Testimonial
Albers Aerospace - Steelhead's Role in Digital Nadcap
Identity & metadata
Video title
Albers Aerospace - Steelhead's Role in Digital Nadcap
Customer name
Albers Aerospace
Title & company
Dwayne Elliott, Operations Manager, Albers Aerospace
Date recorded
2025
Product/feature
Steelhead ERP; shop floor tracking; digital records; contract review; maintenance; quality control; audit readiness
Full transcript
Transcript
Dwayne Elliott, Operations Manager
I am Dwayne Elliott. I'm the operations manager. I've been here since May of 2023 when I was aerospace incorporated. I brought metal finishing into their portfolio. I've been working in this industry for about 20 years and so I was brought on to get the shop up to speed and get accredited and bring it on. Steelhead was one of our goals.
We didn't have an ERP system in the past. We were all paper based, so Steelhead saved us a ton of time when it comes to operating out on the shop floor and not having to fill out continuous packets of paperwork.
How have your customers responded to Steelhead?
I've had several customer audits that were impressed with Steelhead and the organization of it and being able to printout search on the spot. They've also been impressed with the ability to email certs out and packing slips as the job is being shipped. So they have all that information before the parts even arrive on their dock. 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 them to definitely switch over to an electronic system. It's more accurate. You don't have the risk of employees getting careless with the paperwork because they're being overloaded with packets. You don't have to scan those documents and save them as PDF files or in boxes for the length of the program or 10 years, whatever it may be. So it saves a ton of time on data processing.
Is there any quality changes that have come with using Steelhead?
One of the features I like with Steelhead is there's a lot of visual management that you can implement into your work instructions, like pictures of how to rack parts and quality alerts. You can set the system up so it will stop a process if one of the parameters is out of spec range. It automatically alerts everything, so it makes the final inspection process very smooth.
What does the word freedom mean to you in the context of using Steelhead?
With the automatic data collection and the way it's set up electronically, you're doing more value added work and you're not spending time on paperwork, which is not value added. 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?
When I didn't have an ERP system, I didn't know what was in the shop at any given time 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. 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 because then I could look at the planning from start to finish and make adjustments to it before it goes out onto the shop floor.
How did the deployment process with Steelhead go?
It was a little intimidating at first when working with new software, but once you start digging into it and understand the features and how to build processes and specs, it was relatively smooth. You're going to have hiccups when implementing a new system, but it went well.
How quickly could you train a new employee on the scanner line?
Once the operator is trained on 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 the scanner gun is essentially a cell phone with a handle.
How well has Steelhead addressed your needs?
The customer tech service team is outstanding. They always answer the call. They always get back to me on time and work with me well. Every time I call, they are there.
How did auditors respond?
They were impressed with the electronic system and everything being captured in one spot. I can pull up the contract review before we start processing parts and show every step the operator will see. The pictures are there, the work instructions are there, the specs and processes are laid out. They were impressed.
You can store your inventory, control shelf life, and keep everything in one place, so the auditors were impressed with it.
Maintenance in Steelhead?
Many companies have separate software to manage maintenance, but with Steelhead it’s all in one place. NADCAP requires a maintenance program. You can create a plan, get alerts when it's due, sign it off, and upload maintenance documents. So you have objective evidence during an audit.
Biggest change since going digital?
The biggest thing is the production side. Coming from the NADCAP world, the amount of paperwork required is overwhelming. Everything has to be recorded, documented, and traceable. Now you can put it all into one system and have it stored automatically. It’s just scan.
I am Dwayne Elliott. I'm the operations manager. I've been here since May of 2023 when I was aerospace incorporated. I brought metal finishing into their portfolio. I've been working in this industry for about 20 years and so I was brought on to get the shop up to speed and get accredited and bring it on. Steelhead was one of our goals.
We didn't have an ERP system in the past. We were all paper based, so Steelhead saved us a ton of time when it comes to operating out on the shop floor and not having to fill out continuous packets of paperwork.
How have your customers responded to Steelhead?
I've had several customer audits that were impressed with Steelhead and the organization of it and being able to printout search on the spot. They've also been impressed with the ability to email certs out and packing slips as the job is being shipped. So they have all that information before the parts even arrive on their dock. 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 them to definitely switch over to an electronic system. It's more accurate. You don't have the risk of employees getting careless with the paperwork because they're being overloaded with packets. You don't have to scan those documents and save them as PDF files or in boxes for the length of the program or 10 years, whatever it may be. So it saves a ton of time on data processing.
Is there any quality changes that have come with using Steelhead?
One of the features I like with Steelhead is there's a lot of visual management that you can implement into your work instructions, like pictures of how to rack parts and quality alerts. You can set the system up so it will stop a process if one of the parameters is out of spec range. It automatically alerts everything, so it makes the final inspection process very smooth.
What does the word freedom mean to you in the context of using Steelhead?
With the automatic data collection and the way it's set up electronically, you're doing more value added work and you're not spending time on paperwork, which is not value added. 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?
When I didn't have an ERP system, I didn't know what was in the shop at any given time 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. 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 because then I could look at the planning from start to finish and make adjustments to it before it goes out onto the shop floor.
How did the deployment process with Steelhead go?
It was a little intimidating at first when working with new software, but once you start digging into it and understand the features and how to build processes and specs, it was relatively smooth. You're going to have hiccups when implementing a new system, but it went well.
How quickly could you train a new employee on the scanner line?
Once the operator is trained on 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 the scanner gun is essentially a cell phone with a handle.
How well has Steelhead addressed your needs?
The customer tech service team is outstanding. They always answer the call. They always get back to me on time and work with me well. Every time I call, they are there.
How did auditors respond?
They were impressed with the electronic system and everything being captured in one spot. I can pull up the contract review before we start processing parts and show every step the operator will see. The pictures are there, the work instructions are there, the specs and processes are laid out. They were impressed.
You can store your inventory, control shelf life, and keep everything in one place, so the auditors were impressed with it.
Maintenance in Steelhead?
Many companies have separate software to manage maintenance, but with Steelhead it’s all in one place. NADCAP requires a maintenance program. You can create a plan, get alerts when it's due, sign it off, and upload maintenance documents. So you have objective evidence during an audit.
Biggest change since going digital?
The biggest thing is the production side. Coming from the NADCAP world, the amount of paperwork required is overwhelming. Everything has to be recorded, documented, and traceable. Now you can put it all into one system and have it stored automatically. It’s just scan.
Taxonomy tags
Industry
Metal Finishing; Aerospace; Manufacturing
Company size
SMB / Mid-market
Use case
Paperless operations; audit readiness; job tracking; contract review; maintenance tracking
Stage of journey
Post-purchase / Advocacy