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SYSPRO Case Study: Samson Rope Technologies
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Industries
- Marine & Shipping
Applicable Functions
- Quality Assurance
- Sales & Marketing
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Samson, one of the first U.S. rope manufacturers to receive ISO 9001 certification, does extensive testing of fiber and finished rope products to ensure they meet the highest standards. Quality assurance monitoring is a critical aspect of Samson’s operation, applying to the development of new products as well as the production of existing product lines. Each of Samson’s plants is equipped with certified testing equipment to assess the characteristics of raw materials and finished goods.
About The Customer
Samson Rope Technologies is a leading manufacturer of highly engineered rope products used in a wide range of industries, including Heavy Marine, Recreational Marine, Fishing, Arborist, Utilities, Construction, Safety, Rescue, Theatrical, Military, and Aerospace. The company’s Engineering and R&D staffs work closely with leading fiber manufacturers to explore and assess the properties of new fibers and how these can be applied to the manufacture of new rope products. They also work closely with field service personnel to gauge the needs of customers and perform onsite assistance, ranging from product installation to evaluation of product performance and the development of safety standards.
The Solution
Samson applied the same high standards to the selection of SYSPRO as the company ERP system. The company maintains a sizeable sales force that sells products by the spool, foot, pound, reel, and/or tube to major distributors throughout the world. Every order received by Samson is a custom order, with the company making 21,000 different products available in hundreds of different configurations. Samson’s four plants, five warehouses, and thirteen sales divisions are tied into the SYSPRO system residing at Samson’s Ferndale headquarters via a wide-area network. The software’s scalability, running on an IBM RS/6000 server with AIX, has easily facilitated the tie-in of all Samson locations. SYSPRO’s ODBC exemplifies the open-architecture nature of the software, enabling Samson to move to e-commerce and assisting in sales entry and online order tracing. The RF-based bar coding system uses portable, hand-held units which transmit on a 900 MHz frequency, allowing Samson to track and manage raw materials as well as finished goods in real-time.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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