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Brenk Brothers Inc. Case Study
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Industries
- Aerospace
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
The Challenge
Before adopting InetSoft’s Style Scope, information delivery at Brenk Brothers mainly consisted of reports that were produced for monthly meetings with executive management. These relatively simple reports were produced by hand-running SQL queries, then exporting the data into Excel for manual modifications and chart building, then converting them into PowerPoint presentations for better display. The problem with this tedious process was that if something was not quite right with the report, or if a new informational need arose, they had to go all the way back to the drawing board, writing new SQL queries and restarting the process. This would sometimes have to be repeated several times for a single report. This stimulated a search for a BI tool that would make analysis and information delivery easier, for both the end user and the IT department. While Brenk Brothers did not want a tool that required large amounts of IT time for modifications, they also did not want to have to rely on a BI vendor to make modifications for them.
About The Customer
Established in 1989 and located in Fridley, Minnesota, Brenk Brothers is a precision machining company routinely involved in close tolerance (less than .0005") CNC milling (including fifth axis capabilities), turning, and wire EDM. Their ever-growing team of highly skilled machinists work closely with the aerospace, aircraft, defense, data storage, medical, printing, and pump industries, offering cost-reducing suggestions while improving function and manufacturability. Offering old-fashioned customer service combined with up-to-date technology, Brenk Brothers is constantly investing in and operating the latest in advanced manufacturing equipment, making better parts in less time and at a lower cost.
The Solution
Brenk Brother’s staff was immediately impressed with InetSoft’s ease of use from the first demonstration. They realized that with the tool they could not only build dashboards that would automate their monthly reports, they could also easily modify those dashboards to fit new business questions, without even needing technical help. While Style Scope was selected primarily for executive monitoring, the tool’s intuitive functionality and DIY flexibility has since inspired a broad variety of applications across the organization. One way the tool was used early on was to establish real-time priority lists on monitors throughout the workshop, displaying information as it comes into the central ERP system, giving managers and workers a clear visual way to see and understand how various initiatives are coming along. Contrast this with the previous reporting which required data to be manually exported from the ERP system and processed. Since their InetSoft deployment, there are now thirty active dashboards at Brenk Brothers, most related to some kind of priority management.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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