Claims:1. A system for workshop management (10), comprising:

one or more processors; and
a workshop management subsystem (20) configured to simultaneously manage a plurality of operations in a workshop, wherein the plurality of operations comprises an order management, a finance management, an inventory management and an employee management,

wherein the workshop management subsystem (20) comprises:
an order management subsystem (30) operable by the one or more processors and configured to
manage a first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure;
place a second type of order based on at least one of one or more inputs received from an analytical subsystem (70) and the first type of order;
manage at least one of the first type of order and the second type of order in the workshop from order creation to order closure;

a finance management subsystem (40) operable by the one or more processors and operatively coupled to the order management subsystem (30) and configured to manage a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks of the workshop,
wherein the plurality of financial tasks comprises a bank account management, a tax payment management and a loan detail management and the plurality of accounting tasks comprises preparation of capital account list, preparation of a balance sheet, and preparation of profit and loss statement,
wherein the bank account management comprises automatic acknowledgement receipt generation upon receiving a designated fund and release of payment with respect to the first type of order and the second type of order;

an inventory management subsystem (50) operable by the one or more processors and operatively coupled to the finance management subsystem (40) and configured to track and manage inventory in the workshop based on identified workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods,
wherein workshop’s current assets being identified based on goods movement list and material procurement reports which are generated by the finance management subsystem, wherein raw materials and goods procured are tracked and cross checked against the status and quantum of the work in progress and the finished goods to exactly identify current status of raw materials in the inventory;
wherein the current status of raw materials being linked to order creation and order closure;

an employee management subsystem (60) operable by the one or more processors and configured to track performance of the one or more employees based on one or more parameters;

an analytical subsystem (70) operable by the one or more processors and operatively coupled to the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60), wherein the analytical subsystem (70) is configured to:
perform an analysis of data generated by the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60);
prepare a plurality of reports related to the plurality of operations in the workshop based on the analysis of data generated;
provide one or more inputs to at least one of the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60) based on the analysis of the data; and
generate one or more business insights from the plurality of prepared reports of the plurality of operations in the workshop.

2. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first type of order comprises orders received from a client regarding one of a manufacturing, a fabrication, and a production of one of one or more products and one or more articles.

3. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second type of order comprises orders placed for at least one of raw materials, equipment, and resources required for meeting the first type of order.

4. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprises at least one key performance indicators representing attendance, total man hours spent in a predefined duration in workshop, production rate, achieving one or more predefined targets, received ratings in one or more inspection reports.

5. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of reports comprises a sales report, a material use report, a production man-hours report, inspection reports, equipment operational report, a material procurement report and a progress report.

6. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure being managed based on the provided one or more inputs by the analytical subsystem (70).

7. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more insights being represented in at least one of text and graphs and comprises comparative profit analysis for a predefined duration, identification of weak as well as strong points of workshop while performing a predefined set of tasks, highlighting areas of improvement for the workshop, and trend depiction in at least one of profit, work inflow, efficiency of employees, debts, liabilities, growth.

8. A method for workshop management (100), comprising:

managing at least one of one or more first type of orders and one or more second type of orders, by an order management subsystem (30) operable by one or more processors, wherein managing comprises
managing the first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure, wherein the first type of order comprises orders received from a client regarding one of a manufacturing, a fabrication, and a production of one of one or more products and one or more articles;
placing the second type of order based on at least one of one or more inputs received from an analytical subsystem (70) and the first type of order, wherein the second type of order comprises orders placed for at least one of raw materials, equipment, and resources required for meeting the first type of order;
managing order creation to order closure of at least one of the first type of order and the second type of order in the workshop; (110)

managing a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks of the workshop, by a finance management subsystem (40) operable by the one or more processors,
wherein managing the plurality of financial tasks comprises managing a bank account, managing a tax payment and managing a loan detail,
wherein the bank account management comprises automatically generating acknowledgement receipt upon receiving designated funds and releasing payment with respect to the first type of order and the second type of order,
wherein managing the plurality of accounting tasks comprises preparing capital account list, preparing a balance sheet, and preparing profit and loss statement; (120)

managing inventory in the workshop, by an inventory management subsystem (50) operable by the one or more processors, based on identified workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods, and subsequently linking current status of raw materials to order creation and order closure,
wherein workshop’s current assets being identified based on goods movement list and material procurement reports which are generated by the finance management subsystem,
wherein raw materials and goods procured are tracked and cross checked against the status and quantum of the work in progress and the finished goods to exactly identify current status of raw materials in the inventory; (130)

tracking performance of the one or more employees, by an employee management subsystem (60) operable by the one or more processors, based on at least one key performance indicators representing attendance, total man hours spent in a predefined duration in workshop, production rate, achieving one or more predefined targets, ratings in one or more inspection reports; (140)

analysing, by an analytical subsystem (70) operable by the one or more processors, at least one of data generated by the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60) to prepare a plurality of reports related to the plurality of operations in the workshop; (150)

providing by an analytical subsystem (70) operable by the one or more processors, one or more inputs to at least one of the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60) based on the analysis of the data; (160) and

generating, by an analytical subsystem (70) operable by the one or more processors, one or more business insights from the plurality of prepared reports of the plurality of operations in the workshop,
. (170)

9. The method (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein tracking performance of the one or more employees based on one or more parameters, where one or more parameters comprises at least one key performance indicators representing attendance, total man hours spent in a predefined duration in workshop, production rate, achieving one or more predefined targets, ratings in one or more inspection reports.

10. The method (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of prepared reports comprises one or more sales reports, one or more customer service reports, one or more material use reports, one or more production man-hours reports, one or more inspection reports, one or more equipment operational reports, one or more material procurement reports and one or more progress reports.

Dated this 24th day of September 2019


Vidya Bhaskar Singh Nandiyal
Patent Agent (IN/PA-2912)
Agent for applicant
, Description:CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This Application claims priority from a complete patent application filed in India having Patent Application No. 201841027695, filed on July 24, 2018 and titled “A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR WORKSHOP MANAGEMENT”
BACKGROUND
[0001] Embodiments of a present disclosure relate to an operational management and more particularly to a system and a method for workshop management.
[0002] Operational management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. The operational management involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in terms of meeting customer requirements. The management is concerned with managing an entire production system which is the process that converts inputs into outputs, as an asset or delivers a product or services. Various operational management systems are utilized at multiple levels in a workshop for successful monitoring of various operations in the workshop.
[0003] Conventionally, manual management operations are performed by employees of the workshop in order to keep the records of various work areas of the workshop such as order management, inventory management, finance management, employee management and business management. However, such operations or techniques are time consuming and prone to error as they require manual efforts of the person working in a workshop.
[0004] At present, generic customer relationship management (CRM) tools or specialized web-based desktop solutions are available to perform various management task of the workshop such as purchases, scheduling and management of orders or inventory. However, such available tools or solutions provide a decentralized management for services, inventory, finance, employee and business-related tasks. Also, such solutions cater to service centre owner but not to each hierarchical level such as service advisor or floor manager or bay manager in the workshop.
[0005] Hence, there is a need for an improved system and method for workshop management to address the aforementioned issues.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0006] In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for workshop management is provided. The system being a computing device includes one or more processors; and a workshop management subsystem configured to simultaneously manage a plurality of operations in a workshop, wherein the plurality of operations comprises an order management, a finance management, an inventory management and an employee management.
[0007] The workshop management subsystem includes an order management subsystem operable by the one or more processors and configured to manage a first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure; place a second type of order based on at least one of one or more inputs received from an analytical subsystem and the first type of order; and manage at least one of the first type of order and the second type of order in the workshop from order creation to order closure.
[0008] The workshop management subsystem includes a finance management subsystem operatively coupled to the order management subsystem and configured to manage a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks of the workshop. The plurality of financial tasks includes a bank account management, a tax payment management and a loan detail management and the plurality of accounting tasks comprises preparation of capital account list, preparation of a balance sheet, and preparation of profit and loss statement. The bank account management comprises automatic acknowledgement receipt generation upon receiving a designated fund and release of payment with respect to the first type of order and the second type of order.
[0009] The workshop management subsystem includes an inventory management subsystem operatively coupled to the finance management subsystem and configured to track and manage inventory in the workshop based on identified workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods. The workshop’s current assets being identified based on goods movement list and material procurement reports which are generated by the finance management subsystem. The raw materials and goods procured are tracked and cross checked against the status and quantum of the work in progress and the finished goods to exactly identify current status of raw materials in the inventory. The current status of raw materials being linked to order creation and order closure.
[0010] The workshop management subsystem includes an employee management subsystem operable by the one or more processors and configured to track performance of the one or more employees based on one or more parameters.
[0011] The workshop management subsystem includes an analytical subsystem operatively coupled to the order management subsystem, the finance management subsystem, the inventory management subsystem and employee management subsystem. The analytical subsystem is configured to: perform an analysis to prepare a plurality of reports related to the plurality of operations in the workshop; perform an analysis of data generated by the order management subsystem, the finance management subsystem, the inventory management subsystem and employee management subsystem; provide one or more inputs to at least one of the order management subsystem, the finance management subsystem, the inventory management subsystem and employee management subsystem based on the analysis of the data; and generate one or more business insights from the plurality of prepared reports of the plurality of operations in the workshop.
[0012] In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for workshop management. The method includes managing at least one of one or more first type of orders and one or more second type of orders, by an order management subsystem. The managing comprises managing the first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure, wherein the first type of order comprises orders received from a client regarding one of a manufacturing, a fabrication, and a production of one of one or more products and one or more articles; placing the second type of order based on at least one of one or more inputs received from an analytical subsystem and the first type of order, wherein the second type of order comprises orders placed for at least one of raw materials, equipment, and resources required for meeting the first type of order; and managing order creation to order closure of at least one of the first type of order and the second type of order in the workshop.
[0013] The method also includes managing a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks of the workshop, by a finance management subsystem. The managing of the plurality of financial tasks comprises managing a bank account, managing a tax payment and managing a loan detail. The bank account management comprises automatically generating acknowledgement receipt upon receiving designated funds and releasing payment with respect to the first type of order and the second type of order. The managing of the plurality of accounting tasks includes preparing capital account list, preparing a balance sheet, and preparing profit and loss statement.
[0014] The method also includes managing inventory in the workshop, by an inventory management subsystem, based on identified workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods, and subsequently linking current status of raw materials to order creation and order closure. The workshop’s current assets being identified based on goods movement list and material procurement reports which are generated by the finance management subsystem. The raw materials and goods procured are tracked and cross checked against the status and quantum of the work in progress and the finished goods to exactly identify current status of raw materials in the inventory.
[0015] The method also includes tracking performance of the one or more employees, by an employee management subsystem operable by the one or more processors, based on at least one key performance indicators representing attendance, total man hours spent in a predefined duration in workshop, production rate, achieving one or more predefined targets, ratings in one or more inspection reports.
[0016] The method also includes analysing, by an analytical subsystem, at least one of data generated by the order management subsystem, the finance management subsystem, the inventory management subsystem and employee management subsystem to prepare a plurality of reports related to the plurality of operations in the workshop.
[0017] The method further includes providing, by an analytical subsystem, one or more inputs to at least one of the order management subsystem, the finance management subsystem, the inventory management subsystem and employee management subsystem based on the analysis of prepared plurality of reports related to the plurality of operations in the workshop.
[0018] The method also includes generating, by an analytical subsystem, one or more business insights from the plurality of prepared reports of the plurality of operations in the workshop.
[0019]

[0020] To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will follow by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the appended figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:
[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for workshop management in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for workshop management of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system for workshop management (10) track and manage a plurality of operations in a workshop as disclosed in FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart representing the steps involved in a method for workshop management of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0025] Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as would normally occur to those skilled in the art are to be construed as being within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0027] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices, sub-systems, elements, structures, components, additional devices, additional sub-systems, additional elements, additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment", "in another embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but not necessarily do, all refer to the same embodiment.
[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting.
[0029] In the following specification and the claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings. The singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0030] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an end to end system and method for workshop management.
[0031] In an embodiment of the present invention, the system for workshop management includes one or more processors and a workshop management subsystem configured in the system. The system in the present context may include any computing device such as, but not limited to, desktop, laptops, handheld device, smart device, server, cloud computing platform, virtual server etc.
[0032] The workshop management subsystem being configured to simultaneously manage a plurality of operations in a workshop, wherein the plurality of operations comprises an order management, a finance management, an inventory management, an employee management and analyse and interpret in a meaningful way all the data generated by workshop management subsystem.
[0033] The workshop management subsystem further comprises an order management subsystem for the order management. The order management subsystem configured to manage a first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure; place a second type of order based on at least one of one or more inputs received from an analytical subsystem and the first type of order; and manage at least one of the first type of order and the second type of order in the workshop from order creation to order closure.
[0034] The workshop management subsystem comprises a finance management subsystem for the finance management and configured to manage a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks of the workshop,
[0035] The workshop management subsystem comprises an inventory management subsystem operatively coupled to the finance management subsystem for the inventory management. The inventory management subsystem being configured to track and manage inventory in the workshop based on identified workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods.
[0036] The workshop management subsystem also comprises an employee management subsystem for employee management. The employee management subsystem being configured to track performance of the one or more employees based on one or more parameters.
[0037] The workshop management subsystem comprises an analytical subsystem operatively coupled to the order management subsystem, the finance management subsystem, the inventory management subsystem and employee management subsystem, wherein the analytical subsystem for perform an analysis to prepare a plurality of reports related to operations in the workshop; perform an analysis of data generated, provide one or more inputs; and generate one or more business insights.
[0038] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system (10) for workshop management and flow of information in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “workshop” is defined as an establishment where goods are manufactured or repaired. In a preferred embodiment, the workshop may include an automobile manufacturing or repair workshop or a goods manufacturing workshop.
[0039] The system (10) includes a workshop management subsystem (20) which is configured to simultaneously manage a plurality of operations in a workshop. The order management subsystem (30) of the workshop management subsystem (20) configured to manage a first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure. The first type of order comprises orders received from a client regarding one of manufacturing, fabrication or production of one or more products or one or more articles. The subsystem (30) extracts the relevant information from the received first order such as, but not limited to, type and quantum of product/article to be made, specification of the product/article, identify at least one of raw materials, parts, hardware, equipment, and resources required for meeting the first type of order from a historical database, duration for delivering the first order, and one or more industry standards/regulations, environment regulations, pollution regulations, labour regulations applicable.
[0040] The historical database comprises data representative of information related to various raw materials, parts, hardware, equipment, and resources required for each of the product/article to be manufactured; local legal compliances to be met while manufacturing; and average time (manhours) required to manufacture one unit of the product/article to be manufactured. The historical database being updated with new data generated during the process on a continuous basis. The market cost for the various raw materials, parts, hardware, equipment, and resources is also listed and constantly updated in the historical database.
[0041] The order management subsystem (30) of the workshop management subsystem (20) is also configured to place a second type of order based on at least one of one or more inputs received from an analytical subsystem (70) and the first type of order. The second type of order comprises orders placed for at least one of raw materials, equipment, and resources required for meeting the first type of order. The analytical subsystem (70) assists the order management subsystem (30) in placing second type of order by providing the one or more inputs based on the relevant information extracted from the received first order.
[0042] The order management subsystem (30) of the workshop management subsystem (20) is further configured manage at least one of the first type of order and the second type of order in the workshop from second type order creation to first type order closure.
[0043] A finance management subsystem (40) of the workshop management subsystem (20) being configured to manage a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks of the workshop. The finance management subsystem (40) is operable by the one or more processors and operatively coupled to the order management subsystem (30) and/or the analytical subsystem (70). The plurality of financial tasks comprises a bank account management, a tax payment management and a loan detail management, and the plurality of accounting tasks comprises preparation of capital account list, preparation of a balance sheet, and preparation of profit and loss statement.
[0044] In one embodiment, the bank account management comprises automatic acknowledgement receipt generation upon receiving a designated fund and release of payment with respect to the first type of order and the second type of order.
[0045] In another embodiment, the tax payment management includes calculation of taxes on the inbound and outbound transactions based on the prevailing tax rates and place of service provided. In such embodiments, the historical database also includes the current tax rates prevailing in various jurisdictions.
[0046] In yet another embodiment, the loan detail management includes accounting of loan taken specific to the first type of order received and/or second type of order placed. For the purposes of timely loan payment, an amortization schedule is created reflecting a complete table of periodic loan payments, showing the amount of principal and the amount of interest that comprise each payment until the loan is paid off at the end of its term.
[0047] In an embodiment, the preparation of capital account list includes keeping track of the net change in OEM’s/company’s/user’s assets and liabilities during a financial year, wherein the tracking being performed based on analysis of the monetary transactions, and loans paid off and remaining liability etc,
[0048] In yet another embodiment, the preparation of a balance sheet, and preparation of profit and loss statement if performed based on the data generated by the workshop management subsystem.
[0049] An inventory management subsystem (50) of the workshop management subsystem (20) being configured to track and manage inventory in the workshop based on identified workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods. The inventory management subsystem (50) being operable by the one or more processors and operatively coupled to the finance management subsystem (40). The workshop’s current assets being identified based on goods movement list and material procurement reports which are generated by the finance management subsystem, wherein raw materials and goods procured are tracked and cross checked against the status and quantum of the work in progress and the finished goods to exactly identify current status of raw materials in the inventory. The current status of raw materials being linked to order creation and order closure, thereby creating a feedback system which enables placing of new second type order for meeting the first order in case the raw materials in the inventory is not in enough quantity.
[0050] The workshop management subsystem (20) also includes an employee management subsystem (60) operatively coupled to the order management subsystem (30). The employee management subsystem (60) is configured to track performance of the one or more employees based on one or more parameters. In an embodiment, the one or more parameters include at least one key performance indicators representing attendance, total man hours spent in a predefined duration in workshop, production rate, achieving one or more predefined targets, ratings received in one or more inspection reports. The system, based on the key performance indicators, objectively assess the performances/efficiency of each of the employees working in the workshop. The system may also prepare assessment report for individual workers with respect to each of the first type of order they were associated with. This enables the understanding of the skill set of the employee where the employee has performed better for a certain specific type of product manufacturing.
[0051] The workshop management subsystem (20) further includes an analytical subsystem (70) operable by the one or more processors and operatively coupled to the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60).
[0052] In an embodiment, the analytical subsystem (70) is configured to perform an analysis of data generated by the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60).
[0053] In another embodiment, the analytical subsystem (70) is configured to prepare a plurality of reports related to the plurality of operations in the workshop. The plurality reports comprise a sales report, a material use report, a production man-hours report, inspection reports, equipment operational report, a material procurement report and a progress report. The plurality of reports being generated based on the analysis of the data received from the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and the employee management subsystem (60).
[0054] In yet another embodiment, the analytical subsystem (70) is configured to provide one or more inputs to at least one of the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60) based on the analysis of the data.
[0055] The first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure being managed based on the provided one or more inputs by the analytical subsystem (70). The one or more inputs may include at least one of raw materials, equipment, and resources required for meeting the first type of order, budgetary and human resource allocation for the same to meet a given deadline for completion.
[0056] In yet another embodiment, the analytical subsystem (70) is configured to generate one or more business insights from the plurality of prepared reports of the plurality of operations in the workshop. The one or more insights being represented in at least one of text, graphs and tables. The one or more insights comprises comparative profit analysis for a predefined duration, identifying weak as well as strong points of workshop while performing a predefined set of tasks, highlighting areas of improvement for the workshop, and trend depiction in at least one of profit, work inflow, efficiency of employees, debts, liabilities, growth.
[0057] In an embodiment, the weak as well as strong points of workshop being identified for execution of a specific first type of order and corresponding one or more second type of orders, status of corresponding inventory, efficiency of employees corresponding to the manufacturing the article as per the first type of order. Based on this analysis the system suggests in which areas the workshop is performing below market standard, at par with market standard and above market standard.
[0058] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the system (10) for workshop management. Businesses face increases in productivity demands and international competition while striving to keep up with technical developments. The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system (10) for management of a workshop, more particularly to an automotive service workshop which permits the plants to run faster, longer and better. The system (10) accepts technical and commercial responsibility for the complete projects ongoing in the automotive service workshop. The system (10) also clarifies interfaces to components and coordinating all parties involved in a service process.
[0059] Further, the system (10) provides the management of all tasks within the framework of a specified cost and agreed time schedule and an expected quality. The system (10) for management of the automotive service workshop includes a workshop management subsystem (20) which is configured to track and manage a plurality of operations in an automotive service workshop. The plurality of operations includes an order management, a finance management, an inventory management and an employee management. In one embodiment, the workshop management subsystem may also be configured to provide a configuration combining time information and writing information, to prevent unauthorized processing of falsification of data.
[0060] The workshop management subsystem (20) includes an order management subsystem (30) which is configured to manage an order in the workshop from order creation to order closure. For example, the order management subsystem (30) manages the order related to automotive service from service arrival to delivery of the service. The workshop management subsystem (20) also includes a finance management subsystem (40) operatively coupled to the order management subsystem (30). The financial management subsystem (40) is configured to manage a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks of the automotive service workshop. In one embodiment, the plurality of financial tasks may include a bank account management, a tax payment management and a loan detail management. In some embodiments, the plurality of accounting tasks may include preparation of capital account list, preparation of a balance sheet and preparation of profit and loss statement.
[0061] The workshop management subsystem (20) further includes an inventory management subsystem (50) operatively coupled to the finance management subsystem (40). The inventory management subsystem (50) is configured to track and manage inventory in the automotive service workshop. For example, the inventory management subsystem (50) manages the inventory by managing goods movements list or material procurement reports.
[0062] The workshop management subsystem (20) further includes an employee management subsystem (60) operatively coupled to the order management subsystem (30). The employee management subsystem (60) is configured to track performance of the one or more employees based on one or more parameters. In a specific embodiment, the one or more parameters may include a key performance indicator. In one embodiment, the employee management subsystem (60) may be further configured to manage attendance of the one or more employees of the automotive service workshop. In some embodiments, the employee management subsystem (60) may track the performance of the one or more employees of the automotive service workshop based on production man-hours reports and progress reports.
[0063] The workshop management subsystem (20) further includes an analytical subsystem (70) operatively coupled to the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60). The analytical subsystem (70) performs an analysis to prepare a plurality of reports of the plurality of operations in the automotive service workshop. In a specific embodiment, the one or more reports may include a sales report, a customer service report, a material use report, a production man-hours report, inspection reports, equipment operational report, a material procurement report and a progress report. The analytical subsystem (70) generates one or more business insights (80) from a plurality of prepared reports. In some embodiments, the one or more insights may include a textual insight (90) and/or a graphical insight (95). For example, Information is often delivered in the form of data visualizations, reports and dashboards. The one or more insights (80) are generated by analysing information and drawing conclusions from the one or more insights (80). Both data and information are required for the discovery of insights.
[0064] FIG. 3 block diagram of a system for workshop management (10) track and manage a plurality of operations in a workshop, wherein the plurality of operations comprises an order management, a finance management, an inventory management and an employee management as disclosed in FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system (10) includes a processor(s) (310), and a memory (330) coupled to the processor(s) (310).
[0065] The processor(s) (310), as used herein, means any type of computational circuit, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing microprocessor, a very long instruction word microprocessor, an explicitly parallel instruction computing microprocessor, a digital signal processor, or any other type of processing circuit, or a combination thereof.
[0066] Computer memory elements may include any suitable memory device(s) for storing data and executable program, such as read only memory, random access memory, erasable programmable read only memory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, hard drive, removable media drive for handling memory cards and the like. Embodiments of the present subject matter may be implemented in conjunction with program modules, including functions, procedures, data structures, and application programs, for performing tasks, or defining abstract data types or low-level hardware contexts. Executable program stored on any of the above-mentioned storage media may be executable by the processor(s).
[0067] The memory (330) includes a plurality of modules stored in the form of executable program which instructs the processor (310) to perform designated steps. The memory (330) has following modules: an order management subsystem (30), a finance management subsystem (40), an inventory management subsystem (50), an employee management subsystem (60) and an analytical subsystem (70)
[0068] The order management subsystem (30) is substantially similar to the order management subsystem (30) disclosed in FIG. 1. The order management subsystem (30) is configured to manage a first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure; place a second type of order based on at least one of one or more inputs received from an analytical subsystem (70) and the first type of order; and manage at least one of the first type of order and the second type of order in the workshop from order creation to order closure. Therefore, the order management subsystem (30) tracks all the inflow of quantum of materials, and parts or goods purchased and for one or more designated final products(s) for a corresponding project/order/client.
[0069] The finance management subsystem (40) is substantially similar to the order management subsystem (30) disclosed in FIG. 1. The finance management subsystem (40) is configured to manage a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks such as, but not limited to, bank account management, a tax payment management and a loan detail management; and the plurality of accounting tasks such as preparation of capital account list, preparation of a balance sheet and preparation of profit and loss statement) functioning in conjunction with the order management (30) and inventory management sub-systems (50).
[0070] The bank account management makes payment transactions from pre-approved bank accounts for the orders placed by the order management subsystem (40) to automate the process. Alternatively, it may process the payment transactions upon receiving an approval from a manager or concerned user. The tax payment management includes calculations of taxation on the payment transactions as per tax laws prevailing in the jurisdiction of operation. The loan detail management includes tracking the payments made or to be made with respect to the loan obligations on the company.
[0071] The inventory management subsystem (50) is substantially similar to the inventory management subsystem (50) disclosed in FIG. 1. The inventory management subsystem (50) is configured to track and manage inventory in the workshop configured to track and manage inventory in the workshop based on identified workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods, capital account list which indicates the billing made for a certain quantum of furnished products and then tracks the purchase of the materials made in this regard from order management sub-system and identifies how much material is still left in stock/warehouse and if required suggesting order management sub-system to make further purchases to complete the order of furnished goods. The inventory management system identifies workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods. Raw materials and goods procured are tracked and cross checked against the status and quantum of work in progress and finished goods to exactly identify current status of raw materials and based on that system performs analysis to identify the how much delivery is being made and how much more raw materials need to be ordered to ensure the supply of raw materials with respect to the workshop target for production in a given timeframe.
[0072] The employee management subsystem (60) is substantially similar to the employee management subsystem (60) disclosed in FIG. 1. The employee management subsystem (60) is configured to tracking the performance of employees against the production target assigned for a given duration of time based on the data received from the order management sub-system and inventory management sub-system. It is based on at least one key performance indicator which includes attendance, production man hours, progress, and type of performance measurement that demonstrates how effectively an organization or workshop is achieving key business objectives. Therefore, it takes into consideration actual work done by the workers/employees on the workfloor and their physical performance output from their work-related data, such as how may days he has come to office, work hours he is putting, desired output generated by the workers, output/hour.
[0073] The analytical subsystem (70) is substantially similar to the employee management subsystem (60) disclosed in FIG. 1. The employee management subsystem being configured to generate certain reports based on the comprehensive analysis of the data received from the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50), the employee management subsystem (60). Further to this, the present invention generates insights, useful to management, based on the analysis of the reports so generated. This may include performance measurement that demonstrates how effectively an organization or workshop is achieving key business objectives and where it is lacking. The insights may be in the form of text or graphs or combination thereof. The system for workshop management is completely automated with high accuracy of analysis and capable of highlighting the key aspects of the process/departments.
[0074] FIG. 4 is a flow chart representing the steps involved in a method (100) for simultaneously manage a plurality of operations in a workshop via the workshop management subsystem (20) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0075] The method includes managing at least one of one or more first type of orders and one or more second type of orders, by an order management subsystem (30) operable by one or more processors, in step 110. The managing includes managing of the first type of order in the workshop from date of creation to date of closure, wherein the first type of order comprises orders received from a client regarding one of a manufacturing, a fabrication, and a production of one of one or more products and one or more articles.
[0076] The managing also includes placing the second type of order based on at least one of one or more inputs received from an analytical subsystem (70) and the first type of order, wherein the second type of order comprises orders placed for at least one of raw materials, equipment, and resources required for meeting the first type of order
[0077] The managing further includes managing order creation to order closure of at least one of the first type of order and the second type of order in the workshop.
[0078] The method includes managing a plurality of financial tasks and a plurality of accounting tasks of the workshop, by a finance management subsystem (40) operable by the one or more processors, at step 120. The managing the plurality of financial tasks comprises managing a bank account, managing a tax payment and managing a loan detail. The bank account management comprises automatically generating acknowledgement receipt upon receiving designated funds and releasing payment with respect to the first type of order and the second type of order.
[0079] The method (100) includes managing inventory in the workshop, by an inventory management subsystem (50) operable by the one or more processors, based on identified workshop’s current assets including raw materials, work in progress and finished goods, and subsequently linking current status of raw materials to order creation and order closure, at step 130. The workshop’s current assets being identified based on goods movement list and material procurement reports which are generated by the finance management subsystem. The raw materials and goods procured are tracked and cross checked against the status and quantum of the work in progress and the finished goods to exactly identify current status of raw materials in the inventory.
[0080] The method (100) includes tracking performance of the one or more employees, by an employee management subsystem (60) operable by the one or more processors, at the step 140. The tracking is performed based on at least one key performance indicators representing attendance, total man hours spent in a predefined duration in workshop, production rate, achieving one or more predefined targets, ratings in one or more inspection reports;
[0081] The method (100) includes analysing, by an analytical subsystem (70) operable by the one or more processors, at least one of data generated by the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60) to prepare a plurality of reports related to the plurality of operations in the workshop, at step 150
[0082] The method (100) includes providing one or more inputs to at least one of the order management subsystem (30), the finance management subsystem (40), the inventory management subsystem (50) and employee management subsystem (60) based on the analysis of the data, at step 160.
[0083] The method (100) includes generating one or more business insights from the plurality of prepared reports of the plurality of operations in the workshop, at step 170.
[0084] Various embodiments of the system and method for workshop management described above enable an efficient platform for the service advisor to manage their service orders at a single place and also let the workshop manager track the overall business health and performance. The system delivers a high-end customizable end-to-end mobile solution for managing a workshop.
[0085] In addition, the system enables the solution that fits the goals of the business for economic efficiency and suitability to the workshop to allow incorporation of future developments. The system provides a unique, comprehensive workshop management system that performs planning and control of production, automation of procedures, monitoring of secondary and auxiliary processes.
[0086] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
[0087] While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.
[0088] The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, order of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts need to be necessarily performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples.