Located in Romeo, MI, Sharp Tooling Solutions is a full-service supplier for the aerospace, automotive, and defense industries. Founded in 1987, Sharp Tooling Solutions operated the business for many years with multiple software applications that lacked continuity and inhibited corporate growth. As the business grew, the management team wanted to improve production processes and forecasting and began searching for an ERP system that would combine their existing accounting-only system and separate third-party timeclock used to collect payroll hours. Global Shop Solutions ERP software provided a total system that aligned with Sharp Tooling Solutions’ tool-shop manufacturing practices and history of continuous improvement.
“We needed to become more organized and efficient,” says Brett Cisneros, IT Manager for Sharp Tooling Solutions. “In particular, we wanted to be able to put our manufacturing processes, accounting and payroll hours tracking all under one integrated software package.”
Since implementing the software, the reliance on paper documents and spreadsheets to conduct business has shrunk to a fraction of its previous level. Performing tasks such as quoting, material purchasing and shipping within the system saves time and reduces production errors that can lead to costly rework. In particular, the robust Inventory and Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) modules helped eliminate the majority of redundant Excel spreadsheets.
“We haven’t eliminated all paper on the shop floor, but we definitely foresee see a paperless future. With some additional training on some of the advanced features, we’ve been able to get the outputs we need to do away with paper in most areas.”
Brett Cisneros, IT Manager at Sharp Tooling Solutions
To support Sharp Tooling Solutions’ quest for continuous improvement, Cisneros continues to learn everything he can about the software. He regularly attends Friday Features – Global Shop Solutions’ live one-hour online training classes that focus on a different part of the system each week.
“Sharp Tooling Solutions is in a growth trajectory, and with Global Shop Solutions we have simplified processes and made improvements in quoting, purchasing and adhering to quality requirements,” Cisneros says. “Across the board, those improvements translate to better customer satisfaction.”
To learn more about Sharp Tooling Solutions and their quest for continuous improvement, read the full case study.