MELTRIC Corporation manufactures heavy-duty, electrical hazard protection products designed for mining, manufacturing, oil and gas, and other industries that require high-powered electrical equipment.
MELTRIC products are available for both hazardous and non-hazardous locations and come in a variety of amp and voltage ratings to comply with North American and international standards. Product lines include standard duty, switch rated, multi-pin, high ampacity, and single-pole products.
MELTRIC manufactures upwards of 14,000 different products, most of which are made to order. It also advertises 24-hour delivery times for most of those products. According to Manufacturing Manager Ken Keefer, following through on the company’s ambitious delivery times requires moving every job through the shop floor as quickly and efficiently as possible. To accomplish this goal, MELTRIC uses Global Shop Solutions ERP software.
“If you advertise 24-hour delivery, you better be able to follow through, Global Shop Solutions has many features that help us achieve fast turnaround times, including its superb customization capabilities. In fact, the ability to tailor the software to meet our needs is the main reason we chose it for our ERP system.”
Ken Keefer, Manufacturing Manager at MELTRIC Corporation
How does ERP software contribute to MELTRIC’s 24-hour turnaround time?
For starters, the Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) module enables MELTRIC to efficiently manage shop floor capacity. At a glance, planners can identify machine, workcenter and labor capacity to determine accurate delivery times for each order. The software also speeds the processing of new orders by enabling MELTRIC to build BOMs and routers on the fly.
Once jobs are on the shop floor, the Document Control module saves time by electronically linking customer instructions and drawings to the router. Operators can view these documents using the Shop Floor Data Collection stations at each workcenter, eliminating the need to track down the information. They can also view inspection sheets and complete the documentation without leaving their stations.
In addition, the ability to issue inventory in real-time allows customer service reps to know if incoming orders can be filled within the customer’s desired delivery time. Before committing to a delivery, reps can check the status of inventory (using the popular Supply & Demand screen) to verify that MELTRIC can ship when they say they will.
Ask Keefer to identify the ERP software’s most useful feature and he doesn’t hesitate – the ease of customization through the Global Application Builder (GAB). This powerful feature enables users to modify screens and create custom programs without the time or expense of outside programmers.
Keefer has used GAB to make numerous improvements throughout the company. For example, MELTRIC pays split commissions when one sales rep makes a sale in another’s territory. Calculating the proper commission percentages used to be a complex and time-consuming process. MELTRIC wrote a custom GAB program that automatically determines the right commissions, saving time and keeping the reps happy.
Ultimately, ERP software helps MELTRIC compete more effectively in a market where fast turnaround is of the essence.
“In our old system, we had to back all the way out to the main menu to look up information on a part,” says Keefer. “With Global Shop Solutions, moving between screens is intuitive and easy. We simply click from one screen to the next to gather all the information we need to make timely decisions.”
“Bottom line is that Global Shop Solutions gives us the flexibility we need to handle what the customer wants,” concludes Keefer. “It’s a powerful business management tool, made even better by its remarkable customization features.”
To learn more about how MELTRIC gained an advantage with ERP software, download their full case study.