Cush Suspensions finds an all-inclusive ERP solution to overcome the challenges of managing product inventory.
The Customer
Cush Suspensions specializes in OEM and aftermarket suspensions for trucks and trailers to help drivers achieve optimized ride quality. As a provider of Providing both engineered-to-order suspensions along with standard suspensions for trucks and trailers.
The Need
Cush Suspensions needed an all-inclusive solution to meet the tracking requirements of production, work order management, and inventory control. D3 ERP is the solution to overcome Cush’s challenge of managing product inventory that would provide product and materials traceability, allowing better management of make-to-order, make-to-stock, and other production processes.
The Challenge
Cush has been in the suspension manufacturing business since 2000 and consistently provided superior suspension to customers that are durable, and inexpensive to service and repair. However, behind the scenes, Cush was experiencing a need to streamline the procurement process to buy strategically, optimize cash flow, and increase efficiency. As many companies do, Cush depended on the experience of tenured individuals and few processes to keep the train on the right path. This approach left Cush with unreliable data which caused purchasing to occur on a job by job basis. Inevitably, a disconnect was identified through a surplus of extra inventory and obvious roadblocks to efficiency that needed to be addressed.
Why D3 ERP
Cush uses the full suite of Autodesk Manufacturing solutions to design their suspension systems including Vault for product data management. This made it crucial for Cush to find an ERP system specifically tailored for Autodesk manufacturing clients. D3 ERP is the only solution capable of connecting Cush's ERP system directly to Autodesk Vault and their product data.
Additionally, Cush found D3 ERP built on Cetec ERP to be the platform they could rely on to deliver the right tools and people to help them implement APIs and custom work where needed. D3 ERP could solve immediate issues Cush was facing and would equip Cush for successful growth and future expansion on their customized ERP strategy with D3’s continued support.
“We approached multiple ERP providers with our detailed specification requirements, and D3 ERP was the only solution to hit all the marks. Not only did D3 ERP have the ability to connect to and integrate with our Autodesk software, but the topnotch training & support D3 is known for, coupled with years of manufacturing industry experience they have, provided the peace of mind we needed to tackle an initiative this important. With D3, we knew we would have someone dedicated to our success every step of the way.” - Kyle Cooper, Director of Operations
The Process: “Road to Results”
- Integration: Integration is typically a minor aspect of D3 ERP implementations as it already contains several of the feature sets that are typically covered with external product integration, streamlining the process.
- Evaluate project costs and lengths: Next, we took a look at costs and what disruption to daily business and operational instability we would face, allowing us to avoid excessive costs and shorten project length.
- Data Migration: We created a plan to migrate data to environment 1-2 months ahead of time with software driven, reproducible scripts to map data into Cush’s ERP “test” environment. Rigorous validation of all data imported was conducted to prepare for changes and updates as needed ahead of go-live.
- Process Change & Implementation: In this stage, D3 helps to enforce process and workflow changes from the top down by equipping company management to support the transformations internally.
- Testing: Testing began and workflow processes were analyzed from initial input to final output. We identified the most important scripts to Cush’s business process and made sure they were all executed smoothly. Later rounds of tests simulate a go-live, comprising of management of inventory, sales orders, purchase orders, and production orders.
- User Training: It was crucial to make sure Cush’s team was involved from the start. We were able to define a training program that worked for individual departments, task types, and individual users.
- Go-Live: To go-live, we launch a plan with the primary goal of operational stability and continuity. This plan included moving Cush’s core business functions together such as order processing, purchasing, inventory control, warehousing/receiving/shipping, and accounting.
Results
- Found 1M in inventory
- Moved ERP from Great Plains to D3 ERP
- Increase in productivity levels, therefore,
achieving outlined goals - Gained flexibility for Make-to-Order, and Make-to-Stock
- A decrease in human error due to process automation
- Eliminated the hazards of tribal knowledge by creating standardized processes Improved relationships with vendors and suppliers
- Transformed Cush from a mom-and-pop to a true SMB that’s scalable.
- Business decisions are now made on real-time accurate data.
- Data-driven decisions now, versus gut feel guesses
Cush Suspensions can now tackle any inventory tracking challenge, from high-mix to low-volume environments, in turn improving efficiency and streamlining the procurement process, cutting through complex dependencies of supply chains and material needs to buy strategically and optimize cash flow.
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