2004 Transformation Award from Made2Manage Systems Celebrates Vita Health’s Rise From Growing Pains to Growing Profit
LAS VEGAS, INDIANAPOLIS and Winnipeg, Manatoba, June 16, 2004—Made2Manage Systems Inc. (Indianapolis), a leading provider of comprehensive enterprise software for small and midsize manufacturers, and Vita Health Products (Winnipeg, Manitoba), one of the largest manufacturers of natural health products and over-the-counter medications in Canada, today announced at Made2Manage Systems’ premier customer conference, M2M Connect 2004, Vita Health’s receipt of the software provider’s 2004 Transformation Award.
The Transformation Award, part of Made2Manage Systems’ annual Summit Awards, typically recognizes a new Made2Manage Systems customer that has been able to reinvent its business and/or rapidly reach the Made2Manage® Time2Value™ return on investment phase. Award recipients demonstrate significant business improvements such as improved customer service, new revenue sources, production efficiency, time savings, and increased sales.
After working through two acquisitions (acquired by Leiner Health Products in 1997 and merged with Stanley Pharmaceuticals in 1999), Vita Health found itself with doubled sales volumes and SKU counts and mounting business demands. The resulting operational control struggle, customer service problems, and loss of business prompted Vita Health to seek out a business solution to replace its aging AS/400 system. The company purchased and implemented the Made2Manage Enterprise Business System in 2002, becoming the software company’s largest customer with more than 120 concurrent user licenses. “Made2Manage stands out from other mid-market business systems by providing the breadth of functionality that we need, along with the flexibility to be easily customized to our unique business requirements,” said Carlson Teakle, Vita Health’s vice president of information technology.
According to Cory Baseraba, Vita Health’s vice president of operations, the company’s improved business metrics have been a noteworthy indicator of the benefits a company can achieve by successfully implementing the Made2Manage system. “The Made2Manage application supported SKU-level forecasting, MRP, and manufacturing job controls. This allowed us to reduce inventories and more efficiently plan and manage our production. M2M also has provided Vita’s leadership with visibility into cost inputs all the way down to the component level,” he said. “Now we focus on our costs, direct resources, and programs toward the company’s core competencies, and redesign or sub-contract operations that add less value to the bottom line.”
Other returns that Vita Health Products has experienced include:
A year-over-year EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) increase of 93 percent.
A year-over-year production increase of 25 percent.
A year-over-year increase in job order size by 60 percent.
A consistent fill rate of 96 percent or better.
A year-over-year sales increase of 16 percent.
An increase in finished goods inventory turns from 5.95 to 7.57.
A year-over-year increase in return on human assets of 300 percent.
“The Transformation Award observes the immediate business improvements and significant changes new customers can achieve by taking advantage of Made2Manage products and services,” said Jeff Tognoni, CEO of Made2Manage Systems. “We are pleased to honor Vita Health with perhaps the most prestigious award we could offer to one of our customers.”
About Vita Health Products Inc.
Originally established as a family-owned business in 1936, Vita Health Products Inc. has manufactured vitamins and nutritional supplements for more than 65 years. As one of Canada’s leading private label suppliers of vitamins, herbals, nutritional supplements, and over-the-counter drug products, Vita Health’s time-tested growth demonstrates the company’s ability to adapt to the evolution of the marketplace through quality, innovation, and sound business strategy. Vita Health’s 300-plus products are available under private label or store brands at most of Canada’s major retailers, including Wal-Mart, Costco, Loblaws, and Shoppers Drug Mart. For more information about Vita Health, contact Linda Whitfield, vice president, marketing, via e-mail at lwhitfie@leiner.com or by calling (204) 654-5467.
About Made2Manage Systems Inc.
Made2Manage Systems delivers a comprehensive enterprise business system designed specifically for the unique needs of small and midsize manufacturers. The company’s extensible, end-to-end solution and award-winning customer services are designed to evolve with a manufacturer’s individual business environment while protecting the original technology investment. The suite of Made2Manage products and services, driven by customer requirements and a focus on quality, are designed to help manufacturers improve customer service, maximize shop floor throughput and profitability, conduct e-business, and make better-informed business decisions. With more than 25,000 licensed users, the Made2Manage system works with discrete manufacturers servicing a variety of industries, yet specializing in delivering functionality that meets the vertical industry specifications of industrial and commercial machinery, electronics, and fabricated metals manufacturers. |
