HMC Instrument and Machine Works Ltd. ERP Case Study

The Challenge

HMC was striving to maintain its reputation for quality and on-time delivery and needed an integrated solution to improve on-time delivery, reduce excess inventory costs, enhance quoting and production tracking and respond quickly to industry cycle fluctuations. Their legacy processes offered limited visibility into real-time production and inventory status, making it difficult to optimize capacity and labor productivity across diverse, high-specification jobs.

The Solution

In seeking an ERP system that could adapt to the demands of custom manufacturing and scale with future growth, HMC evaluated available solutions and found that Global Shop Solutions stood out. As General Manager Alan Lowe explains, “When I first began looking at ERP software, we wanted a system that could grow with our business. All our competitors were using Global Shop Solutions, and they all talked about how the company was constantly updating and improving the software. After some more research, it seemed like the best fit for our custom manufacturing environment.” Global Shop Solutions ERP software provided HMC with real-time operational visibility, robust scheduling, shop floor data collection, inventory management and integrated quoting capabilities. The implementation enabled the company to make data-driven decisions, manage purchasing and inventory directly to jobs and monitor performance from a centralized platform. The flexibility of the software allowed HMC to adapt to rapid shifts in customer demand, and the technical support team provided responsive assistance to keep operations running smoothly. “Global Shop Solutions is a very robust, flexible ERP software system. Plus, the company is continually making improvements to the software, so there are always new features that can make your business more efficient. We also get fast technical support when we need it. The technical support team always responds to us in a timely manner, even on weekends!” says Alan Lowe.

The Results

By leveraging Global Shop Solutions ERP software, HMC achieved an average on-time delivery rate of 97.3%, reinforcing their reputation for reliability. The company reduced inventory holding costs by purchasing materials directly to each job and improved quoting accuracy by accessing historical job data. Operational efficiency increased as job tracking and scheduling were centralized, allowing real-time and historical performance analysis. “The amazing part is we can do all of this from one screen in Supply & Demand. We look at previous operations and determine which employees perform operations more efficiently than others – based on actual historical data – and where we need to improve,” shares Lowe. With a robust, continually evolving ERP system, HMC maintained agility in a dynamic industry landscape while delivering quality products on time.