Windows & Doors
A+W Cantor is the most complete software solution that caters exclusively to window and door manufacturers by adhering to their market-specific requirements. The software can be implemented wherever windows are sold — dealers, independent shops, online, direct sales — which shows that it is versatile enough to meet every need.
Our Solutions For your Success
A+W Cantor integrates administration and production: from quotation creation to order entry to production, on through to delivery and assembly, the whole process is mapped. After an order is entered, all data for this order is available from everywhere in the company so that it is always clear precisely where and what the status of an order is. The whole business process becomes transparent thanks to A+W Cantor's fenestration software. Order handling is nearly paperless. The solution also includes tools that can be used to improve process throughput company-wide, which also makes it much more efficient.
Quotation and order processing
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenges:
- Customers receive separate order confirmations for, e.g. PVC windows and an aluminum exterior door since the orders are processed by different software solutions.
- The customer has made a change after placing the order (e.g. changed dimensions or color). The order can no longer be changed after the fact, so that the actual values are not mapped. This creates a lack of transparency.
- In case of a remake order, the incorrect (old) dimensions are still used; as a result, in the worst case, the element is produced incorrectly.
- In case of a color change, the price that is adjusted during invoicing and then invoiced increases. Accordingly, the total of the order confirmation and invoice do not match. It's not documented anywhere why a higher price was invoiced and it's not possible to trace this later on.
- The customer orders elements that, due to lacking master data in the program, cannot be mapped 1:1; therefore, the item requires a lot of explanatory text.
- The people entering orders know what they are doing, and they have extensive specialized knowledge that have acquired over the years. But what happens if these employees are sick or on vacation? How long does it take to train a new employee?
- Only in production does it become clear that an order item cannot be produced. Consultation with the customer is required. As a result, the order has to be rescheduled, which annoys the customer.
If you are also confronted with such challenges, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- The customer gets just one order confirmation and a delivery date, regardless of the material type and products ordered.
- The technical and commercial expertise of the person entering the order is "incorporated" into the software so that no deep, extensive knowledge is required – so new employees can hit the ground running.
- Entry of quotations and orders is guided. It’s not possible to make an incorrect entry or a technically incomplete entry. In the master data, in addition to articles such as hardware and profiles, there are also extensive rules stored for technical testing (plausibility check). This way, only elements can be ordered that can actually be produced. A+W Cantor customers have the opportunity to specify their own rules. Thanks to the lookup tables, only that is displayed which is technically possible, e.g. only particular kinds of glass with security hardware RC2.
- The order status is visible at all times, which means that all employees know what has to happen with the order in which areas and departments.
- In addition to price lists, it is possible to work with cost calculation, where different calculation models can be used as templates. Via the recalculation, the prices can be compared, and the price lists adjusted.
- In the customer master data, it is also possible to store the fact that the customer always orders the elements with extensions.
- and much more...
Client management/factory management
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenge:
- Companies with several factories frequently face the problem that they have to plan production capacities across locations.
- Windows that are too large or small cannot be produced on the standard lines in Factory A. They have to be handed off to Factory B, something that is generally done manually. In addition, it can be that customers receive separate order confirmations and deliveries per production location.
If you are also confronted with such a challenge, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- Thanks to A+W Cantor's client capability, production planning can be done across several factories, taking into consideration the capacities available in each factory and the times for material procurement. And factory transport for assembly of the individual parts of the order is also monitored, so that the customer receives just one order confirmation and one delivery.
Processes and management
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenges:
- Various isolated solutions, for quotation/order entry and purchasing/materials management require repeated entry of the order data. The data from the order entry (BOMs) is entered again in the purchasing department. This is time-consuming and can cause errors.
- If the customer makes a complaint, processing is very time-consuming and expensive since the process is controlled manually. You have to search for the original order and create a new order for the item to be remade.
- Frequently there are no reliable evaluations; therefore, no statement can be made as to the extent to which particular product sectors are profitable.
- Procurement is done on call so that the information is not documented in any system. If, for example, someone entering an order asks a purchasing agent about the price of a door handle, this information is not in the system.
- There are long order throughput times because a lot of queries are required, and material and documents have to be searched for.
- If the process is determined by assembly, this generally creates the biggest problems. These problems crop up because...
- the palnned dates shift on the customer's side. Then either production has to be re-planned, or the elements have to be stored in finished goods storage for a long time.
- the elements cannot be provided on time since there is no material in production.
If you are also confronted with such challenges, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- The process – from quotation creation to order entry to production, on through to delivery and assembly – is mapped comprehensively within a single system so that order processing is nearly paperless.
- All departments work using a central database, which means that the information is always up-to-date and available everywhere.
- Complaint orders are created from the original order so that all information is available in the affected departments and at the workstations in production.
- Thanks to the data in a central database, individual evaluations can be created easily and without a lot of effort. This creates transparency and serves as the basis for all business decisions.
- The company becomes scalable – there is expertise in the software and not just in individual departments or people.
Purchasing, materials management, and storage
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenges:
- Nobody noticed that the material required for production has not been delivered yet.
- Material was not provided (in timely fashion) since the longer delivery time was not considered.
The consequence is that...
- the order has to be rescheduled.
- the order cannot be delivered on time.
- Material has been double-ordered because there is no internal department coordination. Due to this, the order was either not documented in the software system right away or this documentation was forgotten.
- With the existing software system, there is no possibility to order different "packaging units."
If you are also confronted with such challenges, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- The integrated materials management ensures that the data only has to be entered once for the order and is available for purchasing and warehouse orders. The material requirements planning and orders are always correct.
- Warehouse inventories are reduced since order proposals are generated automatically in A+W Cantor when inventories drop below a specified minimum.
- Order proposals for purchased materials (e.g. glass) are generated automatically.
- Duplicate orders are avoided because everything is documented in the A+W Cantor system and it is clear at all times who ordered what when from which supplier in what quantity at what price.
- Inncoming goods can be monitored easily with the order overview. Deliveries not made are visible immediately and can be re-ordered.
- Glass can be ordered per production batch and delivered in production sequence so that no more after-the-fact sorting is required.
Capacity planning and delivery date calculation
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenge:
- In production, there are jams at some workstations since there is more work to do there, e.g. due to glued muntins or transoms, and this work was not considered in the planning.
If you are also confronted with such a challenge, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- Capacity planning and delivery scheduling ensure a smooth and efficient production process so that reliable, on-time delivery is guaranteed.
- Bottlenecks are considered from the start so that the orders/production batches can be planned accordingly.
- Production capacities are planned optimally, which means that shutdowns are avoided.
- Set-up times are considered in planning.
Work preparation and production control
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenges:
- On the path through production, you notice that employees are always searching for something – the search for the materials needed to process the order – whether it's glass or other materials that are missing.
- Residuals that cannot be used in production are not considered since nobody knows exactly where they are or that they even exist.
- Despite cut optimization, two rods are missing so that production of the order cannot be completed.
If you are also confronted with such challenges, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- Ordering of the glass can be done based on the jobs; as a result, the glass is delivered in production sequence and no re-sorting or searching is required.
- The system creates transparency with regard to times and bottlenecks.
CIM – paperless production
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenges:
- There are frequently errors in production due to out-of-date documents or non-existent information. A customer has made a change to the order after the fact. However, the work papers cannot be re-printed so fast, and they are confused at all workstations. Thus, production is frequently begun with documents that are out of date.
- Sometimes, lists and original dimension sheets are also used in production. Illegible writing requires inquiries and internal coordination.
- Large quantities of work paper create paper jams in the documents. The result is that it is very time-consuming to find the relevant information about the work to be done at the workstation in question.
- Glass is stored unsorted in production. Workers have to search for the right lites.
If you are also confronted with such challenges, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- CIM monitors provide the required data at each workstation, so that it is always up-to-date and available without tiresome searching for papers. Each worker has a monitor at the workstation so that no more production papers, sketches or order folders are required. This saves paper and creates much greater
- transparency and keeps information up-to-date at the workstations;
- as a result, there are fewer errors and shutdowns due to out-of-date, missing or non-existent documents and information.
- The CIM monitors can be designed individually so that employees see only the information that is required at their workstation. This optimizes throughput times.
- The employee communicates with the CIM via a barcode scan; for example, reporting orders completed or loading the next element, so that the status of the order and individual items is clear at all times.
- In order to provide optimal quality, the factory's own production control is also integrated.
- Production controlled completely by A+W Cantor enables the determination of the actual productive time in production, broken down to the individual workstation.
Dispatch and loading planning
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenge:
- Only at the construction site does someone notice that whole elements or handles are missing, for example.
If you are also confronted with sucha challenge, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- Thanks to dispatch and subpackage organization with A+W Cantor CIM Dispatch, nothing can be forgotten since everything is scanned before loading. This eliminates extra trips and costs for re-delivery via courier service. Furthermore, the customer is satisfied since he receives the complete delivery.
- Quick and easy barcode reporting provides information about the precise dispatch location of the elements and subpackages.
Service & installation planning
Many window, door, and gate manufacturers are confronted with the following challenges:
- At many operations, no advance planning is possible, and no statement can be made today about whether assembly dates are available in 5 weeks.
- Frequently, accessory parts are missing on the construction site; these include loose handles, roller shutters or even whole windows (see dispatch), which makes for longer assembly times than planned and therefore also subsequent date shifts.
- An assembly team is right near the location where a complaint needs to be handled. However, the fact that another trip is required wasn't taken into account in the daily planning.
If you are also confronted with such challenges, we can offer you the right software solution with A+W Cantor:
- Assembly services and material can be entered directly with the item or order --> nothing is forgotten, materials can be invoiced directly.
- Assembly dates can be planned clearly.
- Everyone knows who does what where when.
- All assembly locations are displayed on a map. If a service order is nearby, it can be identified easily and incorporated.
