Small businesses make up 89% of Commonwealth Edison’s (ComEd) commercial customers. They were largely unaware of the energy efficiency program and lacked the time, money, and resources to pursue energy efficiency in their buildings and operations. The challenge was to create a simple path for these customers to participate in the program and achieve significant energy savings while increasing customer satisfaction.

The company produces all private label spice blends to order. “Though we have several large customers for which we maintain inventories, it would be extremely difficult for us to stock items, particularly with the various packaging requirements of 80 private label customers,” says Whitlock. “Our customers tell us how many of each spice or blend they want, and we then produce the desired labels and fill the packaging to order.” Vanns installed SYSPRO Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software in May, 2009. The company had been using dated and inflexible WINMAN software. “A requirement of our supermarket customers is that we have the ability to do lot tracking. Though we make over 2,000 blends of spices, with SYSPRO Lot Tracking we can tell which spice went into which blends. In fact, we can trace the origin of every grain of spice and into which blend it went - even into which bottle and onto which customer’s shelf.”

It was the move to a new manufacturing facility in April 2003 that prompted Two Chefs to conduct a search for a new ERP software solution. When they relocated their manufacturing plant, tripling their physical space and manufacturing capacity, they realized it was also time to implement an ERP solution to support growth and future needs. Two Chefs had been using outmoded accounting software, which was not only limited in functionality, but was no longer being supported. Their “wish list” for the new system included an integrated solution and support for bar coding to reflect industry standards.

The company had been using a broad-based ERP system, but decided to go with an industry-specific software package that addressed full quoting, accounting, material planning and shop floor data collection. Unfortunately, the system never delivered as promised. It became necessary to verify the accuracy of quotes, and there were long delays before a “good” receivables report could be obtained and month-end closes could be executed. “Our accounting staff ballooned to nine persons, and it still took two and one-half to three months to do a month-end close. Plus, all of my employees were demoralized, overworked and completely ‘gun-shy’ of anything having to do with computers,” said Tom Thomasma. Telemark subsequently took the software vendor to court and won, but the settlement included full surrender of the software after three months. In desperation, Thomasma contacted Automation Plus, a local software reseller and openly pleaded, “Find me a new system.” During the initial discussion, John Wiedlea, Automation Plus President, asked Thomasma to outline his “vision” of how the new computer solution should interact with the various segments of his business. Wiedlea also questioned Thomasma on his expectations regarding costs, productivity and length of implementation. Wiedlea also insisted that the two draft a written plan, replete with milestones and which would also contain a look into the future to assess the ability of the system to handle anticipated growth.

Part of taking any successful company to the next level of growth and prosperity is knowing when, why and how to upgrade to a newer, stronger enterprise software backbone. PermianLide had spent three years using QuickBooks for its financial and reporting requirements plus some limited ERP capabilities. By 2008, the company felt restricted by its QuickBooks technology capabilities. For example, its headcount had grown to between 400-450 employees, and QuickBooks’ payroll solution required multiple systems to handle that volume. Employee records were in separate systems and impossible to track easily and accurately. The goal was to have one customer file, one warehouse file, one employee file and one general ledger file. SYSPRO, Infor, Microsoft Dynamics, Epicor and SAP were reviewed. The QuickBooks replacement search began prior to the merger, so there was just one company involved. The initial scope was four locations with eight warehouses and two consignment yards. The goal at the time was to have thorough financial statements on each location, plus an aggregated view of the company as a whole. Suddenly, the ‘new’ organization was going to be considerably larger: a total of 11 locations and 22 warehouses. Also, the new company merging in (Permian) wanted the same abilities that Lide was requesting (facility reporting, plus consolidated operations). The new combined company also needed a holistic view of the merged operations – at every level.

In 1995, PEN Products began evaluating its information requirements, recognizing the need to automate the dissemination of business information throughout its multifaceted manufacturing and farming operations. PEN realized the importance of implementing new procedures to meet the requirements of fiscal self-sufficiency. The real challenge at the time was to find one computer software package that could accommodate what were, in effect, about two dozen different businesses. Additional selection factors centered on having to operate within a governmental/correctional/business environment and the ability to compete in the marketplace with efficient, private sector product and service providers.

Although the company had streamlined various procedures, it felt the time had come to select an ERP solution to enhance efficiencies and facilitate growth. The initial choice of SYSPRO included basic modules, and Leader Tech has since purchased additional modules to leverage the solution’s features, maximize efficient company growth and expedite order turnaround time.

Producing shirts for special events requires that the project be completed at exactly the right moment and that the order be 100% correct. There is no room for any variance on deliveries, order precision and quality. The challenge for Lakeshirts was to implement technology to facilitate order entry and maximize production efficiency. A primary goal was to enable Lakeshirts’ sales representatives to order on the Web with the ability to select from a complete sourcebook displaying all available designs and garments, enter the order, print a copy and review orders previously entered. Lakeshirts had been using a custom computerized solution which proved cumbersome and inefficient. The sales reps entered orders over the Web into a home-grown database program. The database was then used to create an import file for the company’s order entry system. A variety of databases was used to transmit work instructions and schedule production of the customized designs on the garments. Invoicing and inventory control were accomplished by an accounting software package, leaving many gaps and opportunities for errors in the chain from order entry through production and shipment to invoicing. In fact, as many as three days could elapse in getting an order to the production floor, necessitating the constant checking of orders by customer service to assure validity. The work of maintaining two systems was also costly and a drain on time and resources.

When MIS Manager Erwin Bartsch joined Kwalu some seven years ago, he ‘inherited’ the currently implemented software, SYSPRO, running on a Unix platform. Rather than seek a new software solution, Bartsch decided to work with SYSPRO to determine whether there was a need to replace the system. Kwalu faced unique requirements, a high degree of customization, and exponential growth. The company needed a solution that could handle these challenges effectively.

Green-Tek faced several challenges with their existing ERP software, including cumbersome sales procedures, lost sales history, stagnant inventory, limited visibility into processes, and wasted scrap materials. The company had been using a combination of MAX ERP software and Great Plains Dynamics since 2000, but these systems were unyielding and failed to maintain order histories. This required re-orders to be treated as new orders, leading to inefficiencies and increased scrap. A re-implementation of the MAX software in 2002 did not produce the desired results, prompting Green-Tek to search for a new solution.

Genesis Today experienced rapid growth of 1,030% from 2004 to 2006, necessitating a new software system to manage their operations. The company distributes approximately 150 different SKUs of nutritional products through six manufacturing facilities and three warehouses, filling around 4,000 orders per month. Their existing software, QuickBooks, was insufficient to handle the increased volume and complexity of their operations. Genesis needed a solution that could track orders from booking through invoicing, manage line item data, and interface with multiple departments.

By 1997, Ettore Products Company had outgrown their existing software systems, which were failing to meet their needs. The incumbent solution lacked detailed costing figures, such as landed cost tracking, and was infected with a computer virus that impeded accurate inventory retrieval. This compromised their ability to plan for future purchases. Additionally, the company struggled with inefficient inventory control practices, requiring manual counts for purchasing and scheduling. The system's failures and lack of scalability were major obstacles to Ettore's growth.

When Sidari bought the company, he was told that one of the challenges was going to be keeping track of inventory and actually ordering the products from the suppliers. The previous owner had a lot of trouble with the orders – he regularly had a 5- to 7-day lag and was usually carrying a disproportionate amount in back orders. Immediately, he looked at changing the software, thinking that it must have not been the right fit for the business and was causing some of the drag. Daprano had been using SYSPRO ERP, and Sidari figured that was part of the problem. He took pride in his service and wanted to fix it, so he began looking for a replacement system.

The rising costs of goods and services are significantly impacting customers' wallets, leaving them with less discretionary income. Evergy is committed to assisting income-eligible customers by finding ways to help them save energy and money. The utility aimed to reach approximately 183,000 eligible Missouri households over a five-day period using its Offer Center, a feature of Evergy’s new online Marketplace. The challenge was to provide a frictionless and effortless customer experience to deliver free energy-saving products without the typical barriers such as requiring credit card information or upfront shipping costs.

Energy providers face significant challenges in encouraging customer enrollment in energy and bill-saving programs. Traditional methods often involve complex processes that deter customers from participating. Additionally, the need to meet decarbonization goals adds another layer of complexity. Utilities are looking for innovative ways to simplify the customer experience and increase participation in these programs. The challenge is to create a seamless, user-friendly interface that can bundle various offers and make them easily accessible to customers. This is particularly important for utilities like AES and Duke Energy, which aim to accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy future while ensuring customer satisfaction and cost savings.

APC aimed to increase load flexibility and encourage customers to shift energy usage from peak hours to economy pricing hours during summer and winter months. The challenge was to achieve this without compromising customer comfort, which is crucial for maintaining customer participation in the program. The existing Time of Use (TOU) demand response (DR) program needed enhancements to optimize load shift while ensuring customers remained comfortable and satisfied.

Implementing new rate plans to align demand with supply is becoming critical to more and more utilities. However, new rate plans for business and residential customers can result in customer confusion and frustration—whether they are opt-in or opt-out. According to J.D. Power, utility customer price satisfaction drops by 10% when defaulted onto a TOU rate. A TOU rate transition can be stressful for both utility employees and customers. It can seem that customer needs are at odds with regulatory and internal requirements. Thankfully, utilities have gained experience helping customers through rate transitions. This experience identified best practices of the three e’s: empathize, educate, and empower.

Taking on the gargantuan task of assessing carbon sinks, Sylvera needed to accurately verify the performance of the projects they rate. This required precise tracking of land use and its evolution over time, particularly focusing on mangroves, which are crucial for absorbing more carbon than regular tropical forests. Sylvera knew that bringing in students and interns was one option to get the job done, but the company also knew how much additional interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training, and management that approach would take.

The first among aerial imagery providers, Nearmap offers both AI analysis and high-definition aerial images with accuracy on a commercial scale. Its geospatial data can help speed up and simplify many organizations’ workflows, from insurance underwriting to property appraisals, by processing virtual location data without the need for in-person inspections. Automating AI data sets requires up-to-date information and labor-intensive data labeling. When an AI component was first introduced to Nearmap’s offering, data labeling was done in-house, distracting the team from developing software. The Nearmap team quickly realized that to expand the business, they would need outside help. In addition to the sheer volume of images that need processing, a key challenge is the variety of imagery assets, and the different ways they must be labeled. Nearmap had to develop an in-house labeling tool, as no commercial tool exists that could meet their imaging requirements, which change frequently. Business growth meant finding a reliable partner that understood the complexities of what was required, could learn and work with the proprietary tooling, and ensured fast delivery of high-quality labeling work.

Chatbots often face limitations in answering diverse questions or managing various tasks, leading to rigid and frustrating user experiences. True Lark aimed to overcome these limitations by focusing on specific industries to provide a full range of necessary context. However, to achieve this, they needed labeled data to build their models, which required extensive time and effort. True Lark's internal team was unable to dedicate the necessary time to data annotation without neglecting other critical aspects of product development. This led them to seek external assistance from CloudFactory for data labeling operations.