I am Dwayne Elliott.
I'm the operations manager. I've been here since, uh, May of 2023 when I was aerospace incorporated.
I metal fishing into their portfolio.
I've been working in this industry for about 20 years
and so I, I was brought on to get the shop up to speed
and get active accredited and we bring it on.
Steelhead was one of our, uh, goals.
We didn't have a ERP system in the past.
We're all paper based, so Steelhead saved us a a ton
of time when it comes to, uh,
operating on a out on the shop floor
and not have to fill out continuous packets of paperworks.

How have your customers responded to Steelhead?

I've had several customer audits, uh, that were impressed
with Steelhead and, and organization of it
and being able to printout search on the spot.
Um, they've also been impressed with the ability
to email search out
and packing sips as the job is being shipped.
So they have all that information
before the parts even arrive on their deck.
And if they lose paperwork, it's readily available.

What would you say to a NADCAP certified shop
that's still relying on paper-based processes?

I would tell 'em to definitely switch
over to electronic system.
It's more accurate. Uh, you don't have the risk
of employees cancel with the paperwork
because they're being overloaded with packets.
Uh, you don't have to scan those documents in
and save them at PDF files and
or in boxes, uh, for, you know, for the length
of the program or 10 years, whatever it may be.
So it, it saves a ton of time on data processing.

Is there any quality changes that have come
with using Steelhead?

Well, one of the, one of the features I I, I like
with Steelhead is, uh, there's a lot of visual management
that you can, um, implement it to your org instructions,
like pictures of how to rack parts, um, any type
of quality alerts, you can set the system up to
where it'll stop a process if, if one of the parameters
of out of, uh, spec range, for example,
it automatically alerts all that.
So it makes the final inspection process very smooth.

What does the word freedom mean to you in the context
of using Steelhead?

Well, you, with, with the automatic,
with the data collection in the way it's set up
electronically, um, you, you're doing more value added work
and you're not spending time on
paperwork, which is not value added.
You, you're actually producing product instead
of wasting time doing paperwork

Before using Steelhead.
How difficult was it to track what was in the shop?

Well, one of the things I will say, when I,
when I didn't have the ERP system, I didn't know
what was in the shop at any given time, right?
Because we had no way to track it.
Maybe one person did and had all the paperwork on their
desk, but now everyone has visibility, right?
I can give anybody visibility.
They can give the customer visibility
so they know where their parts are.

What other Steelhead features have you enjoyed using?

I would say that the addition
of the contract review feature was a huge help.
'cause then I could look at the planning from start
to finish and make it, make adjustments to it
before it goes out onto the shop floor.

How did the deployment process with Steelhead go?

Well, I mean, it, it's a little ex intimidating at first
when you're working with some new software
that you have no idea how it works.
But I mean, once you start digging into it,
you gotta understand the features
and how to put things together, how
to build processes and how to build specs.
It, it was relatively smooth, the cost.
You're gonna have hiccups whenever you, you know,
implementing a new system, but it, it went well.

How quickly do you think you could train a new employee
specifically on the scanner line?

Uh, once the operator is trained on actual the process
requirements, you can train someone how to use it in a day,
especially in this generation, everyone knows how
to use an iPad and, and the scanner gun's essentially a,
a cell phone with a handle on it. So

How well has Steelhead addressed your needs
and responded to any concerns?

Well, I'd say the, the customer tech, uh,
service team is, is outstanding.
They always answer the call.
They're always, they always get back to me on time.
Um, they work with me, I work, I work with them well.
So we would, I, every time I
call them, call they, they're there. So

Can you share how your auditor responded
to you using Steelhead to document
and present everything for the audit?

No. They, they were impressed with the electronic system
and everything was captured in one spot.
I can, um, I can pull up the contract review
before we start processing parts
and say, here, this is every step
that the operator is gonna see as he is moving,
uh, through the process.
The pictures are there, the work constructions are there.
I can show him how we lay out the specs, the processes.
So they were impressed with that.
Um, you can store your inventory in there
so you have everything in one place.
You control shelf lifes with it.
Um, so I think the, the orders were impressed with it.

Can you talk about your experience using
maintenance and Steelhead?

A lot of companies will have their own separate software
just to manage their maintenance program.
NADCAP, it's a requirement that you have a maintenance program
and I, I believe as 9,100 as well.
So with things like forklift and your hoist
and ventilation system, all those have required maintenance.
So it's easily just to, to create a, a maintenance plan and,
and it still had, it alerts you when it's due
and then you, you sign it off so you have proof
that it's been performed
and you can upload maintenance documents
and service documents into the system.
So you have objective evidence during an audit.

What's been the biggest change
for you since making the digital transformation?

Like I said, the, the biggest, the biggest thing is,
is the production side for me is just the, I've,
I've come from NADCAP world
and I, I've never had a electronic system
and the amount of paperwork that is required is just, it's,
it gets a little crazy.
Everything has to be recorded, everything has
to be documented, everything has to be traceable
and you can lump all it into one system
and have it stored automatically for you.
It's just, it's scan.