Cox Machine, Inc. ERP Case Study

Industry

Aerospace

Challenge

Cox Machine faced mounting pressure in the competitive aerospace industry to deliver not only high-quality products, but also faster lead times and cost-effective pricing. As the company reduced inventory levels to improve efficiency, the volume of jobs increased six-fold, leading to a dramatic rise in paperwork and manual processes. The existing workflow struggled to keep up, threatening to impact production speed, quality and the ability to meet customer commitments. To remain competitive and maintain operational excellence, Cox Machine needed to eliminate paper-based systems and enable a fully digital, data-driven approach on the shop floor.

Results

By implementing Global Shop Solutions ERP, Cox Machine, Inc. achieved a fully paperless manufacturing environment. The company reduced standard lead times for machined parts from 16 weeks to just four weeks, deployed over 60 touchscreen data collection stations for real-time job access and increased efficiency in labor tracking and inspections. With advanced dashboards and scheduling tools, Cox Machine now maintains a 99%+ on-time delivery rate, enabling rapid, customer-focused decision-making and supporting long-term growth.

Key Applications

Inventory, Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Shop Floor Data Collection, Dashboards, Document Control, Paperless, Tailored ERP

coxmachine.com/

75%

Lead Time Reduction

99%+

On-Time Delivery Rate

Touchscreen Stations Added

Centralized System

With a lot of software companies, support is like the black hole you don’t want to fall into. At Global Shop Solutions, you don’t worry about that because you know that everyone really cares.

Jason Cox

Chief Technical Officer

About Cox Machine, Inc.

Cox Machine is a world-class contract machine shop based in Wichita, Kansas, specializing in precision-crafted parts and assemblies for the general aviation and commercial aircraft industries. With over 160 employees across two facilities totaling 104,000 square feet, the company is AS9100 certified and serves major aerospace clients such as Spirit Aerosystems, Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Gulfstream.

The Challenge

Cox Machine an AS9100 certified contract machine shop serving leading aerospace manufacturers, needed to differentiate itself not only by product quality but by delivering superior value through reduced lead times and competitive pricing. After reducing inventory levels, the company experienced a six-fold increase in job volume, resulting in overwhelming paperwork, manual data entry and inefficient document control. This proliferation of paper-based processes constrained operational agility, jeopardized on-time delivery and limited the company's ability to scale production while maintaining quality and compliance.

The Solution

Recognizing the operational bottlenecks caused by manual systems, Cox Machine evaluated enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to enable a paperless, automated and data-driven manufacturing environment. Global Shop Solutions ERP stood out for its comprehensive shop floor data collection, document control, planning and customization capabilities. The company was particularly drawn to the ERP’s ability to link all documentation to part numbers and provide real-time digital access to job information across the shop floor. As Jason Cox, Chief Technical Officer at Cox Machine, noted: "When we increased the number of jobs we ran six-fold, it became ridiculous to try to recreate all that paper for every job, so we decided to eliminate all paper. Now, document distribution and control is done electronically, with everything linked to Global Shop Solutions through the part number." The adoption of over 60 touchscreen data collection stations empowered operators with direct access to job specs, drawings and inspection data, while custom dashboards and advanced scheduling enabled real-time responses to customer needs. Cox Machine also benefited from reliable technical support, as Jason Cox observed: "From an IT perspective, I’ve found that support makes the difference between a good system and a great one. And one of the things I like about Global Shop Solutions is that we’re able to get help when we need it."

The Results

With Global Shop Solutions ERP fully deployed, Cox Machine transitioned to a paperless manufacturing workflow, dramatically reducing lead times for machined parts from 16 weeks to four weeks. Touchscreen workstations now provide operators with instant access to critical job data, improving efficiency, labor tracking and quality control. The company achieved a 99%+ on-time delivery rate, a metric visualized through ERP dashboards that help staff focus on continuous improvement. As Jason Cox highlights: "We have a 99+% on-time delivery rate. This Dashboard screen shows the .5% or so where we’re late as a way of helping people focus on what needs to get done." Today, Cox Machine leverages ERP-driven automation and real-time data visibility to support flexible production, meet demanding aerospace standards and strengthen its competitive position in the industry.