Ganong Bros. Limited (Ganong) has been producing some of the finest chocolate and confectioneries in Canada for the past 140 years. The company operates from three locations across the country and ships its products to various mass merchandisers, drug stores, and grocery chains. Despite its long history and tradition, Ganong's operations are decidedly twenty-first century, with the company continually investing in tools and technology that enable it to run in a lean and efficient manner. However, Ganong was facing a challenge with its complex financial statements, which include more than nine million entries. The company was using Sage ERP X3 as its financial, manufacturing, and distribution solution, but it lacked a more efficient way to produce its complex financial statements.

Rudy’s Tortillas, a 65-year-old, family-owned company that sells primarily to restaurant chains in 35 states, was facing challenges due to lack of integrated systems. The company was managing production and inventory in spreadsheets while customer service, purchasing, and accounting were managed with basic accounting software. This lack of integration resulted in the absence of meaningful data necessary to run a successful business. The company was unable to easily determine what stock they had on hand or what they needed to produce based on customer demand. There were also delays in finalizing monthly financial statements and cost analysis was a time-consuming process.

Aceto Corporation, a global leader in the importing and distribution of over 1,000 chemically derived pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, and agrochemicals, was operating on an antiquated legacy system that lacked integration. The company was subject to a myriad of U.S. government regulations, including MSDS requirements for the handling of hazardous materials and intense scrutiny by the FDA. In addition, the company faced new demands stemming from the Bioterrorism Act and the Customs Trade-Partnership Against Terrorism (CT-PAT) program as well as the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Many of the compliance activities were handled by manual processes with various spreadsheets, leading to insufficient controls with limited real-time reporting. The company recognized the need to implement a new back-office system, but the increasing demands placed on publicly traded companies absorbed available corporate resources.

Major Drilling Group International Inc., a global metals and minerals contract drilling company, operates in various countries and deals with multiple currencies. The company needed a robust accounting solution that could handle its multicurrency and consolidation requirements. The company also needed a system to accurately order and track the stock of repair parts used to keep the drilling equipment operational. Additionally, as a publicly traded company, Major Drilling Group International needed to maintain impeccable financial records.

Power Curbers, Inc., a leading manufacturer of slip-form pavers, was struggling with its existing Baan ERP system. The system was inflexible, difficult to customize, and expensive to maintain and upgrade. It was also very hard to learn, leading to high turnover among order-entry clerks. Month-end closing procedures were complex and time consuming, often taking 20 business days. The company was looking for a solution that would allow it to implement lean production techniques, curb costs, and increase efficiency.

Haremar Plastic Manufacturing Limited, a leading Canadian manufacturer of polyethylene products, was facing a continuity gap due to the use of two separate software systems to manage its accounting and manufacturing tasks. This disconnect was stifling the company’s growth as the software was not able to keep up with the speed of the business. The lack of transparency and free flow of information led to a lack of insight into operations and direction for decision making. The company was also facing issues with inventory inaccuracies which often consumed up to 15 percent of the company’s raw material costs. The purchasing decisions were based on inaccurate data and often resulted in waste.

Luzenac America, a division of the Luzenac Group, was using a tier-one financial system (JD Edwards, now Oracle’s PeopleSoft) on an IBM AS400 to manage its operations. However, the system was complicated and unwieldy due to numerous layered customizations. It was easy to enter data but hard to extract usable information. Plus, the system was expensive to upgrade and required dedicated IS and IT departments for support. The company was spending too much on the system, even for a company of its size. They needed a new system that could address most of their needs out of the box, wasn't buggy, and had superior warehouse and inventory management capabilities.

Nylene Canada, a nylon manufacturer, was spun off from Honeywell Nylon Canada and had to find a system to support its own financial management quickly. The company needed an economical ERP system that could be installed in just three months to manage all aspects of business and manufacturing operations. The system had to be capable of handling cash management, a function previously handled by the treasury department at Honeywell. The transition had to be seamless to customers and not disrupt the ongoing workflow of users.

RadComm Systems, a manufacturer and distributor of radiation detection systems, has been using Sage business management solutions since its inception. However, as the company grew, it found that relying on two separate software applications was leading to inefficiencies. Year-end reporting was time-consuming and difficult, and obtaining accurate work-in-progress (WIP) figures was nearly impossible. Often, the figures in the two systems were not in agreement, perhaps resulting from errors while rekeying the information. The company was seeking a more powerful, integrated ERP and manufacturing solution to streamline its operations.

SpecPrint, Inc. had been running its accounting on an AS/400-based package for years. However, the system had a major drawback as it couldn’t handle “coproduct” manufacturing—when two products are made from a single order. This was a significant issue for SpecPrint as many of their products, such as lawn mower hood decals, often consist of mirror-image versions for either side of the mower. These need to be tracked as separate part numbers yet manufactured from the same order. The weaknesses of the legacy system resulted in constant overages and duplicate shipping. The final straw came when the vendor stopped supporting the product. SpecPrint needed a replacement that was PC-based, integrated all manufacturing, inventory, and accounting functions, and most importantly, provided coproduct management.

Roxio, Inc., a leading software company specializing in digital media software, was in need of an advanced business management solution that could handle manufacturing, multiwarehouse, and multicurrency capabilities. The company was previously using the SAP business software of its parent company, Adaptec, Inc. However, when Roxio was spun off as a separate entity in May 2001, it required its own system. The company was looking for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that offered strong customization capabilities. The system needed to be able to handle the multiple organizations and currency conversions of Roxio's various locations, each with its own sales organization, different revenue and commission structures, and unique tax issues if outside the United States.

Rapid Design Group, a turn-key shop located in Leduc, Alberta, Canada, was founded by Serg Arabsky in 2011. Initially, it was a one-man shop consulting in the oil and gas industry. However, Serg quickly realized that he could offer not only consulting but design and manufacturing as well. Today, Rapid Design Group occupies a 17,000 sq ft facility with 22 employees, specializing in downhole drilling and completions for the oil and gas industry. Despite its growth, the company faced challenges in integrating departments, creating efficiencies, and planning, which made every job difficult.

Auto-Turn Manufacturing, a company that produces component parts for various industries, was struggling with antiquated systems and lack of consistency across departments. Each department had its own Excel spreadsheets and databases that weren’t communicating with other departments. Sharing information about accounting, payroll, quality standards, and production needs was extremely difficult. The company was in dire need of a system that would modernize its operations and improve inter-departmental communication. The company also wanted a system that would integrate with QuickBooks, but beyond that, they were unsure of the specific technology needs of the shop.

Roberts Precision Machine, a precision manufacturing company based in Monroe, Washington, faced a severe IT crisis when their server crashed. This crash led to the deletion of nearly a decade's worth of critical data in their ERP system. The lost data included invoices, orders, part information, and costing data. The company was unsure if any of the information could be recovered. If a solution couldn't be found, Roberts Precision faced the daunting task of manually inputting the data back into its system. This would involve digging up old invoices and purchase orders, hunting through emails with customers and suppliers, and then inputting all of that information - by hand - back into the ERP. It would be an effort that would take months and likely still wouldn’t provide a complete picture.

Solid Industries, a machining service provider for various industries, was facing challenges in managing its growing business operations. The company was relying on manually created documents and an internal database developed by an employee for managing its processes. However, these systems were not robust enough to provide the necessary data or control required by the shop’s managers. The lack of a comprehensive system made it difficult to locate important information, leading to inefficiencies and waste.

Harvestco Fabricators, a fabrication shop in Ellensburg, Washington, was facing a common problem in the manufacturing world. They would start a job with a schedule and process in place, confident they had all the materials needed to complete the job on deadline. However, they would often find that the inventory count was wrong partway through the job, leading to a halt in production until new parts could be ordered. This issue was wreaking havoc on their schedule and cash flow. Harvestco was using Quickbooks to manage both their accounting and inventory, but found that it couldn't provide the real-time inventory tracking they needed.

DP West, a machine shop based in Enumclaw, WA, had purchased Shoptech’s E2 system to improve its processes, including quoting, scheduling, ordering, inventory management, and more. However, they faced a significant challenge in integrating the E2 system with their existing QuickBooks platform, which was managed by an external accountant. The initial attempts at integration were unsuccessful, leading to frustration within the DP West team.

Davidson Fabrication, a Pennsylvania-based sheet metal fabricator, works with some of the aerospace industry’s biggest commercial and defense companies. At any given time, Davidson is routing up to 400 jobs and parts through 7 different departments and working with numerous specialty contractors. To handle and monitor the workload, Davidson uses Shoptech’s E2 software. Prior to 2009, Davidson had managed its workflow with a legacy system that was based in Microsoft Access. The system was effective enough at sorting and displaying information, but it wasn’t “intelligent or interactive.” In addition to the Access database, Davidson used a set of Microsoft Word sheets to track a part as it moved through the fabrication process. As a part would go through each of Davidson’s seven systems, the department operator would have to update the information on the part’s sheet. This was a very cumbersome and time-consuming process.

First Tool Corporation, a company with six different divisions and a wide range of jobs from designing and building special machines to injection molding, was facing communication challenges between its shops, some of which are out of state, and with its traveling employees. In addition, one of their servers was going down and would cost them about $20,000 to replace. The company needed a solution that would improve communication, reduce costs, and ensure the security and backup of their data.

Nova Dry Kiln, a company that manufactures dry kilns for the wood industry, was facing challenges in managing costs and staying competitive in the global market. They had been using the E2 Shop System since 2010 for order entry, production piece creation, cost calculation, and inventory tracking. However, they saw an opportunity for improvement in the new web-based product, SHOP. The company was interested in the ability to access their system anywhere through the internet, as well as the constant updates and backups provided through Shoptech hosting the data through Rackspace. However, the company had concerns about the security of their data being hosted in a separate location.

Bhurjee Industries, a small job shop in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, faced a significant challenge during the economic downturn in 2014. Many shops in their area were closing, and the company was struggling to keep up with the influx of work. The company was also transitioning to focus on their own product, customized mounting kits for the oil and gas industry. These kits required multi-fit parts that could accommodate a wide variety of valve and actuator brands. Managing the ins and outs of 300-400 jobs at a time was proving to be a logistical nightmare.

The National Flag Company was struggling with a lack of communication in the shop, inability to log profit margins, and difficulty tracking employee time. They were doing a lot of custom manufacturing jobs but had no system in place to track their orders. Their old system did not allow them to track jobs or costs, and they had to manually back up their data and host it on their own server, which incurred additional costs. They were also unable to work remotely, which limited their flexibility and efficiency.

Volume Machine, a small CNC shop specializing in the aerospace industry in Van Nuys, CA, has been using E2 since 1999. The manufacturing industry is notorious for having a tumultuous, cyclical cycle. With E2, they can be flexible and run with those changes. Because every bit of information is accessible with just the click of a button, the team can quickly identify which current jobs and which prospects will best suit their schedule and goals. The challenge was to implement a system that could handle the cyclical nature of the manufacturing industry and provide the flexibility to adapt to changes.

Endeavor Precision, a start-up company specializing in contract EDM (electrical discharge machining) hole drilling for the aerospace industry, faced the challenge of becoming AS9100 and NADCAP certified. The complexity of the certification process led the company's president, Dave Langenkamp, to consider either hiring a consultant or investing in software to assist with the certification. The company was also dealing with scattered information across Excel spreadsheets and other databases, which made it difficult to manage the business effectively.

KSM Stainless Steel Fabricators Ltd, a company based near Vancouver, Canada, often works with the entertainment industry, which imposes aggressive timelines on their projects. Every job is a rush, with sometimes just days to plan, develop, and create a custom piece. Before implementing the E2 system in 2004, the company relied on handwritten notes, spreadsheets, and multiple systems that didn't work well together. Answering project status questions was time-consuming, requiring staff to go out on the floor, find the order, and talk to multiple employees.

QT Magnetic Solutions, a manufacturer of high-end magnets and permanent magnets, was facing challenges with their existing ERP software, JobBoss. The software was not user-friendly and lacked sufficient options on the accounting side, causing issues when trying to enter orders. The company needed a more flexible and comprehensive solution that would streamline their operations and improve access to different areas of the business.

Prototype Casting was struggling with their previous ERP system, JobBoss, which wasn't providing a comprehensive view of their operations. They were unable to efficiently track time spent on jobs or their employees' time. Additionally, they couldn't see the profit from the jobs they did every day. Without visibility into job costs and profits, it was hard for Prototype Casting to measure their performance. They needed a solution that could provide a full picture of their shop, track time efficiently, and provide clear visibility into job costs and profits.

Art Brass Aerospace Inc., a third-party vendor for Boeing, was facing a significant challenge due to its rapid growth. The company had expanded from a 10-man shop to a 100-person operation, with 40 new hires in the past year. However, their planning capacity had not kept pace with their growth, leading to operational inefficiencies. The company was using outdated software that was slow, unreliable, and had a poor user interface. The software was so slow that they couldn't even plan jobs effectively. They also lacked the ability to scan jobs or track where jobs were on the shop floor, leading to wasted time and effort.

DeKing Screw Products, a family-owned business in Chatsworth, CA, was facing a period of transition and growth. After the company's founder experienced health issues and the business took a hit from the recession, the company decided to invest in CNC Swiss lathes. This investment allowed the company to produce small, complex parts for the aerospace industry, leading to significant growth. However, with this growth came the need for a more robust and comprehensive ERP system. The company needed a solution that could handle the increased complexity and volume of their operations, while also providing the flexibility and accessibility required by their team.

Avion Technologies, Inc., a job shop that primarily makes complex gears for several industries, was using E2 Pro and decided in 2019 that it was time to upgrade to E2 SHOP on the cloud. The company was concerned about the security of their old server and knew that moving to the cloud would eliminate the need to keep a server up-to-date and ensure that security was taken care of. The transition to the new software was crucial to keep their shop running smoothly.