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Turning Salt into Sales
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Quality Assurance
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Predictive Maintenance
- Process Control & Optimization
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
After acquiring two plants, US Salt realized the need to improve customer service, reduce costs, and enhance overall operational efficiency. The company decided to link its plants and headquarters through a Wide Area Network (WAN) and centralize certain financial business functions. The most expedient hardware setup was determined to be a client/server configuration with the server residing in Jacksonville and client workstations in Jacksonville and the two plants. This setup would leverage currently installed hardware and provide the benefits of a centrally managed system, including ease of maintenance, avoidance of duplication of functionality, and easy implementation of software upgrades. Additionally, it would ensure that the most current information was readily available to users.
About The Customer
U.S. Salt, with annual revenues exceeding thirty million dollars, is a major producer of salt globally. The privately held company serves a diverse range of customers, from bakeries and pharmaceutical manufacturers that buy salt in bulk to OEMs requiring prepackaging and private labeling of various salt products. The company offers about 20 different lines of salt products, including table salt, salt crystals, salt blocks, and sodium nitrite, a compound used as a preservative and in various rubber formulas. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. Salt maintains plants in Watkins Glen, New York, where most of the salt is extracted, and in Gibbstown, New Jersey.
The Solution
The Watkins Glen facility had been using an ERP solution that was not conducive to a client/server architecture. US Salt's reseller suggested SYSPRO ERP software, which is designed specifically for client/server environments and is easily scalable. SYSPRO's ability to address formulas and recipes as a process client, along with its balanced functionality for manufacturing, financial, and distribution processes, influenced the decision. The reseller's experience in implementing software in industries with various manufacturing methods was also a critical factor. SYSPRO ERP software was implemented to accommodate US Salt's diverse manufacturing methodologies, including batch process, continuous process, make-to-stock, and make-to-order. The software's flexibility allowed US Salt to meet customer demand while maximizing plant capacities. SYSPRO also provided unexpected benefits, such as user-friendly Windows-based operation, customizable screens, shortcut keys, and an event management feature. Additionally, data could be easily downloaded from the SYSPRO database to Microsoft Access for management reporting.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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