SHL Group (Scandinavian Health Ltd.) is currently the world’s largest privately-owned designer, developer, and manufacturer of advanced drug delivery devices. The organization was established in 1989 by Swedish entrepreneurs Roger Samuelsson, to combine world-class manufacturing in Asia with the strengths of Western Management practices. SHL manufactures medical devices that include pen injectors, auto-injectors, and inhaler systems. SHL also makes a range of other products, including pressure mattress systems, patient lifting slings, medical soft goods, beds, neurosurgical devices, catheters, and industrial equipment.

Success Highlights

Challenges

  • To successfully unite the global development teams with manufacturing in Asia, and promote precise data integration across the entire enterprise, as well as efficient, informed communication and decision making across the entire group structure, in three languages, in three countries, and in three continents

Solution

  • Epicor ERP

Benefits

  • Facilitates speedy cross-regional communication and data integration
  • Increased business efficiency
  • The ability for management to make informed decisions faster
  • Enhanced business competitiveness

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Tuffaloy Products, Inc. is a South Carolina-based global manufacturer of metals and welding products for automotive and industrial markets. It’s a fourth-generation family-owned business with an 80-year history. Tuffaloy has a unique ability to adapt and change with the times, expanding into a wide array of products and services across six locations around the world.

Success Highlights

Challenges

  • Needed to update outdated system
  • Small company with no IT staff
  • Needed global visibility
  • Visibility for salespeople (open quotes, customer sales info)
  • Needed a flexible system to manage different manufacturing processes
  • Needed a simple, easy-to-understand solution
  • Needed scalability

Solution

  • Epicor® ERP
  • Left legacy ERP system
  • Felt Netsuite software was not a strong MFG solution and liked Epicor’s functionality
  • Initially on Multi-Tenant, recently migrated to the Public Cloud
  • Electronics and industrial fabrication MFG customer
  • 6 companies with 5 locations in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Mexico
  • Early adopters of Jitterbit®

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Serving more than 3,000 customers from facilities across the United States, UFP Technologies is a producer of innovative custom-engineered components, products, and specialty packaging. Founded in 1963 and headquartered in Newburyport, Massachusetts, the company uses foams, plastics, composites, and natural fiber materials to design and manufacture solutions for the medical, automotive, aerospace, defense, electronics, consumer, and industrial markets. Over the past 40 years, UFP has focused on growing organically with enhanced services and products to new and existing customers as well as strategically acquiring competitive firms to fill key industry and client needs. Today, the company includes 11 separate facilities nationwide.

Success Highlights

Challenges

  • Identify a standardized, scalable method for mining data and seamlessly centralizing operational functions across 11 separate company locations

Solution

  • Epicor ERP

Benefits

  • Provided a single chart of accounts incorporating multi-plant functionality
  • Analyzed thousands of jobs companywide, closed financials on time ensured compliance with stringent SEC regulations and reported detailed financial results
  • Captured and reviewed costs, while streamlining processes and decreasing expenses
  • Negotiated better pricing for materials with vendors based on companywide buying patterns

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Unique Fire is a total fire prevention solutions provider and manufacturer of a comprehensive range of fire protection systems and equipment. Supplying specialist commercial contractors in the Asia-Pacific region, the company’s solutions and products have been deployed in underground stations, theme parks, shopping malls, and airport terminals.

Unique Fire also operates its Unique Digital Innovation (UDI) Division, a business-to-consumer (B2C) eCommerce platform that is dedicated to expanding the company’s online presence across the region

Success Highlights

Challenges

  • Needed to eliminate operational silos and give managers fast access to business-critical reports
  • Lacked an integrated ERP solution that delivered real-time visibility of inventory and other key production processes

Solution

  • Epicor® ERP

Benefits

  • Instant access to reports and analytics makes it easy to scrutinize the performance of every area of the business
    Daily activity updates—including information on returns—and accurate monthly financial reporting make it easier to control and track performance
  • Enhanced inventory visibility has enabled the company to reduce its stock holding and

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Headquartered in San Diego—with offices covering the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe—WD-40 is a globally renowned manufacturer of household products—namely its flagship lubricant, WD-40. Founded in 1953, the company encompasses a group of brands featuring a full range of high-performance products across maintenance, industrial cleaning, hobbyists, and home.

Success Highlights

Challenges

  • Rely on a system that was not fit-for-purpose, multilingual, or compliant across Europe
  • Grow the business without growing the headcount
  • Streamline processes into one system

Solution

  • Epicor® ERP

Benefits

  • Automated order processing, shipping, and invoicing to free up employee time
  • Seamlessly integrated additional regional operations across Europe
  • Doubled orders across Germany
  • Improved multi-location communication

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Centor is the world’s largest supplier of regulatory-compliant prescription containers for medication dispensing. The Berlin, Ohio plant manufactures plastic prescription pill containers and plastic packaging for liquid products and it is using Epicor Mattec MES—the Epicor real-time production monitoring and manufacturing execution system.

Success Highlights

Challenges

  • Institute a standardized system of reporting and data collection for more advanced insight into the production process

Solution

  • Epicor® Mattec MES

Benefits

  • Improved production and process control for better decision making
  • Increased machine efficiency with standardized OEE reports
  • Improved quality control and operations

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Founded in 1970, Maxweld and Braze is the wholesale division of the Weldamax Group. It began as a wholesale supplier of safety wear for the welding industry. But gradually expanded to include a full range of welding equipment and consumables backed by warranties, a local service center, and customer training.

High production costs in the USA and Europe meant new suppliers had to be found in the East. However, this brought further challenges in managing procurement, stock, and production, whilst ensuring optimum customer service.

Success Highlights

Challenges

  • Required standardized data management throughout the Weldamax group
  • Old systems were not integrated and lacked transparency
  • Needed more control over inventory
  • The inability to forecast sales and manage to purchase accurately resulted in incorrect inventory purchasing and holding
  • Fluctuating Rand v. US Dollar exchange rate

Solution

  • Epicor ERP

Benefits

  • Streamlines operations by integrating internal processes
  • Ensures all areas of the business are transparent
  • Helps to establish processes and systems within the group

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


How ERP Improves Lean Manufacturing

We should start with a quick definition of lean manufacturing for the uninitiated. Lean manufacturing, also referred to as “lean”, is a commitment to minimizing waste of any kind during the manufacturing process. This includes wasted time, materials, and capital. in total, there are seven sources of waste in lean manufacturing, referred to as the “7 Mudas”. ERP improves lean manufacturing by providing visibility and tools to identify wasteful processes and how your organization can continually improve processes to ensure that waste is eliminated wherever possible. Here are a few examples of how ERP improves lean manufacturing operations.

1. Reduced Transport Waste

This form of waste occurs when goods and materials are moved from one location to another, be it to a staging area, warehouse racks, or shipping docks. These activities utilize machinery, operators, and time to complete operations, all of which cost money. Bringing no added value to the manufacturer or customer, this is a non-revenue generating activity. As such, fewer hours spent in the material handling phases of operation means fewer resources wasted. ERP improves lean manufacturing in this case by providing tools that enable more intelligent means of production and efficient logistics activities. Scheduling and monitoring capabilities, as well as equipment utilization visibility and inventory tracking, give teams the insight they need to see where resources are being committed and which steps in a process can be expedited or cut out of the equation entirely.

2. Reduced Inventory Waste

If you’re a Make-to-Stock (MTS) or Mixed-Mode manufacturing business, chances are you expect to have a certain level of raw materials and products maintained in inventory. Make-to-Order (MTO) operations, not so much. However, at any level, having raw materials and semi-finished/finished products tied up in inventory means capital is tied up in inventory. Unless you’re stockpiling for a doomsday scenario, too much inventory is a bad sign. ERP systems provide the framework for achieving maximum efficiency, such as with Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing. Just as supermarkets have refined the optimal replenishment cycles for produce, so too can manufacturers remove these sub-par production planning and distribution practices to keep production constantly moving. ERP improves lean manufacturing in this case by providing tools for forecasting accuracy, historical data for sales and products, setting min/max stock levels, and even allowing for automated reordering directives.

3. Less Motion Waste

Motion waste applies to equipment and personnel and occurs in cases where any type of motion or effort occurs in a process that does not add value. Plant layout is the biggest culprit in contributing to motion waste. This is especially so if it impacts material handling activities due to traffic bottlenecks or excessive wear on machinery like forklifts. While it’s not generally feasible to redesign a production floor without halting production, ERP improves lean manufacturing in this case by providing data on machinery utilization and job planning and scheduling on the production floor. With visibility into what processes are taking more time or what machines are working at less-than-optimum efficiency, manufacturers can collaborate with engineers and suppliers to ensure their facilities are achieving maximum efficiency.

 4. Less Time Wasted Waiting

If nothing is happening, time is wasted. This can be the result of production bottlenecks, machine downtime, production teams not being in sync, or waiting on decision-critical data. Fortunately, ERP improves lean manufacturing in this case by providing teams with one source of data that everyone can rely on and retrieve when necessary. It helps to identify bottlenecks, plan jobs and schedules more efficiently, as well as facilitate decision-making with the data needed to execute mission-critical strategies.

how erp improves lean manufacturing scheduling

5. Avoiding Over-production

The Big One when it comes to the 7 wastes, overproduction contributes to all other forms of waste in lean manufacturing. In short, it means you are making more of a product than consumers require, or goods are produced before they are needed, leaving them to sit in inventory. Supply chain management, procurement, and demand planning are both the cause and solutions of overproduction. Fortunately, ERP improves lean manufacturing in this case by delivering purpose-built tools to enable better supply chain management, automating the procurement process, and accurately forecasting demand based on historical data and industry trends.

how erp improves lean manufacturing production

6. Avoiding Over-processing

In the case of over-processing, you are putting in work that has no value. For example, on the production floor, you’re painting the inside of a car fender that will never be seen by anyone by a mechanic. This activity adds no value for the customer and serves only to take more valuable time away from your production team. Not to mention, paint ain’t free. Over-processing carries over to your field service and sales teams, too. Time wasted with manual entry can cost you valuable time. It can even cost you a customer if that manual entry results in order errors. Fortunately, ERP improves lean manufacturing in this case by automating such processes. You can click a single button and have a quote automatically turned into a Bill of Materials (BOM). Further insights deliver critical information on your production goals and sales KPIs.

7. Avoiding Defects

Defects don’t just waste time and materials, they waste your customers’ time and patience. Going even further, defective products that make it off the shop floor and into those customers’ homes or facilities reduces your industry reputation. For these reasons, defects are a high-priority waste that needs to be tackled. Unfortunately, it’s not always an easy task. ERP improves lean manufacturing in this case by completing checks and aligning production against standards you’ve set in the system. Products and processes that don’t conform raise flags so that your teams can address these instances before they become issues.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, NetSuite Solution Provider, and Epicor Platinum Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.