Wilshire Precision

"The overall end result of our use of Global Shop is 99.4% on-time delivery and an extremely low rejection rate and very high quality product, and these are the most important things any shop could hope for… Since implementing Global Shop Solutions, Wilshire’s grown 1,200% with 99.4% on-time delivery and a quality rating that is close to near-perfect."

Tom Lewis, President, Wilshire Precision Products

When Wilshire Precision opened their doors for business in 1954, they could not have imagined the manufacturing software tools that they use today. For Wilshire President Tom Lewis, this is the bottom line: "The two main things that our customers care most about are the quality of the part and the fact that it’s there on time. Since implementing Global Shop Solutions, Wilshire’s grown 1,200% with 99.4% on-time delivery and a quality rating that is close to near-perfect."

Through decades of machine shop demands in times of war and peace, as improvements in shop floor management occurred, Wilshire was quick to adapt to the changes necessary to always keep a step ahead of their competition. Today, Wilshire is a prime government and private industry contractor for high quality aviation and automotive parts, as well as critical research and development projects. They have proven their mettle as a machine shop that continually exceeds customer expectations.

Of course, in manufacturing "exceeding customer expectations" is much easier said than done—especially when your operation has grown as extensively as Wilshire’s. From what was once a small general machine shop in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the company is now a major precision operation with a 17,000 sq. ft. facility and a vast array of sub-contractors dedicated to Wilshire production. Along the way, Tom Lewis faced the many challenges common to all manufacturers—controlling costs, constant efficiency improvements, competition from abroad, and expansion of customer base and shop space. When he discovered Global Shop Solutions, a new world of technology-driven shop management was opened to him.

In the mid-1980’s, when Tom Lewis was introduced to Global Shop’s One-System ERP manufacturing software, he jumped at the chance to upgrade his applications. With degrees in both architecture and aerospace engineering, Tom is a visionary who recognized Global Shop’s technological innovations as the future standard in shop management. As Tom recalls, "Before Global Shop, a lot of time was wasted in time and cost accounting, as well as searching for parts either in the shop or in those areas involving outside processes. It was wasted manpower and job time. Once we moved to Global Shop in 1986 and transitioned from handwritten travelers and forms to the multi-linked computerized data system, simply put—we realized an enormous reduction in wasted time."

Today, Wilshire operates Global Shop through a series of shop floor terminals where all employees are fully integrated into the system. This means that Wilshire can perform immediate scheduling and other operations with instantaneous links to all data necessary for the job. With a multitude of CNC and manual machines, as well as a centrifugal casting operation, spread throughout the shop and between outside processes, the communication Global Shop provides to the whole operation is an invaluable asset for complete accountability. Tom points out that it is this "all-in-one" and easy to use ERP software package that differentiates Global Shop from its competitors. "Global Shop, better than any other system out there, gives us a one-shot view of everything that goes on in the company. We’re able to look at work in progress as it moves through the shop, and we’re able to review schedules and the individual work centers. I really like the Supply and Demand screen that gives us an overview and everything we need to know about work that’s coming up in the shop."

The complete Global Shop real-time data and communication functionality links itself through the entire shop—from estimating to shipping. For example, in terms of quality control, the Global Shop capability for the input and instant display of real-time data from all departments means everyone is always on the same page with any newly emerging specifications. According to Jason Stern, Wilshire’s quality assurance manager, "I use Global Shop for its general oversight capability. The nice thing is to be able to link all of the data through the system. I’m able to bring up blueprints right on my terminal screen to make sure everything is up to the current revision. In addition to inputting the many forms we do off-line, we’re also able to incorporate into the system our quality requirements and detailed inspection plans. That way we’re able to print everything and include it with the router so all of the pieces run together."

For Jason, who has experience using other shop management systems, the advantages of Global Shop are to be found in its ability to handle the complex tasks required in the jobs Wilshire undertakes. "I’m very happy with Global Shop because it’s a very comprehensive system and there are a lot of detail options within it. In the making of precision parts, this detailed reporting capability is absolutely necessary, and something I’ve found that other manufacturing software systems simply don’t have. It’s really exciting to have a system that is easy to work with, and that has all your needs met within that one system," Jason relates.

Tom Lewis also sees the quality control benefits Global Shop brings to the shop floor production environment. At Wilshire, technique and process are not etched-in-stone, inflexible mandates. When operators see ways to improve upon work order processes, they have the capability to do something about it. According to Tom, "If during production an employee sees things they would like to improve on in a job, they can bring over a supervisor and look at that particular operation and the suggestion for improvement. With the flexibility of Global Shop, if there’s a change that needs to be made based upon the recommendation, those changes are made immediately on the work order through the Global Shop system. Then that information is put back into the original estimate router." Such system responsiveness lends itself very well to the successful quality controls, and quality finished goods, found at Wilshire.

To compete in an ever-widening global economy, manufacturers today must be proactive. Shortened lead times and reduced margins mean that, more and more, customers are looking for shops that respond to their changing needs—and quickly. Global Shop has helped Wilshire become a fast and flexible resource for their customers. With Global Shop’s real-time data displays, Wilshire can make changes to orders on the fly and without delay, relaying those changes throughout the shop with the touch of a button. Tom points out that this is one of the main reasons for Wilshire’s competitive edge in the marketplace. "One thing we really like about Global Shop is that when we are quoting a job, we’re able to take the estimate and the work that’s created on the order entry and merge the two together as a work order—it happens within milliseconds. And, if there’s any modifications in the work order while the job is running, we can go back into the original estimate and be able to make changes there—dimensional changes, add-on inspection points, and so forth—it’s all there for the next time we run the job."

The flexibility that Global Shop brings to Wilshire is a plus for their IT staff. Having the capability to not only process orders, but to provide on-going controls for both the database and the department functions means that IT has much more time for proactive technology innovations that lead to efficiencies. Dana Ullerich, who handles IT at Wilshire, praises the synergy provided throughout the plant by the Global Shop system. "Global Shop is great because it interconnects the whole shop as the central communication point for all of us here. Everything’s related, everything’s connected. While some shops are using completely different systems for departments like accounting, or payroll, or inspection, with Global Shop all of the data from all of our departments is stored in a central system and retrievable in real-time and instantaneously. In short, all departments can read each other and feed off each other. And, that is such a plus for us in using the Global Shop system."

Dana also states that not only is the Global Shop system a tremendous advantage in terms of complete shop information functionality, but that the on-going customer service relationship with Global Shop is the best she has ever experienced. She points out that Global Shop helps out in every aspect of implementation and software updates. "Customer service, especially in the integration of new systems and updates, is something that Global Shop excels at. For an IT person like myself who is in charge of implementation of the software systems, the Global Shop customer service is absolutely helpful and we’re extremely happy with their relationship with Wilshire."

After building a quality business relationship with Global Shop for over two decades, Wilshire Precision sees only more success with their Global Shop ERP software package now and well into the future. This is especially true as the need for communicating with outside processors increasingly grows through the addition of Wilshire-dedicated sub-contractors. For Wilshire Precision Products, Global Shop brings all the elements to bear in providing the enterprise-wide flexibility, service, and management precision that help them produce the quality products and on-time delivery their customers demand.