SAM

Cloud-based ERP Lowers Tech Costs

Initially, the SAM team looked at on-premises solutions like SAP and Sage, but executives decided a Cloud-first platform would allow them to avoid spending thousands on new servers and hardware to support the ERP. “Because we had creaky infrastructure, we would have had to upgrade our servers,” Patton says.

While researching Cloud ERPs, Patton found Acumatica Cloud ERP.

“Two things instantly attracted me to the Acumatica model,” Patton says. “One was the reduced costs in maintenance, and the other was no per-user licensing. “Because Acumatica Cloud ERP pricing is based on transactions and not the number of users, SAM can grow knowing its licensing is a fixed cost and that the technology infrastructure budget won’t balloon because the company wouldn’t need to replace servers or hard drives.

“With Acumatica, there are no licensing surprises and no replacement costs,” Patton says.

He also loved Acumatica’s intuitiveness and ease of use. “If a system is easy to use, then it will get used, and that, ultimately, is what we want as a business,” Patton says.

Pandemic Shut Down Allows ERP Implementation

In March 2020, SAM made the difficult decision to temporarily close both its manufacturing sites following government guidance to protect the health and wellbeing of employees. They have since reopened, introducing flexible working with some staff working from home to reduce the number of people on site. Because they implemented Acumatica Cloud ERP during the downtime, they had business continuity the minute the government said they could reopen.

“Truthfully, we might not be here if we didn’t have Acumatica,” Patton says. “We quickly made sure sales, production and finance had laptops, and Acumatica was the one system that just worked. Our legacy systems caused problems.”

Anywhere Access Improves Customer Service

With Acumatica Cloud ERP, SAM’s 125 employees have instant access to critical information and the mobile sales team works from anywhere, on any device.  The sales staff enters information within minutes and the data is instantly in the new system and visible. That’s a vast improvement over information only appearing many days later.

“Our salespeople work remotely, and because of Acumatica, they can dive straight into sales orders and shipments and have information at their fingertips,” Patton says.

The production team now has insight into what sales is booking on a daily basis, and can plan based on actual orders. “We were running blind before,” Patton says. “Now, we can see volume, location, type of product, and managers can prepare and put new orders into the production schedule.”

SAM streamlined its order processing system and can add notes and attachments to orders, and automatically send email confirmations. Thanks to Acumatica Cloud ERP’s integration with other systems, SAM’s sales order demand passes seamlessly to its dispatch and production systems.

Using Acumatica in the cloud allows the two factories to work seamlessly on the same customer orders, information that sales can access to learn of any delays and inform customers in real-time. Customers get automatically notified of shipment information as soon as that information is posted in Acumatica Cloud ERP, which removes the need for sales to phone the customer.

Improved Customer Experience

While the automatic notification may appear like a small feature, it improves SAM’s customer experience and enhances its focus on offering superior customer support. “If a mistake is made by us, no matter what it is, there’s often a cost involved,” Patton says, explaining they formerly used a disconnected system to try to track those issues.  “Using cases in Acumatica, we can identify them and pick them up as soon as possible. We are very customer centric; without customers we don’t exist, and we try to give the best service possible.”

Another Acumatica Cloud ERP feature that helps improve customer satisfaction is the software’s flexibility, he says. When asked if SAM could incorporate specific customer codes for all transactions, it wasn’t a problem because it was easy to do in Acumatica. SAM was also able to enable electronic ordering or EDI for those customers wanting it, further increasing customer satisfaction. “It’s just the simple things that Acumatica does so well,” Patton says.

SAM plans to create a customer portal that allows its largest customers to log directly into the Acumatica Cloud ERP platform to access secure customer information applicable to that customer. Patton doesn’t have to worry about seat-licenses or added costs for this portal access since Acumatica doesn’t charge per person.

Real-Time Data Improves Decision Making, Forecasting

Executives – no matter where they are – can log into Acumatica Cloud ERP’s built-in dashboards to view orders, the company’s financial status and what’s in production and see up-to-the-minute information to make decisions.

“I am still amazed to think that I can be sitting in a Starbucks drinking a coffee while looking at our ERP solution, but that is the flexibility and usability that all companies should expect nowadays,” Patton says.

“The quote to cash cycle is the lifeblood of our business, and Acumatica has given us the tools to manage it effectively and efficiently every step of the way,” he adds. “We have valuable tools to see what’s coming, to do all our forecasting through dashboards, and focus on key customers.”

Because of Acumatica Cloud ERP’s open API, SAM linked its trucking information to Acumatica “to make life easier for the logistical folks who need to make sure product delivery is routed correctly on the company’s 25 trucks.

SAM has incorporated several third-party applications, connecting them to Acumatica seamlessly.  The company uses B2B Gateway for EDI. “Acumatica’s open API structure also allows us to integrate with our legacy systems until we are ready to replace them. We can see the SQL database and talk to it,” Patton says.

Cloud-based Security Brings Peace of Mind

Having modern software hosted in the cloud, Patton gained a reliable backup system, greater security, and the peace of mind that comes when your data is backed up automatically and securely. “If you rely on your ERP to be the sole repository for your data and business logic, then it must be up-to-date at all times,” he says.

“Acumatica keeps our data safe,” Patton adds, “It was one of the big successes of last year because we had Acumatica in place.”

Pent-Up Demand Spurs Fast Growth

As 2021 unfolds, UK molding manufacturers have been surprised at a great surge in demand, with each month bringing a new sales record, according to one industry magazine.  SAM is riding that wave and looking forward to future growth.

“We’re looking at creating a building company for residential homes,” Patton says. “We know with Acumatica we can spin up a new division easily to facilitate that, and, if we acquire more businesses, Acumatica can continue to grow with us.”