Overcoming the Barriers of Departmental Data Silos
Pittsfield Plastics Engineering, LLC, an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, has established itself as a pioneer in the plastics manufacturing industry, specializing in a wide array of products, from modest tape and wire spools to custom items, such as recreational products for canoes and kayaks, hard hats, and water filtration components.
The manufacturer prides itself on having a team-oriented culture. So, using a manufacturing solution that breaks down departmental silos is essential for ensuring both operational efficiency and enterprise collaboration—especially with employees spread across various back-office operations, the warehouse, and some 40 work centers in the production facility.
Overcoming Data Silo Barriers
Pittsfield Plastics’previous system for accounting, the core structure of finances, and production was fairly rudimentary, and it was clearly time for a change.
“Everything was kind of in silos, and it was very hard to use data from one department to make a decision in another department,” recalls Eric Haddad, Pittsfield Plastics plant manager.
The search for a modern manufacturing ERP system led the manufacturer to DELMIAWorks. Key Pittsfield Plastics team members talked with DELMIAWorks customers about their experiences, familiarized themselves with the product, and determined that it was a nice fit. Once the decision was made, the company worked with DELMIAWorks to get the manufacturing ERP system up and running on a timely basis that did not disrupt the business.
Since implementing DELMIAWorks, Pittsfield Plastics has integrated everything from customer service to the many facets of production, which include scheduling, maintenance, quality control, processing data information, material handling information, the bill of materials. With all data being managed by one system, employees across different departments can now easily find the information they need, helping to speed up their work.
“DELMIAWorks has made Pittsville Plastics more profitable and organized. We went from everything documented on paper to everything being input in a tablet, faster decision-making and more accurate decision-making,” Eric said. “Communication amongst departments was just night and day immediately upon implementation.”
Better Business via Data-Driven Insights
In addition to the efficiencies gained by using DELMIAWorks to manage its operations, Pittsfield Plastics has also been able to increase both revenues and customer satisfaction.
“One of the primary improvements that I’ve seen in processes is scheduling of the manufacturing of parts,” observes Bruce Dixon, Pittsfield Plastics CFO/CEO. “We can focus on higher-volume customers, which translates into more shipments and related revenue. And it allows us to look and commit to lead times, making our customers happy.”
Additionally, Bruce says, “One of the things that helped with our pricing was the bill of materials. It allowed us to understand what our prices needed to be with our customers.” Moreover, he notes, the manufacturer has been seeing much lower scrap rates since implementing DELMIAWorks.
Support a Key to Success
Notably, support from the DELMIAWorks team has also contributed to the successful adoption of the manufacturing ERP system across Pittsfield Plastics.
“We’ve had a very strong relationship with DELMIAWorks,” Eric notes. “That’s something that we have enjoyed the most out of anything of the system.”
Bruce adds, “Our core people were able to execute…and commit to learning the system to make it a success in the end.”
You can watch Pittsfield Plastics and DELMIAWorks in action in our recently published case study video.
