Aptean > Case Studies > Smeal Fire Apparatus Company: Using Made2Manage ERP to Increase Revenues

Smeal Fire Apparatus Company: Using Made2Manage ERP to Increase Revenues

Customer Company Size

Mid-size Company

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

Made2Manage ERP

Tech Stack

ERP Systems

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Revenue Growth
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing

Use Cases

Manufacturing System Automation
Inventory Management

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services
System Integration

About The Customer

Smeal Fire Apparatus Co. is a Nebraska-based company that offers a full line of firefighting apparatus including aerial ladder platforms at 85’ and 100’, aerial ladders at 55’, 75’, 105’ and 125’ as well as pumpers and tankers. The company currently produces 15 different kinds of pumpers, 12 models of aerial ladders, and four kinds of aerial platforms—all with more than 4,400 custom options each. The company's processes run the gamut from make-to-stock to build-to-order and everything in between. Smeal has grown to over 315 employees at two manufacturing sites and has become a veritable chameleon of manufacturing.

The Challenge

Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., a Nebraska-based company that produces a wide range of firefighting apparatus, was poised to move from a regional to a national player. However, the company's existing record-keeping and data collection processes were inadequate to support the projected growth. The company lacked the efficiency and inventory tracking needed for growth. The processes were largely manual and prone to human error. A physical inventory count could take over a month to complete, and with up to 12,000 WIP items and 12,000 stock items in over 16,000 locations, a reliable tracking system was a must. Smeal also needed a better timekeeping system and a way to fully integrate all of its manual and inadequate paperwork systems.

The Solution

Smeal's implementation team looked at 16 different ERP systems before unanimously selecting Made2Manage ERP. The team chose the Made2Manage solution because of its fully-integrated functionality, ease-of-use, and the system’s ability to create custom reports. Smeal implemented Made2Manage ERP using a 'sink or swim' approach that removed the safety net of the company’s manual processes and ensured full participation. The company streamlined its production and inventory processes by assigning each part a number and establishing a bar code time retention system linked to a single-level BOM. This process created a paperless 'shopping list' for personnel assembling and manufacturing the products. Smeal also customized Made2Manage template reports to dig up critical information without being bogged down by unnecessary numbers and mounds of paperwork.

Operational Impact

Increased on-time apparatus deliveries/completions by 60 percent.
Improved on-time internal deliveries of 'make' parts by 50 percent due to decreased raw material shortages.
Saved over $50,000 annually on labor costs with implementation of the M2M® Time and Attendance tool.

Quantitative Benefit

Increased revenues by 64 percent, with no added accounting, purchasing, or shipping and receiving personnel.
Increased apparatus shipments and completions by 80 percent, while only increasing inventory levels by 40 percent and production personnel levels by 50 percent.