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Serapid Increases Accuracy with JobBOSS
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
- Functional Applications - Product Data Management Systems
Applicable Industries
- Aerospace
- Construction & Infrastructure
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Manufacturing System Automation
- Inventory Management
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Serapid, a manufacturer of products and systems for the precision movement of heavy loads, was previously using spreadsheets to create a Bill of Materials (BOM) based on the CAD model of parts it was making. Each job would get its own sheet, and then the data would be integrated into a larger master file used for purchasing supplies. This manual method took a long time to complete because various amounts of information had to be inputted, and company engineers had to “translate” to purchasing managers what exactly they wanted. Even small jobs with 20 or less components took an hour to fill out because of the number of steps and manual entry involved. Larger jobs tended to be too much of a hassle to enter the full BOM.
About The Customer
Serapid is a manufacturer of products and systems for the precision movement of heavy loads. These systems are used in a variety of applications for diverse industries including metal forming industries, aerospace manufacturers, defense contractors, theater design and architectural construction firms. The company’s U.S. office employs 24 people in its Sterling Heights, Michigan shop. In 2014, the company ran around 400 jobs, with 100 components and 100 production lines for each particular job on average. It uses JobBOSS enterprise resource planning (ERP) and SolidWorks computer-assisted design (CAD) programs as part of their software suite to manage their business.
The Solution
Serapid sought out a solution to wean them off of Excel to bring efficiency to their operations. When Serapid implemented JobBOSS into its operations, it used a third-party CAD BOM importer so that data from the part’s 3-D model could be translated into information on the raw materials required. However, the implementation went poorly, with the software failing to integrate JobBOSS with Solidworks. In response, JobBOSS signed Serapid up for the company’s in-house CAD BOM importer. While it was still in beta at the time, Serapid nevertheless joined in and was able to contribute feedback on the product direction throughout the beta process. The results were a complete turnaround in terms of service and performance. The implementation was a success, and the company continues to use the CAD BOM Import, which is now available to all customers of the ERP software.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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