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Zephyr Products, Inc. ERP Case Study

Zephyr-Laser

Industry

Metal Fabrication

Challenge

Zephyr encountered significant hurdles with chaotic production schedules, an influx of urgent orders and a lack of real-time inventory insight. Reliance on manual processes and an outdated system created bottlenecks, making it difficult to track jobs accurately and control inventory. This led to frequent over-purchasing of raw materials, inefficiencies on the shop floor and unnecessary cost overruns - issues that directly impacted profitability and on-time delivery.

Results

By implementing Global Shop Solutions ERP, Zephyr automated production scheduling, improved inventory accuracy and gained the ability to track job costs from initiation to completion. The result was a reduction in job turnaround time to just two weeks, elimination of excess inventory and faster, data-driven responses to customer demands. These improvements enabled Zephyr to achieve better on-time delivery, reduce costs and maintain a competitive edge in the metal fabrication industry.

Key Applications

Inventory, Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Shop Floor Data Collection, Job Costing Accounting

zpi.com/
2
Week Job Turn Around
100%
ELIMINATION OF EXCESS INVENTORY
1
Centralized System
100%
Real-Time Visibility

Global Shop Solutions enables us to quickly respond to changing customer needs. Anything we want to know about a part, a job or a customer can be found quickly and easily and usually from one screen. The ability to give customers fast, accurate answers is a real advantage in today’s markets.

Anne Felzke

Purchasing Manager

Zephyr-Weld

About Zephyr

Zephyr, founded in 1979 and based in Leavenworth, Kansas, is a privately-held, full-service metal fabrication job shop serving industries such as railroad, aerospace and construction. The company offers laser cutting, precision forming, punching, welding, assembly and various engineering and logistical services.

The Challenge

Zephyr was struggling with disjointed production schedules and a high volume of rush orders. Their legacy system could not provide real-time job or inventory visibility, resulting in manual workarounds that consumed valuable time and resources. Over-purchasing of raw materials due to poor inventory management added to operational expenses, while the lack of integrated job costing and scheduling tools hindered profitability and responsiveness.

The Solution

Recognizing the need for a comprehensive solution, Zephyr evaluated options to address their manufacturing ERP challenges. Global Shop Solutions stood out for its integrated platform that combined advanced production scheduling, inventory management and job costing. According to Anne Felzke, Purchasing Manager, "We chose Global Shop Solutions because it gave us everything we were looking for, all wrapped up in one integrated system. In particular, we liked its ability to track job costs from start to finish." Upon implementation, Zephyr leveraged the ERP's automated scheduling and inventory controls, replacing manual workflows and gaining access to critical historical data with ease. Lee Cooper, Production Manager, highlighted, "Before Global Shop Solutions, trying to keep track of all the jobs moving around was a stressful and time-consuming process. Now, when we get a rush order, we enter the data, refresh the system and Global Shop Solutions automatically reschedules every job to meet the new parameters. It’s an awesome scheduling tool that gives us control over a very dynamic shop floor environment."

The Results

Adopting Global Shop Solutions ERP transformed Zephyr's operations. Automated scheduling and inventory management eliminated over-purchasing and ensured precise job tracking. Job turnaround time was reduced to just two weeks, supporting their 4000 W laser cutting operations and 8-inch tube cutting capacity. The ERP system enabled Zephyr to respond rapidly to changing customer demands. Enhanced operational efficiency allowed staff to manage more work with fewer resources. As Lee Cooper shared, "Sitting at my desk, I can easily do the work of three or four people and that gives us a real competitive advantage." Zephyr now benefits from improved cost control, better on-time delivery and a scalable foundation for future growth.

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