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tem,” Weller says. “Users are more detailed in comments because they become responsible for that informa- tion. And, again, user accounts help bring complete visibility.”
Adoption Increases as Successes Mount
Seeing successful use of the ERP system in some areas has led other areas to buy in and sign on. Case in point: TOA USA’s maintenance depart- ment, which has gained the ability to real-time-witness equipment and other maintenance issues, and respond accordingly.
“It has really helped organize the maintenance department,” says Weller, noting that the department now seeks to integrate work orders into ERP. “See- ing success in one module or one process drives other departments to engage and seek the resources available within the ERP system. Internal success stories are huge in the buy in.”
Product labeling represents another
area of ERP success. One customer requires its own labels on its products, which TOA USA picks up from the cus- tomer’s website. Before, TOA USA car- ried the labels, preprinted, on hand in stacks. Employees manually had to sift through the labels to determine how many were needed and when and where they go—a day-long process. Now, the labels import into the ERP system, and are generated as the ship- ments are generated. In addition, the system automatically retrieves the cor- rect labels for the shipment. Before, personnel manually scanned product and labels to make sure that they matched, as the customer’s identifying labels did not synch to TOA USA’s part- identification codes. Today, all of that is automated.
The labeling example speaks to traceability offered in the ERP system. That covers not only production processes and products, but material and other inventories. Automotive pro- duction demands traceability for prod-
uct and process, whereas TOA USA’s volume of operations and supply chain demands traceability of materials, resources and shipments. Unlike in the past, the ERP upgrade provides paperless traceability in a more effi- cient manner.
Adding Day By Day
As successes mount, so do adop- tions of ERP throughout TOA USA, and the company plans to continue researching, testing and implementing the system where appropriate. Given the scope of data gathering and report- ing required, such implementation requires effort and resources as well as buy-in. TOA USA associates and management have worked hard to get on board with the ERP upgrade, and are tapping the experiences and expert- ise of others through IQMS user-group meetings. With each interaction, report Weller and Whyte, comes insight into new opportunities to leverage the powerofERP. MF
Fabrication: ERP
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