Testimonial
Eastern Plating’s Transition to Steelhead
Identity & metadata
Video title
Eastern Plating’s Transition to Steelhead
Customer name
Eastern Plating
Location
Newport, Tennessee
Speakers
Speaker names were not included in the provided transcript.
Date recorded
2026
Video type
Customer Story / Testimonial
Product/feature
Steelhead ERP; real-time production tracking; shop floor visibility; scheduling; capacity planning; digital work orders; deployment; production reporting
AI-optimized summary block
What this video covers
Eastern Plating explains how transitioning to Steelhead gave the team real-time visibility into every stage of production, improved customer communication, simplified work for longtime employees, and created a stronger foundation for continued growth.
Problem described
The previous system did not show where parts were once they entered the facility. Employees relied on travelers and manual ticket counting, making it difficult to answer customer questions, understand production capacity, or know whether parts were raw, plated, staged, or ready to ship.
Solution described
Steelhead tracks parts through raw inventory, staging, plating, weight checks, post-process treatments, packaging, and shipping while giving employees and customers immediate access to current job information.
Quantified outcomes
• Approximately 95% of status phone calls eliminated
• 18 production lines deployed in about 40 days
• Revenue increased approximately 25–30% while rebuilding from the flood
• Additional revenue handled without adding headcount
• Approximately two hours saved each day by eliminating manual ticket counting
• 18 production lines deployed in about 40 days
• Revenue increased approximately 25–30% while rebuilding from the flood
• Additional revenue handled without adding headcount
• Approximately two hours saved each day by eliminating manual ticket counting
Key outcomes
• Real-time visibility into part location and production status
• Faster and more accurate customer communication
• Improved production and capacity planning
• Easier adoption for employees with limited technology experience
• Increased revenue without increasing headcount
• Less manual paperwork and data collection
• Faster and more accurate customer communication
• Improved production and capacity planning
• Easier adoption for employees with limited technology experience
• Increased revenue without increasing headcount
• Less manual paperwork and data collection
Core theme
Eastern Plating replaced limited production visibility and manual tracking with a live digital system that helps the company communicate better, operate more efficiently, and grow without adding administrative burden.
Full transcript
Speaker labels
The source transcript labels each segment as Unknown. Speaker identities are not assigned below.
Timestamps
Included at every segment exactly as provided.
Filler/redaction notes
Transcript is preserved verbatim from the provided file, including repeated words, incomplete phrases, and informal wording.
Transcript
[00:00:09:20 - 00:00:13:11]
Before Steelhead, we had a system
[00:00:13:15 - 00:00:21:01]
we decided a few years back that we needed to move and improve our business for our own growth.
[00:00:21:01 - 00:00:27:10]
and our communication and able to share data and everything with our customers has become a lot better.
[00:00:27:12 - 00:00:32:01]
You didn't see where your parts were at any given time.
[00:00:32:03 - 00:00:37:12]
it was received, a traveler was put on it, and we didn't know where it was again until it shipped
[00:00:37:12 - 00:00:44:16]
So we didn't know if we had plated or raw plates in our building. We just knew we had the parts in our building
[00:00:44:16 - 00:00:44:20]
system.
[00:00:44:20 - 00:01:06:06]
And this is one thing that is great about steelhead is because it goes from raw inventory to staging, to the plating line to weight check. Depending on treatments, it could go to post-process cure, post-process packaging. Each step you'll know where these parts are at, and that is a huge benefit when you're trying to answer questions.
[00:01:06:07 - 00:01:28:21]
Now we can tell when the parts in raw and when it's took to the line for staging and when they when they're plating it and when they, they would do weight check and then take it to shipping and then shipping sends it out so we know where our parts are any, any time once they're entered into steelhead.
[00:01:29:02 - 00:01:32:03]
they can look on this tablet and see where it's at on the line.
[00:01:32:04 - 00:01:34:12]
That way we know how long it's going to take.
[00:01:34:12 - 00:01:43:10]
And then it comes to writing to take some more handwriting. So you just hit the button that everything information is already in the tablet studio in.
[00:01:43:12 - 00:01:48:12]
It probably 95% of the phone calls have been eliminated. Truly.
[00:01:48:14 - 00:01:50:08]
when the transition occurred
[00:01:50:12 - 00:02:05:19]
to Steelhead, we had some production supervisors. A couple of them who are my age are a little bit older, and a couple of them that have now been here 40 years, and they were incredibly afraid of the technology
[00:02:05:21 - 00:02:11:16]
once it was introduced to them. And they saw the ease of use, you know, they took to it rather easily.
[00:02:11:16 - 00:02:13:22]
And we're really comfortable
[00:02:14:00 - 00:02:17:20]
using the product and processing the parts of the system
[00:02:18:01 - 00:02:18:14]
Tim, who's
[00:02:18:16 - 00:02:27:23]
was one of our older production managers now. Been here 41 years. Never touched a tablet in his life. Never. Doesn't even have a smartphone. No problems
[00:02:28:02 - 00:02:29:02]
using the system.
[00:02:29:05 - 00:02:35:05]
I mean, I'm not real, real smart on computer stuff my age, I guess. But you know, I had no issue with it.
[00:02:35:05 - 00:02:39:10]
the team that came in here, you know, they spent long days,
[00:02:39:11 - 00:02:51:03]
working with first, second and third shift for this implementation and very accommodating for our people and our our people were in turn very accommodating for them during the deployment.
[00:02:51:05 - 00:02:58:08]
We were able to get, at that time, all 18 production lines that we had going, all done within about 40 days.
[00:02:58:09 - 00:03:03:21]
the ability to know how much production we have in the building is so much better with steelhead.
[00:03:03:23 - 00:03:06:19]
As we've continued rebuilding from the flood.
[00:03:06:23 - 00:03:12:05]
we've been able to increase our revenue by about 25, 30%.
[00:03:12:05 - 00:03:33:08]
And with that, you know, with becoming more efficient, with knowing our our capacity and what a line can do at any given point in time or any through any given week or any given day, we were able to schedule all of that additional revenue with our existing headcount didn't add any headcount at all.
[00:03:33:09 - 00:03:42:01]
I say during a day, it saves me about two hours not having to count those tickets. The information on those tickets daily.
[00:03:42:03 - 00:03:49:20]
We'll continue to grow with steelhead and improve our ERP system with steelhead and improve what we're doing internally.
Before Steelhead, we had a system
[00:00:13:15 - 00:00:21:01]
we decided a few years back that we needed to move and improve our business for our own growth.
[00:00:21:01 - 00:00:27:10]
and our communication and able to share data and everything with our customers has become a lot better.
[00:00:27:12 - 00:00:32:01]
You didn't see where your parts were at any given time.
[00:00:32:03 - 00:00:37:12]
it was received, a traveler was put on it, and we didn't know where it was again until it shipped
[00:00:37:12 - 00:00:44:16]
So we didn't know if we had plated or raw plates in our building. We just knew we had the parts in our building
[00:00:44:16 - 00:00:44:20]
system.
[00:00:44:20 - 00:01:06:06]
And this is one thing that is great about steelhead is because it goes from raw inventory to staging, to the plating line to weight check. Depending on treatments, it could go to post-process cure, post-process packaging. Each step you'll know where these parts are at, and that is a huge benefit when you're trying to answer questions.
[00:01:06:07 - 00:01:28:21]
Now we can tell when the parts in raw and when it's took to the line for staging and when they when they're plating it and when they, they would do weight check and then take it to shipping and then shipping sends it out so we know where our parts are any, any time once they're entered into steelhead.
[00:01:29:02 - 00:01:32:03]
they can look on this tablet and see where it's at on the line.
[00:01:32:04 - 00:01:34:12]
That way we know how long it's going to take.
[00:01:34:12 - 00:01:43:10]
And then it comes to writing to take some more handwriting. So you just hit the button that everything information is already in the tablet studio in.
[00:01:43:12 - 00:01:48:12]
It probably 95% of the phone calls have been eliminated. Truly.
[00:01:48:14 - 00:01:50:08]
when the transition occurred
[00:01:50:12 - 00:02:05:19]
to Steelhead, we had some production supervisors. A couple of them who are my age are a little bit older, and a couple of them that have now been here 40 years, and they were incredibly afraid of the technology
[00:02:05:21 - 00:02:11:16]
once it was introduced to them. And they saw the ease of use, you know, they took to it rather easily.
[00:02:11:16 - 00:02:13:22]
And we're really comfortable
[00:02:14:00 - 00:02:17:20]
using the product and processing the parts of the system
[00:02:18:01 - 00:02:18:14]
Tim, who's
[00:02:18:16 - 00:02:27:23]
was one of our older production managers now. Been here 41 years. Never touched a tablet in his life. Never. Doesn't even have a smartphone. No problems
[00:02:28:02 - 00:02:29:02]
using the system.
[00:02:29:05 - 00:02:35:05]
I mean, I'm not real, real smart on computer stuff my age, I guess. But you know, I had no issue with it.
[00:02:35:05 - 00:02:39:10]
the team that came in here, you know, they spent long days,
[00:02:39:11 - 00:02:51:03]
working with first, second and third shift for this implementation and very accommodating for our people and our our people were in turn very accommodating for them during the deployment.
[00:02:51:05 - 00:02:58:08]
We were able to get, at that time, all 18 production lines that we had going, all done within about 40 days.
[00:02:58:09 - 00:03:03:21]
the ability to know how much production we have in the building is so much better with steelhead.
[00:03:03:23 - 00:03:06:19]
As we've continued rebuilding from the flood.
[00:03:06:23 - 00:03:12:05]
we've been able to increase our revenue by about 25, 30%.
[00:03:12:05 - 00:03:33:08]
And with that, you know, with becoming more efficient, with knowing our our capacity and what a line can do at any given point in time or any through any given week or any given day, we were able to schedule all of that additional revenue with our existing headcount didn't add any headcount at all.
[00:03:33:09 - 00:03:42:01]
I say during a day, it saves me about two hours not having to count those tickets. The information on those tickets daily.
[00:03:42:03 - 00:03:49:20]
We'll continue to grow with steelhead and improve our ERP system with steelhead and improve what we're doing internally.
Taxonomy tags
Industry
Metal Finishing; Plating; Manufacturing; Job Shop
Company size
SMB / Mid-market
Feature/module
Production Tracking; Work Orders; Tablets; Scheduling; Capacity Planning; Reporting
Workflow category
Receiving; Production; Plating; Quality; Packaging; Shipping; Management
Use case
Digital transformation; shop floor visibility; production tracking; customer communication; capacity planning; scaling without adding headcount
Theme
Visibility; Efficiency; Growth; Ease of Use; Deployment; Customer Service
Stage of journey
Advocacy