A word that needs to be thrown around more often in business is consistency. Consistency is a word that can be applied to the measurement of progress a company forgoes; the more consistent the processes, the more mature the company seems to be. You may disagree with that last sentence, but let me explain.
One of the hardest aspects of growing a business is maintaining consistent sales, keeping inventory consistently in stock, having consistent ship rates and dates, and sustaining consistent manufacturing costs. Too often, for a company to get to such consistency, it takes years and years; hence the value of the word consistent when applied to business.
When looking at how Sage 500 ERP helped Nashville Wire Products, we look at the consistency of Nashville Wire Products’ business upon implementing Sage 500 ERP, and the consistent testimonial of praise and achievement that comes from Sage 500 ERP.
The Nashville Wire Products Story:
For more than 75 years, Nashville Wire Products has been designing and fabricating welded wire products. Throughout its history, the company has continually expanded and diversified its operations, moving into multiple markets and serving thousands of customers.
Today, the company has revenues in excess of $90 million, and its three divisions ship millions of units annually.
Cutting-edge technology, quality products, and unparalleled service have earned Nashville Wire Products a leadership position in all of the markets that it serves. The family-owned company always has embraced technology as a tool to drive efficiency and build its business and now trusts its operations to Sage 500 ERP.*
Invest in Technology
Nashville Wire Products was using a highly customized version of ProfitKey, an ERP and manufacturing application. The system proved to be costly to maintain and support, and it was difficult to obtain data and operating metrics from it. “The technology was old and cumbersome and not nimble enough to support our fast-paced operation,” recalls Monica Stancik, information systems director for Nashville Wire Products.
“Our business was booming, and the status quo was no longer working,” adds Brad Hunter, the company’s CFO. “Our options were to invest in better technology or double our staff to keep up. It makes better business sense to invest in our technology.”
An internal project team analyzed available options, including Sage 500 ERP, Microsoft Dynamics AX, and Microsoft Dynamics NV. “We selected Sage 500 ERP for many reasons, including the more intuitive interface and strong business partner support it offered,” explains Kent Rollins, division manager for Nashville Wire Products.
Front to Back Office Solution
“We were able to move from seven or eight separate databases holding manufacturing, customer, and financial data to a single integrated datab3ase that is accessible, stable, and easy to administer,” Stancik explains.
“We have better information and easier access to that information, “says John Mitchell, the company’s inventory manager. “We are able to deliver better service to both our internal and external customers because we have quick access to the information we need for decision making.”
The Business Insights Explorer module helps make the data accessible by providing the ability to perform quick queries of data across the entire enterprise. “We have empowered our staff to get information on their own,” says Stancik. “They have real-time access to the data views they need to do their jobs.”
Rollins praises the product’s standard reports that deliver current data on stocking levels, expected shipments, and open orders. “We are able to work to a plan, rather than working from assumptions,” he says.
Accurate Manufacturing Costs
With the old system, it was often difficult to determine accurate manufacturing costs. “We weren’t accounting for all the costs, because we didn’t have an efficient way to collect, track, and manage those costs,” says Rollins. “Now we can analyze costs in a variety of ways: by SKU, by work order, and even by customer. Armed with this data, we can ensure we are manufacturing in a profitable way.”
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