Precise Powder Coatings, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, operates as a batch powder coater with around 20 employees, a workforce set to expand as they move to a new facility. Facing challenges in order entry, inventory management, job tracking, and a lack of job costing abilities, the company sought a solution to streamline operations and enhance visibility across its processes.
The Challenge
Precise Powder Coatings encountered several pain points with their manual processes, including:
Cumbersome Order Entry
Jesse, the Operations Manager overseeing plant operations, spent excessive time each day entering purchase orders manually, a task significantly reduced to just an hour with Steelhead. "I have about 20 POs open on one screen,” explains Jesse. “It would have taken me 4 hours, generously (more like 5 or 6).”
Inadequate Inventory Management
The company lacked effective procedures for powder inventory, job tracking, and costing, leading to inefficiencies. Any time they wanted to check on the inventory of a particular powder, they would have to physically walk back to the inventory room, moving through boxes of inventory to determine if they had enough to produce a particular order.
Limited Plant Visibility
Critical plant information was inaccessible remotely, hampering real-time decision-making and management oversight. Without job tracking visibility, leadership would have to physically walk out to the shop to see where the job was in progress. This required more time onsite to monitor and manage the plant.
The Solution
Steelhead Technologies stepped in to address these challenges comprehensively:
Order Entry Streamlined
Jesse highlighted the remarkable improvement, now being able to swiftly input purchase orders, enabling his team to save substantial time and effort of up to 5 hours a day on order entry alone. He now appreciates the efficiency of the received order module and using his time back in ways to build the business.
Revamped Inventory Management
With Steelhead's assistance, Precise Powder Coatings devised a solid plan for inventory management, job tracking, and powder coating job costing, laying the groundwork for a smooth transition to their new facility. Jesse's ability to monitor operations remotely, even during personal events like a basketball game, showcased the newfound accessibility granted by the technology. With low inventory alerts, they are sure to never run out of a particular product ahead of a new work order.
Enhanced Domain Functionality
Custom inputs facilitated inventory-driven instructions; a feature absent before the implementation. These instructions, tailored for specific powders, streamline operations significantly, making the process smoother for the entire team.
Improved Customer Interaction
The company embraced the paperless approach, allowing customers to sign documents electronically via iPad, greatly simplifying the shipping process and enhancing customer experience.
The Results
The implementation of Steelhead Technologies brought forth transformative changes:
Efficiency Gains
Reduced time spent on order entry, improved inventory management streamlined daily operations, significantly enhancing productivity. “It’s really fast,” explained Jesse. “With QuickBooks, we’d have to enter in much more info to be able to find what we needed. Now, I’m looking at the job on one screen, looking at the part on the other, and within two digits I’ve got it figured out. Everything after that is plug-and-play. Instead of 4 to 6 hours of data entry work, these 20 POs I’ll have done in about an hour! My time is too important to spend on data entry.”
Enhanced Visibility
Real-time access to plant operations via mobile devices empowered key personnel like Jesse to monitor operations remotely, improving decision-making and responsiveness. “When you receive orders, the way the system understands the parts, it’s great. It associates the parts with the customer instead of having one generic part that everyone uses. When a part arrives, within the first two or three numbers, all the info pulls up.”
Path to Certification
The company’s aspirations for ISO certification align with the quality management solutions provided within Steelhead’s powder coating ERP. The efficient certification management feature as well as the integrated QMS functionality position Precise Powder Coatings for future success putting compliance measures at ease.
Summary
The implementation of Steelhead Technologies’ manufacturing ERP at Precise Powder Coatings exemplifies the transformative impact of technology in streamlining operations, saving time, and offering unparalleled visibility and control over plant processes. The drastic reduction in time spent on order entry and the newfound ease of inventory management and monitoring operations remotely signifies the profound impact of this technology on the company's operations. As Precise Powder Coatings prepares for future growth and certification, the foundation laid by Steelhead ensures they're poised for continued success and efficiency.
