ERP Success Story - Martins Wood Products - Part 2
Global Shop’s Configurator Calculates Millions of Design Options
Read part 1 here
Martin explains, “The Global Shop Configurator helps our customers to choose from the millions of different options available to them within our manufacturing services. And, it’s all automated-automated pricing, automated part number, automated description, automated router.
In other words, we’ve made our process as automated as possible-from the order entry on out, and that has given us great flexibility in what we can provide to our customers. Global Shop has elevated customer service for us to a niched marketing capability. With the Global Shop Configurator, we exceed customer expectations of quality and product selection, and we’re able to keep everything in the production process in order and running smoothly.”
Automation has also been a boon to MWP in shop floor management. In an era where business survival depends on strict cost accounting, where pennies of material cost saved per part can mean the difference between major profits or narrow loss, shop floor management becomes increasingly important. It is here where Global Shop ERP applications excel. In fact, MWP is heavily tied to the use of Global Shop’s graphical user interface (GUI) as terminals on the shop floor where employees can clock on and off a job, requisition materials, and monitor myriad other job processes.
“We use Global Shop all around the shop for both accounting and manufacturing,” Martin states. “Through the GUI system that is use throughout the plant, we’re very, very focused on tracking our job costing on the shop floor.
For this reason, Global Shop is a complete package where accounting and manufacturing are all tied together in real time and in one single and easy to use database-it’s simply one-stop ERP shopping for us, and it makes cost accounting an important part of our daily management.”
Significant Inventory Improvement
When it comes to the success that MWP has achieved since their implementation of Global Shop, the facts speak for themselves. In addition to enhancing their on-time delivery, Global Shop has facilitated a better way of doing business in just about every area of the sprawling MWP plant. “Global Shop has helped us succeed in inventory management and control. In the first three months of implementing Global Shop, we dropped our inventory six digits.”
Martin exclaims. “Now, I get inventory in as I need it-just in time. Global Shop has tremendously helped our lean journey, helped us lean all shop floor operations from work order generation to shipping out the door. As the general manager, I am particularly pleased with the overall Global Shop shop floor management system, and its tremendous capability at controlling costs of labor and material.”
The Tradition Continues at Martin’s Wood
The success MWP has realized since acquiring their Global Shop system can give hope to custom manufacturers across the nation. With strong ties to their local community, enduring customer-oriented business philosophy, plus their use of cutting-edge ERP technology, MWP is an ideal realization of manufacturing success.
That MWP sees their use of their Global Shop system in strategic terms means that their crafted wood heritage will not be lost; rather, the best practices business management approach offered by Global Shop helps to ensure that Martin’s Wood Products should continue their unique American craftsmanship for generations of Martins to come.