THE CHALLENGE
This multi-billion-dollar manufacturing company was using outdated and labor-intensive methods for processing orders. From the placement of the order to the delivery of the goods, orders were being manually touched and/or updated in excess of five different times. Managed by a complex and overwhelming maze of spreadsheets, order data had become riddled with inconsistencies and errors; ultimately requiring them to hire a team with the sole purpose of managing them. As you can imagine, these jobs were undesirable and difficult to keep staffed. The organization also felt like these employees could be much more valuable if used elsewhere within the organization. In addition, salespeople were using these spreadsheets to provide delivery estimates to customers. These calculations were often inaccurate due to the difference in spreadsheet entries and production outputs which led to regular delivery estimate adjustments.
THE SOLUTION
As a move away from cumbersome and error-prone spreadsheets, our team developed a custom integration tool that brokered incoming front-end sales orders and distributed that data across numerous internal Enterprise Resource Planning systems. The automation of this process guaranteed accuracy of order data throughout all organizational units and completely removed the need for manual data entry. The solution was built in an incremental fashion which allowed us to continuously add additional products, processes, and functions throughout the duration of the engagement.
THE RESULTS
Following the deployment of this solution, 100% of our client’s incoming order data entry had been fully automated. With the system distributing this data across all departments of the organization, productivity of manufacturing planners greatly increased due to simplified production planning. They were also able to automatically allocate order volume based on lead times which allowed distribution units to forecast the completion of production runs. This meant that delivery estimates were significantly more accurate and reliable for salespeople looking to update their customers. The staff that had been dedicated to the management of this data was no longer required which gave our client the opportunity to use their talents elsewhere within the organization.
Interested in learning more? Use the button below to contact us.