Sheet metal stamping manufacturer improves in-house inventory with Plex

Client background

A global leader in the sheet metal stamping industry and the first and only independent die making enterprise to have the ability to cover all phases of the die manufacturing process. They have a global presence in Asia and North America that allows customers to successfully launch multiple country programs.

The business challenge

The company was focused on growing their business but needed to take back control of their in-house inventory first. They operate in a complex business environment and were dependent upon using multiple applications to transfer information from system to system. In order to support this growth and continue to provide their customers with world-class engineering, stamping and assembly services, they needed to address the following key issues:

• Lack of inventory control and inadequate inventory traceability
• Dependency upon and use of spreadsheets, multiple offline databases and secondary applications
• 3rd party integrations with the legacy ERP system were generating voids in time between when transactions would happen and when the inventory transactions would appear in the database, resulting in shipment delays
• Lack of a common understanding and adherence to the company’s well-defined internal business processes
• Manual reporting and processes - staff was taking data in the ERP system and manually entering into spreadsheets
• Rapid growth requiring them to double their staff to over 750 employees in less than a year

The Baker Tilly approach

Baker Tilly helped replace its legacy ERP system and 3rd party integrations with the Plex Manufacturing Cloud. With its Plex Manufacturing Cloud expertise and proven project and change management methodologies, the Baker Tilly team took the following approach:

• Streamlined business processes and eliminated multiple databases and spreadsheets by implementing a single application for all data
• Simplified processes by removing the need for manual data copying between applications and automated processes in the Plex Manufacturing Cloud
• Leveraged change management tools and methodologies to develop proper communication of business changes
• Developed and executed an agile project plan ensuring uninterrupted business operations during the growth phase and Plex implementation project

This approach allowed the manufacturing company achieved the following results:

• Accurate inventory: By eliminating two systems that needed to synchronize, the company has experienced improved inventory accuracy. This has brought superior visibility of order management, inventory, production, fulfillment and understanding of costs. These disciplined inventory processes have resulted in a significant reduction in shipment delays.
• Data integrity: Improved reporting at all levels. Real-time, consistent data has enabled simple research and reporting, allowing the company to gain better visibility and identify new opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Change management: Significant increase in user adoption and upward shift in employee mindset, understanding of and adherence to internal business processes.