With an increase in customer demand, inefficient and disparate systems threatened to undermine the company’s growth. An 8-12 week time gap existed between when an order was taken, and engineering actually began, resulting in extra effort and costs incurred to make sure trucks were delivered on time. The team at Sutphen was utilizing a mix of legacy systems including a custom-developed AS 400 system and Macola. The team at Sutphen sought a unified ERP solution to address workflow, integration, inventory, and productivity issues.

With plans for rapid expansion, Assurex needed a flexible financial management system and rapid implementation approach to support this growth. Assurex had to be financially compliant externally, as well as improve their internal accounting processes. New requirements around financial consolidations between companies in the organization, reports like cash flow statements, and fixed assets management for tax purposes were top financial solution priorities. Assurex did not have structured end-to-end procurement process. Financial insight into purchase orders was difficult without a centralized data repository. There were no clearly defined roles around the request and approval process, leading to document visibility challenges.

House of Cheatham wanted to elevate their business operations by upgrading their financial, distribution, and manufacturing systems. They had outgrown their entry-level system and needed a more robust solution to handle their hybrid model of batch and assembly manufacturing. The challenge was to find a software solution that could efficiently manage both their formula compounding and multi-part kit assembly processes. Additionally, they needed a system that could support their rapid growth without requiring extensive customizations.

For Mother Murphy Labs, the time for change had come. After years of running a leading process manufacturing application, the company found that its current system had not kept up with the technology needs of today’s process-based organizations. An upgrade was needed — one that would more tightly integrate production with accounting and provide employees the real-time information they needed to do their jobs better. For Conner, the search wasn’t just for a software product, but for a partner that understood the business. “We didn’t want to buy a solution off the Internet,” says Conner. “We were looking for a partner relationship that would last.”

Powder coating specialist Thermaset needed to find a system that is robust, flexible, and agile with a range of built-in features to help them meet their customer demands. They were using separate systems to manage inventory and production, which required a lot of manual data transfer between systems. This inefficiency was a significant challenge as it consumed time and resources, hindering their ability to scale and meet customer demands effectively. The company was also planning an expansion and needed a more integrated and efficient system to support their growth plans.

Until early 2014, Herrco Cosmetics was using Sage Line 200 for finance with the Dexterity add-on for inventory and manufacturing. Although these systems and manual processes were supporting their business requirements at that time, the company was not getting the complete visibility of information it needed. Herrco was also concerned that the systems in place would not offer them the growth and flexibility they desperately needed. A fundamental requirement for Herrco was that the chosen system needed to support the cosmetics industries standards for Good Manufacturing Process (GMP). It also needed to be sufficiently flexible to enable the company to continue to offer its customers a wide range of manufacturing solutions. The company carried out a thorough system evaluation process and eventually came down to a shortlist of three potential suppliers, SAP Business 1, Epicor, and WinMan. The company had decided that only a fully integrated ERP solution would give them the platform for growth required.

John Sankey, a leading UK sofa and chair manufacturer, faced the challenge of managing a highly bespoke production process. Each piece of furniture is made to an individual customer order, requiring a system that could handle a vast range of options and configurations. The company needed a solution to streamline its production planning, ensure accurate transport allocation, and maintain traceability from raw materials to finished products. Additionally, as the company moves towards FSC certification for sustainable timber, traceability becomes even more crucial.

JTF Home & Garden faced significant challenges with their outdated software platform, which was no longer supported by the original developers. This limitation hindered their ability to develop and expand their business operations effectively. The lack of stock visibility and traceability, coupled with the inability to integrate new e-commerce functionalities, posed a substantial obstacle to their growth. The company needed a robust solution to manage their extensive product lines, streamline their distribution processes, and enhance their customer offerings. Additionally, the integration of their online sales channels, including Amazon and eBay, required a sophisticated system to handle the scale of transactions and inventory management efficiently.

The requirements for any one project can be very complex, with the customer supplying detailed specifications for items such as control systems, pneumatic components, and drives. The materials used can be difficult to obtain, ranging from mild steels to complex high-performance alloys, and because components are safety critical and have to operate under high dynamic stresses, there may be special requirements on proprietary items such as bearings. This can mean that some bought-in items are not only expensive but can be hard to source and come on long lead times. This means that lead times on materials and other bought-in items are an important consideration to ensure delivery in time. This assists project cash-flow management by taking lead times into account so that these items are only delivered and paid for as they are needed.

Lander Automotive, a tier one supplier to leading car makers, faced the challenge of ensuring precision planning of supplier inputs, minimal work in progress, and lean processes throughout their new facility. The new plant, which required a significant investment of approximately £5 million, needed to service a major new order to supply vehicle fluid and air carrying systems. The company needed to ensure that supplies were in place at the right time to meet the high demand of 10 million engine parts per year, corresponding to thousands of different part numbers, within specified 4-hour time slots. Additionally, Lander Automotive needed to maintain a lean production discipline with minimal work in progress and extensive use of Kanbans, while also ensuring traceability and accuracy of information throughout the production process.

Fabweld Steel Products faced the challenge of maintaining high productivity and efficiency in a competitive market. With a significant portion of their business being make-to-order, they needed a system that could handle complex production planning and stock control. Additionally, they required a solution that could integrate various functions such as manufacturing, purchase orders, and customer relationship management to streamline operations and improve customer service.

Replacing the outdated Infor system written in Germany and used at AKI for the past seven years, a new WinMan ERP system went live at A K Industries on 6th April 2010. It is intended to take the company up to the stage of a fully integrated manufacturing management, accounting, estimating and customer relationship management (CRM) system – the last-named broadened out to 'company relationship management'. The Infor system revolved around cumbersome manual data entry, not real-time data as provided by WinMan. The existing Mattec realtime process monitoring system was linked with Infor indirectly via ASCII, whereas WinMan pulls data straight from Mattec to WinMan and pushes it from WinMan to Mattec. The Mattec system is connected to all of the 30 injection moulding machines on the shopfloor at A K Industries. WinMan does the planning via MRP ('what materials in what quantities are needed to meet customer demand') whilst Mattec performs scheduling, collects the data and sends it back to WinMan, for instance showing how many good and bad mouldings have been produced.

Centurion Europe faced significant challenges with their aging business management system, which was impacting their ability to maintain high customer service levels. The system's limitations included the inability to handle multiple bins within single storage locations, manage incoming stock effectively, and automatically allocate components for sub-assemblies. These issues led to a growing amount of time spent correcting and updating data, decreasing trust in data accuracy, and inefficiencies in generating meaningful reports. The company recognized the need for a modern, fully integrated ERP system to streamline their processes and improve overall efficiency.

Sil-Mid Ltd, a specialist distributor of materials for aerospace, aviation, and high-tech manufacturing, faced the challenge of managing a rapidly growing and increasingly sophisticated business. Their existing e-commerce solution was inefficient, contributing only 4% of their turnover. They needed a new ERP system that could support their day-to-day activities and integrate seamlessly with a new, more efficient e-commerce platform. Additionally, they wanted to replicate their defunct printed catalog on their website and improve their search engine rankings.

Westin Design faced the challenge of meeting the growing demand for high-end domestic kitchen extraction solutions while maintaining high productivity and on-time delivery. The company needed a system that could handle custom orders efficiently, streamline production scheduling, and improve customer and supplier relationship management. Additionally, they required a solution to manage their warehouse operations effectively and reduce stock levels in line with demand.

The modern military's reliance on accurate communication in demanding conditions has increased the pressure on Racal Acoustics to develop and supply the right equipment within tight timescales. The company faced challenges in managing a flexible and widely dispersed manufacturing capability, ensuring supplier consistency, and proactively managing product lifecycle issues. Additionally, Racal Acoustics had to address the inefficiencies of its aging IT and paper-based systems, which hindered visibility and problem resolution across the production line.

ARCOL, a leading manufacturer of resistors, faced the challenge of maintaining lean operations while ensuring high-quality production and efficient order fulfillment. The company needed an integrated system to streamline its manufacturing, purchasing, sales, and accounts processes. Additionally, ARCOL required a solution that could support its multi-tier Kanban system for managing sub-assemblies and bespoke products. The goal was to enhance productivity, improve quality tracking, and facilitate continuous improvement initiatives across the business.

EGL Homecare Limited faced significant challenges due to its rapid growth and the increasing complexity of its manufacturing operations. The company was producing over 1.25 million retail selling units per week, requiring a continuous flow of 15 to 20 truckloads a day. This high production volume put a strain on their existing IT control systems, leading to issues such as lack of plant visibility and difficulties in tracking work order progress. Additionally, the company faced common manufacturing problems like late delivery of raw materials, resource planning and scheduling issues, and movement of Work in Progress (WIP) through the factory. The need for a more robust and efficient system became evident as these challenges began to hinder EGL's ability to meet customer demands and maintain its market leadership.

M&G faced the challenge of managing complex job billing, customer information, a large stores inventory, and retail sales using outdated software and paper-based systems. The company needed a solution that could integrate all these functions into one system, providing accurate real-time information to run the business efficiently. The existing systems were haphazard, leading to inefficiencies and inaccuracies in tracking hours, materials, and costs for various jobs, ranging from small repairs to large construction projects.

Lantech, Inc. of Louisville, Kentucky, faced a significant challenge in their journey to Lean Manufacturing. The existing information systems at the time of Lantech’s conversion to Lean Manufacturing were inadequate to support the new processes under consideration. These systems would have prevented Lantech from achieving its objectives for improvements in product design, manufacture, product quality, and delivery. The company needed an information system that was compatible and synergistic with their redesigned processes and Lean Thinking. This required a comprehensive search for a suitable software solution that could support their Lean business process re-engineering.

Extronics, a fast-growing specialist manufacturer and supplier of electrical and electronic equipment for hazardous areas, faced the challenge of managing customer relationships and integrating various business functions. The need for a robust and capable Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that could seamlessly integrate with accounting, manufacturing, and back-office functions was paramount. The existing stand-alone CRM systems were not sufficient to meet the growing demands of the company, leading to inefficiencies and potential data silos. The company required a solution that could provide a comprehensive view of customer interactions, streamline the sales process, and enhance overall operational efficiency.

Back in 2007, John Gosnell & Co. Limited and its sister company Courtin & Warner Limited recognized the need for a robust ERP system to support their quality assurance and traceability processes. As manufacturers of pharmaceutical and food products, they required a system that could manage their entire supply chain process while ensuring compliance with industry regulations and best practices. The companies needed to improve operating efficiencies to maintain cost-controlled operations and required a tightly integrated supply chain execution system with accurate, real-time data from raw material receipt to finished product delivery. The chosen system had to be fully functional, robust, secure, and flexible enough to support a wide range of products, processes, repacking, and handling solutions. Additionally, it needed to comply with Good Automated Manufacturing Process (GAMP) standards and meet the requirements of regulatory bodies like BRC and MHRA.

Magal Engineering faced the challenge of rapidly implementing a new ERP system across its various companies while maintaining business performance. The company needed to transform ailing companies into efficient entities quickly, without disrupting daily operations. For instance, Western Thomson Plastics was in a poor trading relationship with its principal customer, necessitating a swift yet minimally disruptive ERP implementation.

Family-owned furniture manufacturer Spectra Wood supplies private-label furniture to large stores and sells direct to consumers. The company was using a common enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to help manage the business, but the software had a number of ongoing issues that required time-consuming fixes. The issues and downtime ultimately left Spectra Wood unable to rely on their ERP for inventory planning. Spectra Wood knew they needed to find a more reliable ERP with better support in order to manage their inventory.

Crimson Renewable Energy (CRE) is the largest producer of biodiesel on the West Coast of the United States. The company takes used cooking oil and other feedstocks and processes it into cellulosic biodiesel for retail gas stations. CRE grew quickly since it was founded in 2006. However, by 2016, the company was still using QuickBooks for its accounting software, despite having “outgrown [its] capabilities,” according to James Cowan, Controller at CRE. The unreliable data led to challenges when it came to making accurate projections and continuing to grow the company. There was also not a way to view consolidated financial information across its five legal entities; the CRE team had to manually search for and balance intercompany transactions in different locations. CRE needed an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that could replace QuickBooks, offer a more robust accounting and data management solution, streamline production, manage orders, and track inventory.

Brite-O-Matic is a market-leading car wash consultancy that manufactures, installs, and services car wash systems designed for use in new car dealerships. Operating in ten states throughout the Midwest, the company provides high-quality machines built to meet high demand. To run its operations, Brite-O-Matic previously relied on four software systems to handle its accounting, parts management, reporting, and customer relationship management (CRM). None of these systems integrated with the others, which caused employees to rely heavily on manually produced Excel spreadsheets. Brite-O-Matic needed a platform that could easily coordinate its entire operation, specifically “a single software solution that could help us keep track of our inventory,” said Steve. “It should let us order parts, tell us when to order parts, and inform us when to build a system within a designated time frame.” Steve interviewed four software providers that all said they could provide a solution, but “their prices were outrageous,” said Steve. His search continued, and then he found WinMan.

Siemens faced the challenge of managing and optimizing highly complex business processes across its global operations. With thousands of employees and numerous business operations, achieving transparency and efficiency was a significant hurdle. The company needed a solution to make processes transparent, identify potential areas of improvement, and reduce complexities. The goal was to streamline processes, reduce throughput times, cut costs, and increase customer satisfaction.

MAPI wanted to increase their corporate membership but faced challenges in tying the membership value to the needs of prospective members. Without a clear sales model and relying primarily on email for prospecting, MAPI recognized the need for a better approach to achieve their goal.

In addition to selling subscriptions of their publications, SourceMedia introduced online tools targeting financial executives. The new product, however, needed executives to agree to a demo in order for the executive to buy-in to the product. One of the bigger obstacles they faced was positioning the new product during sales calls.

Traditionally, insurers have been starved when it comes to underwriting data. They rely heavily on risk and pricing actuaries to underwrite their Protection products. And in the case of reinsurance firms, they need to provide additional data insights to insurers as part of their reinsurance process. Previously, underwriters might gain access to updated underwriting data on a monthly basis, and this data is crucial to understand how their rules have performed. So being able to analyse and make changes to their pricing rules, and deploy those changes into production, used to take months. Lead Consultant, Rikus van der Merwe of UnderwriteMe, explains, “We turn that feedback loop around in minutes, so underwriters can make changes to the rules engine and deploy those changes once they are tested and are completely happy with them. They can get Management Information (MI) feedback in fifteen minutes, which is previously unheard of.” For intermediaries, UnderwriteMe, wanted to break down the traditional, fractured sales process by delivering real-time underwriting. This means that when customers are comparing prices and products, they know that the premiums they are seeing are accurate, personalised, and fully underwritten by insurers.