Epicor® Vantage® / Vista™ - Precision Grinding & Manufacturing Case Study
Module
At a Glance: Precision Grinding & Manufacturing Corp. Industry: Manufacturer of top-quality, value added products and services Headquarters: Rochester, NY Solution: Epicor Vantage Employees: 166 employees
Business Challenge Improve production control and communication problems between departments
Solution An integrated manufacturing enterprise resource planning solution which offered ease of use and implementation for multiple departments
Business Benefits
Fully integrated
Eliminating double data entry
Return on Investment
Maintained level of indirect personnel and increased direct labor personnel
Access to up-to-date information saves time and increases efficiency
Precision Grinding & Manufacturing Corporation(PM) of Rochester, New York provides top quality, value-added products and services to its customers in the precision machining and fabrication marketplace. PM expertise in over a dozen major manufacturing disciplines has given them the edge over competing companies who only offer one or two specialty services. In their 31 years they've earned a reputation as the premier "one stop shop" for their Fortune 500 customers.
It all started in 1967 when William Hockenberger founded PM. He recognized the need in the marketplace for a manufacturing firm with strong engineering support and uncompromising product quality. PM built itself up on that foundation, and it served them well as a formula for growth.
Over the years PM has carefully assembled a team of employees with the skills and education necessary to perform ultra-precision work, and supported them with modern facilities and equipment. Yet, while their work was earning them rave reviews,production control and communications problems between departments were making it harder for PM to operate efficiently.
According to Michael Hockenberger, Ph.D., strategic business and development engineer for PM, "The people who were suffering the most were production control, engineering, sales, and accounting. Basically, the four to five non-integrated software packages that PM was using were forcing everyone to work harder to communicate and coordinate projects - ultimately deterring our growth." PM desperately needed a single manufacturing software package that everyone could use. "We researched and evaluated several manufacturing systems and were looking for a Windows-based package that offered ease of use and implementation for multiple departments," said Hockenberger.
"We ended up choosing Vantage for several reasons," recalls Hockenberger. "The first is that it is fully integrated - allowing every department to access all the information for any job at any time - all in one program. Second, it was developed using a database programming language that is very powerful. Third, it was developed to run on a Windows-based PC network. Fourth, it offers a powerful scheduling package. And finally, we recognized that Epicor is dedicated to keeping the software package at the leading edge of technology, and this is proven in their support and upgrades."
PM just installed a Compaq Proliant 6000 Windows NT Server this May. By July of this year it became a dedicated server for their Vantage system and database. All of PM employees have access to over 30 computers, each with a 200MHz processor and 32 MB of RAM. Every computer is linked to the server so that everyone has direct access to the same up-to-date information, saving employee's time, increasing efficiency and eliminating doubling of data entry.
"The results have been outstanding." PM can say that with Vantage they have been able to maintain their level of indirect personnel and increase their direct labor personnel. Hockenberger attests, "What we at PM expected was state-of-the-art manufacturing software that would lead us into the next century. We found this in Epicor Vantage."
One complex job that Hockenberger recalls was an assembly that needed over 100 components. Some of the components were purchased and others were manufactured internally. Using Vantage, PM was able to track all the components from arrival to manufacturing to assembly, and determine when product was needed. "It would have been a logistical and paperwork nightmare without Vantage," said Hockenberger.
Vantage also helped PM move each project from request to bid to shipped/invoiced parts at a faster pace. All PM employees have real-time data at their fingertips. This allows everyone to view the status of a job, material requirements, stock status, and what has shipped and been invoiced, etc. "Now everyone's reading from the same page."
PM has seen Vantage evolve and grow just as they have over the years. The support and upgrades maintain their level of excellence. "We see this and can't wait for the next upgrade, Vantage 3.0. We will continue to use Vantage as long as Epicor continues its excellent support and technological advances."
Epicor® Vantage® / Vista™ - Precision Grinding & Manufacturing Case Study
