Change is a constant in virtually every industry. But few markets change as quickly, or as dramatically, as the food market. As consumers’ tastes evolve, food producers must evolve too—or risk getting left out of the shopping cart.
When Dominion Liquid Technologies (DLT) purchased Flavor Syrups International, a specialist manufacturer of coffee syrup, in 2009 it also acquired its aging software platform that couldn’t adequately support a growing business.
“I knew right away that the software we were using to manage the business was suboptimal,” recalls Charlie Cain, president and CEO of DLT. “It was very clear that a new ERP solution would help us to build a more efficient business, reduce waste and grow rapidly while delivering quality products through every production run.”
At the time of the acquisition, virtually every business process at DLT—from inventory audits to line checks—happened on paper, which severely hampered productivity. But as DLT planned to transition its processes to a technology platform, the company’s leadership wanted to avoid becoming so regimented that they couldn’t react quickly to changes in the market. Any solution DLT implemented would need to enable greater agility across the business.
That’s why DLT looked to the cloud. Knowing that modern cloud-based ERP software solutions are designed to break down organizational silos and put real-time business data at employees’ fingertips, Cain and his team explored their options. They engaged their technology partner, Revolution Group, to help them evaluate potential ERP software solutions.
“Revolution Group put a number of ERP solutions through their paces,” Cain explains. “But what I found particularly helpful was that they didn’t just look at the process functionality we required. They also understood the kind of ‘light-on-our-feet business’ we wanted to be, that managing IT was not for us, and that we wanted to avoid huge capital outlay.”
By the end of the evaluation process, Revolution Group and DLT had agreed on a solution: The Plex Manufacturing Cloud. Deployment took just six months. And since the go-live date, DLT has leveraged Plex to solve its business needs. Here are three ways:
#1: Data Flows Freely to Mobile Devices
The modern manufacturing process revolves around data. But shop floor workers don’t have time to keep running back to computer terminals and punching in updates on inventory, defects or labor issues.
The Plex Manufacturing Cloud gives DLT improved shop floor control with the freedom to distribute information to mobile devices right on the shop floor. Employees now carry tablets and smart phones around the assembly line so that they can record data without interrupting their workflow. They also receive text or email alerts when production is interrupted or inventory runs low.
#2: Less Focus on Software Means More Focus on Customers
As a busy contract manufacturer, DLT must juggle customers’ hugely diverse needs. They do this by testing ingredients and recipes, managing production schedules and third parties, ensuring that products are shipped correctly, safeguarding finely-tuned margins, and adhering to stringent quality targets. All of these challenges are more difficult to meet for companies that must devote significant resources to implementing, maintaining and upgrading traditional ERP systems.
#3: Every Business Decision Is Backed by Data
Decision-makers can’t act quickly if they’re not confident that they’re seeing the whole picture. That was the case at DLT before the company made the leap to the cloud.
“Historically, different teams within the manufacturing process worked in silos, making information sharing slow, clumsy, and error-prone,” recalls Cain. “It was extremely difficult for us to get accurate and reliable data on things such as inventory levels and expiration dates. What we really needed was a system that could give us real-time information so that we could make better-informed decisions. We knew this was vital to our bottom-line growth.”
With the Plex Manufacturing Cloud, not only can line workers review and update production data without leaving their places on the line, but managers and executives can also get real-time business information in the palms of their hands. Because the system is available through any browser, decision-makers can use any web-enabled device to check in on material availability, customer service levels, production schedules, or cash flow. All of which helps DLT stay ahead of the game in a fast-changing market.