Manufacturers have always been pioneers in capturing and using Big Data for real-time business operations. But today’s leaders are taking it to another level: to gain competitive advantage, manufacturers must have tools and systems in place to collect, combine, and analyze vast volumes of product, production, customer, and market data to inform business strategy.
Fortunately for forward-thinking manufacturers, the cloud and the Internet of Things have intersected to provide exciting new sources of Big Data. That’s why companies like Caltherm and FloraCraft now have real-time, accurate data at their fingertips.
Caltherm designs and manufactures custom pressure and heat control solutions. Despite a long history of innovation and market leadership, the company was burdened with an ERP system that created cumbersome business processes and made collection largely manual. This led to inaccuracies in inventory recording, barcode printing, shipping, and quality management. Finally, it made higher-level data analysis virtually impossible.
FloraCraft grew from a small, family-owned business to a major boat supplier by shifting its strategy to focus on mass-market production. Today, the company has a portfolio of 3,500 storage units. But along the way, the company has outgrown its Big Data management technology .
“We had strengthened our logistics and supply chain capabilities, but we were quickly outgrowing our technology needs,” says Jim Scatena, FloraCraft President and CEO.
"The expansion of new products being imported created long delays (from the start of the process to execution) in our overseas production operations."
Both of these manufacturers found the solution to their Big Data challenges in the cloud. By deploying a cloud ERP system from Plex Systems, they joined forces with real-time analytics and Big Data to make smarter decisions faster.
At Caltherm, the data collection rate is now 100 percent and largely automated. The ability to collect Big Data in real time has given decision-makers a whole new perspective on business processes.
FloraCraft uses Plex's business intelligence tool to improve decision-making. Managers and operational staff across all departments now have greater access to insights.
“We have created production dashboards for partners that provide real-time data on hourly rates, fill rates, and shipping metrics,” says Scatena.
“This is something we could only dream of before, and something that really motivates our staff.”
