Olde Thompson's Transition to Cloud ERP for Enhanced Supply Chain and Inventory Management
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Plex ERP
- Plex DemandCaster
Tech Stack
- Cloud ERP
- EDI Transactions
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Cost Savings
- Customer Satisfaction
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
- Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Food & Beverage
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Supply Chain Visibility
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- System Integration
- Software Design & Engineering Services
About The Customer
Olde Thompson is the world's largest manufacturer of salt and pepper mills and a leading producer of private label and branded dry spices and seasonings. Based in Oxnard, California, the company offers a comprehensive range of spice solutions, including spice racks, pepper mills, saltshakers, spice grinders, gourmet rubs, and accessories. With a focus on the food and beverage industry, Olde Thompson has expanded its operations from manufacturing housewares to providing spices, driving significant business growth. The company's leadership is committed to maintaining this growth trajectory by addressing gaps in its technology infrastructure and enhancing its supply chain and production capabilities.
The Challenge
Olde Thompson faced significant challenges with its outdated SQL UNIX ERP system, which was heavily customized and unable to support the company's aggressive growth plans. The system's limitations made it difficult to determine product costs, profitability, and discount strategies, hindering the company's ability to land new customers. Additionally, the lack of a modern software platform impeded the company's ability to coordinate supply chain and production planning effectively. The need for a scalable cloud platform became evident as Olde Thompson sought to improve customer service levels, support EDI transactions, enforce quality standards, and reduce paperwork.
The Solution
Olde Thompson implemented the Plex ERP system to modernize its operations and support its growth objectives. The transition involved working with the Plex Customer Success and Support (CSS) team to go live in 13 months, onboarding 65 new trading partners, and ensuring seamless communication through EDI. The new system enabled plant floor workers to use mobile devices for inventory management and assembly line crew members to record production data in real-time. This centralized recordkeeping facilitated compliance with food industry regulations and improved traceability. Additionally, Olde Thompson adopted Plex DemandCaster Supply Chain Planning to enhance supply chain planning, clean up master data, and increase supplier accountability. The system's web interface allowed for scenario analysis and collaborative planning, leading to improved material requirements planning (MRP) and strategic supply chain decisions.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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