Plex Systems > Case Studies > Motus Integrated Technologies Transforms Operations with Plex Manufacturing Cloud

Motus Integrated Technologies Transforms Operations with Plex Manufacturing Cloud

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

America
Asia
Europe

Country

United States
China
Germany
Japan
Mexico

Product

Plex Manufacturing Cloud
Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform

Tech Stack

Cloud-based ERP
Real-time data integration

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Productivity Improvements
Customer Satisfaction
Innovation Output

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Data Management Platforms

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Applicable Functions

Business Operation
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Manufacturing System Automation
Inventory Management
Process Control & Optimization

Services

System Integration
Software Design & Engineering Services

About The Customer

Motus Integrated Technologies is a privately held Tier 1 supplier of automotive interior products to the world’s automakers. The company’s nearly 4,000 employees produce high-performance headliners, visors, door and console armrests, and instrument panel trim components for the global automotive market from state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities around the world. Headquartered in Michigan, Motus Integrated Technologies has operations in Mexico, Germany, China, and Japan. Motus excels in the automotive industry by producing stylish, functional products that attract car buyers and bring vehicles to life. You can find its products—which include headliners, trays, panels, and trim—inside the world’s most popular vehicles. The company supports its customers from concept to launch with creative design, product and process innovation, and worldwide manufacturing resources. Motus has earned a reputation for superior product design and performance.

The Challenge

Facing its launch as an independent company, Motus Integrated Technologies needed to move off its QAD MFG/PRO manufacturing system. Motus aimed to upgrade to a new level of solution that would enable it to address its leading business challenges. The company’s paper-based processes limited visibility into production and inventory, and heavy use of spreadsheets hindered analysis of financial and production data. Seeking to implement common business processes on three continents, Motus began looking for a cloud-based ERP solution. As Motus evaluated potential ERP solutions, the company had several priorities. First, because Motus would have faced penalties for not moving off of Johnson Controls’ system promptly, any potential solution had to go live quickly. Second, the new company didn’t want to be burdened with implementing and maintaining a system in house where they’d have to manage databases. Given these priorities, moving to a cloud solution just made sense— and so Motus chose Plex.

The Solution

Once the vendor was selected, Motus went to work on an implementation plan. In just a four-month period in 2015, Motus moved four of its plants to the Plex Manufacturing Cloud. And when Motus purchased Leon Plastics in 2016, the company quickly moved its three newly acquired plants to Plex. In 2018, Motus divested two plants to another investor. Today, all five plants as well as its corporate headquarters run their business on Plex. Due to the sheer variety of products that Motus makes, there’s no typical day in its manufacturing plants. Some facilities are more machine-intensive and less reliant on human effort. Others revolve around assembly lines on which 10 or 12 people may be building products by hand. Moving to Plex has enabled Motus to keep tighter control over these complex operations simply by placing a computer in each work center on the shop floor. In Motus’ previous paper-based processes, manufacturing operators would keep track of production and scrap on paper. Most of this data wasn’t entered into computers until the next shift. As a result, the company’s view of materials and finished goods was perpetually 12 to 16 hours behind. With Plex, this data is available in real time— and several data entry clerks have been reassigned to more valuable tasks within the company. Motus has further increased efficiency by deploying tablets that enable workers to perform inventory cycle counts without walking to the nearest workstation.

Operational Impact

Reduced human errors and scrap rates while boosting quality.
Earned Supplier of the Year recognition from General Motors.
Motus has gained even more useful real-time information by building its own simple integrations between its manufacturing systems and Plex.

Quantitative Benefit