Aptean Intuitive ERP Enables Contract Manufacturer to Stay Competitive
Customer Company Size
Mid-size Company
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Aptean Intuitive ERP
Tech Stack
- Microsoft technology
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Cost Savings
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Supply Chain Visibility
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind (SALB) is a not-for-profit company that provides employment to individuals who are blind. The company operates in three states: Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, and has three distinct divisions: The Industries Division, the Retail Stores Division, and the Rehabilitation Division. Currently, there are 350 total employees in the organization. The Industries Division employs over 200 employees in the manufacturing sector of the company. Over 90 percent of all products produced in this division are sold to the United States government. The products produced are diverse, and include an office products line with items such as: mechanical pencils, rollerball pens, highlighters, and Clam Clip® dispensers and refills. In addition, SALB manufactures 8 to 80 gallon oil spill kits and 26 different absorbent products, such as biodegradable cotton and wool pillows, snakes, and pads. SALB also has a sizable textile department that produces retention systems for the U.S. Marines, advanced combat helmet retentions and uniforms for the U.S. Army, uniforms for the U.S. Navy, and tie-down straps for the U.S. Postal Service. In addition to its work with the federal government, SALB produces aerospace insulation blankets for top aerospace companies. The operation is ISO 9001:2000 certified, as well as AS9100 B certified (aerospace), and is the only blind or disabled manufacturer in the U.S. that has obtained both of these distinctions.
The Challenge
San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind (SALB), a not-for-profit company providing employment to individuals who are blind, faced a significant challenge when sudden changes in market conditions threatened the loss of as much as 60 percent of their business. This forced them to move quickly to find new distribution channels to reach their customer base. Additionally, to stay competitive, they had an urgent need to reduce order-to-shipping time for their core products. In light of the changing competitive environment, time was of the essence. SALB knew the implementation of an ERP system would help them turn around products and services to customers at the speed they required and keep SALB in the ballgame.
The Solution
To meet these extreme external challenges, SALB was quick to adopt e-commerce technology for selling goods on the Internet directly to government agencies and private firms. They were also aggressive about implementing an ERP system to manage accounting and manufacturing activities and meet customer demands for fast turnaround. SALB had several requirements for their ERP system. The product had to be easy to use, quick to implement, allow for process reengineering, and integrate their manufacturing and accounting processes so all data was available from one central location. SALB selected Intuitive ERP for three major reasons. First, the product satisfied a need for Microsoft-centric technology. Intuitive ERP is developed with 100 percent Microsoft technology, which allowed SALB to integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft® applications such as Excel, Outlook, Project, and Word. Secondly, the product was user-friendly, which contributed to a rapid implementation and required little training time for users. And lastly, the consulting and technical support teams exhibited a high level of expertise and competency.
Operational Impact
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