; Roseburg, Oregon and in Canada: Bracebridge, Ontario; Shawinigan, Quebec; and Jonquiere, Quebec.  Alcan Cable has its own research and development facilities in Williamsport and is backed by the technology and laboratories of the Alcan Group.

Client Profile

Alcan Cable is part of the worldwide Alcan Group of companies whose activities include bauxite mining, alumina refining, power generation, aluminum smelting, manufacturing and recycling as well as research and technology.  Approximately 40,000 people are employed by Alcan, with thousands more employed in its related companies. 

Alcan is the only fully integrated manufacturer of aluminum cable, rod and strip products operating  throughout North America.  With seven plants