Dual challenges hampered Performance Machine: a lack of visibility into many key operational areas, such as sales forecasting and warehouse management; plus inefficiencies, time lags and inaccurate reporting put Performance Machine at a competitive disadvantage. The company felt it increasingly difficult to keep promises to customers on shipments and wanted to keep customer satisfaction at the highest possible levels.

In 1995, PEN Products began evaluating its information requirements, recognizing the need to automate the dissemination of business information throughout its multifaceted manufacturing and farming operations. PEN realized the importance of implementing new procedures to meet the requirements of fiscal self-sufficiency. The real challenge at the time was to find one computer software package that could accommodate what were, in effect, about two dozen different businesses. Additional selection factors centered on having to operate within a governmental/correctional/business environment and the ability to compete in the marketplace with efficient, private sector product and service providers.

Osment Models had been using relatively simple, DOS-based accounting/distribution software that offered no forecasting functionality. The company developed detailed spreadsheets for forecasting and based inventory levels on monthly average demands from prior years. To sustain orderly, profitable growth, they needed to build products based on sophisticated forecasting techniques and purchase raw materials to meet those forecasts. The company had the option of upgrading its current software system, but the upgrade was weak in manufacturing controls. With three local manufacturing facilities, Osment Models needed an ERP solution that also offered in-depth manufacturing expertise across multiple sites.

In recent years, Optical Cable realized that one necessary component to facilitating its planned long-term growth was the need to install a comprehensive enterprise resource planning software solution. According to Neil Wilkin, president and CEO of Optical Cable Corporation, “Our long-term growth strategy required investments in upgrades to our systems, production lines, business processes and management personnel. These upgrades are essential to create the scalable business model required to facilitate our planned growth and to continually improve the outstanding customer service that we provide our customers. The installation of new enterprise software is an essential component to the execution of our strategy. Further, as a publicly traded company, we required software sophisticated enough to allow us to comply with our reporting obligations to the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as compliance with the new Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.” The development of this long-term growth strategy led Optical Cable to seek out and purchase a reliable ERP software system that could streamline critical processes, grow with the business and help optimize customer service.

Stimac’s initial efforts were devoted to growing sales, and within two years, the company had outgrown its 1,500 sq. ft. bay and relocated to a 5,000 sq. ft. facility equipped with multiple rows of precision CNC equipment. A second shift was added in 1994, and a third shift established in 1995. The close of 1995 saw the move to a new 11,000 sq. ft. facility and the addition of much-needed office personnel. What had started out as a part-time hobby now required a much larger staff and the need for better information in order to secure repeat orders. As Yvonne Stimac, Metal Essence Operations Manager, explains, “As far as technology goes, the shop floor was always state-of-the-art. We just had to update the office side to keep up with customer requirements. We had started doing some production for the automotive industry and became aware of the need for documentation and traceability to secure repeat business.”

A number of years ago, Loftness identified a need to upgrade to a SQL database, create custom reports, better manage data and expand functionality. The company also aimed to optimize SYSPRO’s functionality to enhance various operational aspects such as jobs processing, inventory transactions, sales order processing, and MRP. The goal was to institute training and process disciplines that would fully utilize SYSPRO’s capabilities, thereby ensuring inventory accuracy, smooth product flow, and efficient operations.

A dozen or so years ago, Lee’s extensive stock line of springs, expanding custom fabrication business and growing worldwide customer base forced the company to computerize its operations. However, when in 1999 Lee wanted to add Windows functionality and upgrade its system to support a greater number of concurrent users, the company was shocked to find that its computer software was no longer being supported. In fact, the software company from whom it purchased the system was no longer in business. “Suddenly, we found we had an orphan system,” says Mike Gisonda, Lee’s MIS Manager. “Our only alternative was to go for an entirely new system.”

Although the company had streamlined various procedures, it felt the time had come to select an ERP solution to enhance efficiencies and facilitate growth. The initial choice of SYSPRO included basic modules, and Leader Tech has since purchased additional modules to leverage the solution’s features, maximize efficient company growth and expedite order turnaround time.

Producing shirts for special events requires that the project be completed at exactly the right moment and that the order be 100% correct. There is no room for any variance on deliveries, order precision and quality. The challenge for Lakeshirts was to implement technology to facilitate order entry and maximize production efficiency. A primary goal was to enable Lakeshirts’ sales representatives to order on the Web with the ability to select from a complete sourcebook displaying all available designs and garments, enter the order, print a copy and review orders previously entered. Lakeshirts had been using a custom computerized solution which proved cumbersome and inefficient. The sales reps entered orders over the Web into a home-grown database program. The database was then used to create an import file for the company’s order entry system. A variety of databases was used to transmit work instructions and schedule production of the customized designs on the garments. Invoicing and inventory control were accomplished by an accounting software package, leaving many gaps and opportunities for errors in the chain from order entry through production and shipment to invoicing. In fact, as many as three days could elapse in getting an order to the production floor, necessitating the constant checking of orders by customer service to assure validity. The work of maintaining two systems was also costly and a drain on time and resources.

When MIS Manager Erwin Bartsch joined Kwalu some seven years ago, he ‘inherited’ the currently implemented software, SYSPRO, running on a Unix platform. Rather than seek a new software solution, Bartsch decided to work with SYSPRO to determine whether there was a need to replace the system. Kwalu faced unique requirements, a high degree of customization, and exponential growth. The company needed a solution that could handle these challenges effectively.

In 1980, Harold Johnson’s Chief Engineer, Joe Stuart, realized that a computer could streamline aspects of the business and help track work-in-process. Each customer requires different specifications, making it necessary for each order to be custom produced. The target markets of the firm include medical and graphic arts imaging, the U.S. Navy, aerospace and the film industry. Spherical, prismatic, plano and cylindrical surfaces must be processed to meet specific tolerances required by different customers in these diversified markets. The company, which stocks 1800 master glasses, also provides lens designers and optical engineers with a source for prototypes and production optics. The manufacturing process at the lab often requires as many as 30 sequential steps from the bill of materials to final shipping. Phases of production include rough shaping, grinding, polishing, edging and coating. Most jobs running through the lab have a cycle of eight to ten weeks, including the purchase and receipt of materials. Hal Johnson, Jr., President, had been content with his “home grown” computer tracking of work-in-process, but he needed more functionality. The software had to perform many of the internal accounting functions being done manually. Hal investigated 30 commercial accounting and manufacturing systems. He was specifically looking at software that could accommodate job shop manufacturing applications. Rather than getting “locked into” a proprietary system, he wanted an “off-the-shelf” system with all the capabilities already built in.

Green-Tek faced several challenges with their existing ERP software, including cumbersome sales procedures, lost sales history, stagnant inventory, limited visibility into processes, and wasted scrap materials. The company had been using a combination of MAX ERP software and Great Plains Dynamics since 2000, but these systems were unyielding and failed to maintain order histories. This required re-orders to be treated as new orders, leading to inefficiencies and increased scrap. A re-implementation of the MAX software in 2002 did not produce the desired results, prompting Green-Tek to search for a new solution.

Grand Technologies had been using a rudimentary ERP software solution for which upgrades and support were no longer available. The company tried several ERP solutions targeted at the smaller manufacturer but found them weak on inventory tracking. With more than 500 different inventory items, Grand required a solution with strong inventory management capabilities.

In September of 2009, Gorant Chocolatier was sold to a private ownership group and was given a little over a month to find, purchase and implement a new software system. Additionally, Gorant didn’t have a fully integrated manufacturing system in place and was recording data manually on spreadsheets. “Before [SYSPRO], we did everything manually everything from spreadsheets to handwritten delivery notes to our customers and it took a lot of labor to do that. In addition, if we were ever faced with a recall, it would have taken us a great deal of time to trace where those finished products went,” says Gorant Chocolatier Purchasing Manager, Mary Ann Yerage.

Genesis Today experienced rapid growth of 1,030% from 2004 to 2006, necessitating a new software system to manage their operations. The company distributes approximately 150 different SKUs of nutritional products through six manufacturing facilities and three warehouses, filling around 4,000 orders per month. Their existing software, QuickBooks, was insufficient to handle the increased volume and complexity of their operations. Genesis needed a solution that could track orders from booking through invoicing, manage line item data, and interface with multiple departments.

Change is such a constant at Marten Machining that David Marten, Vice President, describes the CNC machining business as operating in a “state of controlled emergency, every day”. Typical of a job-shop, short lead-times are the rule and ongoing developments alter planning at a rapid pace - every 5-10 minutes - with new jobs coming in, old jobs shipping out, order changes, materials changes, time card changes and tool changes, to name a few. A small but loyal customer base keeps the 16-employee milling and turning operation working at close to capacity. Marten Machining focuses on multi-axis machining, which allows it to machine precision parts with complicated features and contours with a limited amount of setup a production time, a must for medical device manufacturers, which account for the largest percentage of the company’s business. “Our medical devices customers, in particular, must meet pretty significant requirements for process and materials traceability, so we face some of those same requirements as well,” says Marten. “For that reason, and because of the short-run nature of our business, we needed to be able to access current shop floor data and track things like materials, orders and changes to the BOM in real-time.” According to Marten, the company’s legacy ERP system, a non-integrated mix of database programs for financials and a job-shop-specific application, was anything but real-time. “We really didn’t realize how much time we had been spending and how much trouble it had been entering and moving data from one place to another until we started running OmegaCube ERP. With manufacturing in one place and financials in another it was costing us a lot of time, and oftentimes information just never reached the shop-floor.”

Laser Precision, LLC faced several challenges in their hybrid job-shop and repetitive production environment. They needed to automate key processes and ensure flexibility while maintaining real-time visibility into their operations. The dynamic nature of their business required real-time communication of customer requirements to the production floor. Additionally, they needed to integrate EDI with scheduling to optimize material usage and control costs. The company also faced the challenge of managing a dynamic business environment with frequent changes in demand schedules and unplanned orders.

Previously, problems were abound in distribution management application, due to their old System/36 application. The company had been using the system for 20 years. The package was primarily geared towards processing orders, rather than making distribution more efficient. The company was also displeased with the systems limited inventory control and accounting capabilities. Three of its most important goals for a new software application were to implement an efficient distribution system, move to a paperless office and permit widespread access to sales and financial data.

Eastronics sought an advanced, future-proof ERP solution that offers system scalability and operational agility to facilitate customized workflows, support personalized processes and enhance its warehouse management capabilities as the business grows. Due to the company's rapid expansion, Eastronics hired a professional consulting company to help evaluate three leading ERP systems for customization and scalability capabilities. Eastronics selected Priority as it demonstrated advanced agility and illustrated the ability to set up additional, customized system fields, workflows, and processes within minutes.

The senior management team at Dunlop Systems & Components identified the need for a more robust and efficient ERP system to replace their outdated and costly legacy system. The legacy system had several issues, including data accuracy problems related to BOM's routings and core part data, and a poor MRP mechanism that resulted in operational inefficiency. Dunlop aimed to implement a comprehensive ERP package focusing on production, logistics, and project management. Their future plans included extensive use of shop floor data collection, PDA’s, barcoding, and live reporting of production.

R.J.M. faced significant challenges in managing their production floor and inventory stock due to inaccurate business data. The manual and unreliable inventory counts and reporting led to system records not matching the actual stock, causing loss of sales opportunities and delayed order supplies. Additionally, the company experienced interruptions in production and packaging processes due to material deficiencies. These issues were exacerbated by improperly set processes, resulting in a vast loss of time and resources.

Future Cell faced significant challenges in managing their large and complex logistics and distribution center. With over 1,200 retail stores and more than 5,000 barcoded products, the company needed a robust system to handle their operations. The existing ERP system was insufficient to meet the growing reporting needs and increased sales activities. Errors in telephone orders and inefficiencies in the sales cycle further complicated the situation. The need for a more efficient system became apparent, especially to support the sales reps visiting individual retail outlets.

In order to streamline their operations and improve their customer service levels, BSC went on the search for a new IT system that would provide the following: • Totally integrated solution to cover all operations including the planning & execution of their manufacturing operations. • A configuration mechanism to allow the quoting of customers for new products & requoting for existing products. Accounting for cost changes & modifying the mark up. • “Quote to production in a click of a button”: Generating part numbers, BOMS & routings quickly through the configurator. • Stock management, traceability, managing sub contractors, labels printing & sales admin.

In 2001, as business peaked, Merley were keen on ramping up production and improving their manufacturing processes. But to forge ahead in a highly competitive market, they knew they had to upgrade their current standalone systems, and transfer vast amounts of data from their old systems to a new one, without losing data or bringing manufacturing to a halt, risking costly production hours, and causing late deliveries. After a lengthy market evaluation, Merley chose to partner with Medatech UK. Priority's authorized business partner, to replace their legacy software, and implement Priority ERP. 'For Merley, Priority was quickly deemed a perfect fit because of its strong focus on an organization's internal processes,' said Allan Dyson, owner, Merley Paper Converters.

Multi-skilled account management teams work with customers from project initiation to offer bespoke, precise, best of breed solutions. Fully supported by in-house design and engineering teams, plus state-of-the-art JIT manufacturing facilities, to provide timely delivery with 'right first time', every time deployment. Designed for purpose and produced to the very highest standards, SMl's molten pressure moulded cable systems are manufactured with carefully selected materials, including Polyurethane, Polyethylene and Elastomers, to form the highest integrity, situational resilient, dual jacketed connections for hostile environment deployment. Due to accelerated company growth, Keith Wells, SMl's CEO, needed a better way to manage production operations because existing systems could not cope with increasing volumes. Existing systems also didn't provide some specific functionality that was required to support customers, modernize processes and develop new efficiencies.

Simplivia had up to 6 months to implement a new IT infrastructure to unify all the company's processes and support the entire supply chain, sales, distribution, procurement, and financial operations, while extensively growing the workforce, implementing new procedures, and establishing workflows. As part of establishing a new business entity that would incorporate an additional business activity recently acquired in an asset transaction, Simplivia faced extensive growth and expansion. Simplivia had up to 6 months to implement a new IT infrastructure to unify all the company's processes and support the entire supply chain, sales, distribution, procurement, and financial operations, while extensively growing the workforce, implementing new procedures, and establishing workflows.

Stepping into an established family operation and being charged with making big changes is not what most people would consider an easy task, but Piaskowski was just the man for the job; maybe even the company superhero for the job. Talsco had been using one module of REALTRAC’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) machine shop software to help manage their operations. Jeff learned to use the software and quickly realized he could do more, a lot more, with REALTRAC. Over the next few months, Mr. Piaskowski worked to build his case for each new module he added. Like any crusader, caped or not, he did his homework, learned what each module could do specifically for Talsco Aerospace manufacturing and took his plan to management. He then worked with his team to implement these modules. As a result, the new software modules rapidly improved the efficiency of Talsco’s operations.

Dave Jacoby, founder of Jacoby Custom Cues, faced significant challenges as his business grew rapidly. Despite increasing sales, profitability was not keeping pace due to the complexities of managing thousands of custom orders each year. The company needed a reliable way to better cost and price their high-end pool cues, some of which can cost over $10,000. Additionally, they required a system to manage their operations efficiently, ensuring on-time deliveries and perfect quality. The fast growth also necessitated moving to larger manufacturing spaces twice, further complicating operational management.

In 1993, East Side had grown to an 18 employee ship and realized that its manual methods of shop management were no longer adequate if growth were to continue without sacrificing quality and customer service. Job shop manufacturing software was needed to assist in: tracking jobs, managing deliveries and providing accurate machine shop costing. It was also beginning to become apparent that manual bookkeeping and accounting procedures could no longer provide the accurate and timely financial control that was necessary for a growing company.

Yazaki Saltano, a molded plastic parts supplier in Portugal, was facing challenges in managing its high-volume molding operation with paper records and Excel. The company was planning to add many more molding machines and realized that it needed a more robust control system. A previous attempt to implement a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) had failed due to unreliable communication between the molding machines and the MES. This, coupled with plans to add even more machines, created a strong incentive for Yazaki Saltano to choose the right partner and succeed with the MES implementation.