Custom computing solutions manufacturer MBX Systems has unveiled its new hardware manufacturing orchestration software.
The company has introduced the platform at the I/ITSEC conference a couple of months ago.
MBX Systems will showcase an advanced software toolset called Hatch that provides industry-first hardware manufacturing orchestration and visibility for companies using MBX’s engineering and manufacturing services to deploy their solutions.
The platform combines the order and inventory tracking functions of customer portals with exclusive interactive engineering features that support complex hardware workflows, including those of full-rack training and simulation applications.
MBX will be demonstrating Hatch at I/ITSEC Booth #2083. The company will also be exhibiting AechelonTechnology’s new pC-Nova Nucleus Image Generator, which packs up to eight channels of pilot-training-quality graphics into a 4U rack space to meet the needs of portable training that can be relocated to virtually any location in the world on a moment’s notice.
The small form factor of the pC-Nova system, which is manufactured by MBX, is expected to have a major impact in the training and simulation sector.
Designed to consolidate management functions typically handled with disparate tools, Hatch’s unique capabilities reduce ISV hardware program management costs, provide a traceable repository for all platform engineering changes, deliver unprecedented transparency on build status, and more.
Features not available from any other custom hardware builder include:
Configurable bill of materials. For customers offering multiple variations of a single hardware platform, Hatch speeds order configuration by providing pre-defined line-item and component grouping options specific to each customer’s needs. One customer with more than 1,500 possible hardware permutations is saving hundreds of hours of management overhead annually with this MBX-only feature.
Integrated engineering change management. All hardware platform engineering changes and approvals are maintained within Hatch, eliminating the use of spreadsheets, emails and third-party applications. Customers can use Hatch to create, view, assign, and sign off on engineering change orders in progress as well as to trace every change description, due date, status, review, and approval for all open and closed change orders.
Work-in-progress by work center. Open orders can be tracked in Hatch by their specific location on the manufacturing floor enabling precise customer monitoring of build progress and estimated completion dates as well as timely awareness of issues such as unexpected component availability problems. This feature is particularly valuable for time-sensitive orders with strict fulfillment deadlines, complex installations requiring coordination with professional services teams, and revenue-generating applications such as training and simulation platforms.
Other advanced Hatch features include:
- tracking order deviation details with easy traceability for one-off orders;
- enhanced inventory management offering visibility into finished goods and raw material on hand, allocated and on order for each product;
- enhanced shipment tracking with real-time status updates for shipments in transit as well as historical shipment records; and
- a document and file attachment ability enabling central storage and easy retrieval of relevant paperwork.
These Hatch functions join the high-variability capabilities of MBX’s proprietary Forge production infrastructure, which utilizes advanced software and automation technology to enable fast, accurate customization of customers’ complex hardware system configuration, imaging and testing needs.
Justin Formella, chief strategy officer, MBX Systems, says: “Customer portals are important for checking order and inventory status, but they provide only a fraction of the information and tools required to administer hardware programs.
“That forces program managers to spend many hours contacting the hardware manufacturer for updates and exceptions as well as searching spreadsheets and other sources for needed information.”
Formella adds: “The mission of MBX Hatch is to centralize these processes in order to help customers simplify program oversight, reduce administrative costs, improve transparency and optimize their supply chains.
“It’s a new kind of toolset that eliminates many of the pain points of designing and deploying integrated software/hardware platforms.”
