Fullerton Tool Company

The Company: About Fullerton Tool Company

Fullerton Tool Company is a third-generation, family-owned business that specializes in the design and production of solid carbide cutting tools for a wide variety of industries. Founded in 1942, the company manufactures high-quality end mills, drills, reamers, burrs, saws, keyseat cutters, and other instruments used to cut metal and other materials.

With a primary focus on the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries, Fullerton Tool’s largest domestic customers include industry icons such as Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and Boeing. However, its products are also used by manufacturers in countries around the globe, including China, Singapore, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe. Committed to quality, Fullerton Tool is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

The Situation: Reduce Lead Times

An early adopter of ERP software, Fullerton Tool managed production for many years with an early-stage ERP system. Over time, the ERP product was unable to keep up with the company’s growth, and management decided to upgrade to Global Shop Solutions. ​“At the time, we were struggling to reduce our lead times and still hit customer due dates,” says Gary Bruff, vice president of manufacturing for Fullerton Tool. ​“We needed an ERP solution that provided better visibility into shop floor data. We also wanted a system that could grow with us so we wouldn’t have to go looking for a new one in five or 10 years. Global Shop Solutions’ fully integrated system had what we were looking for in both areas.”

The Solution: Global Shop Solutions ERP

Like most manufacturers, Fullerton Tool operates a bustling shop floor, with up to 2,500 active work orders at any given time. In addition, the company offers several types of services with varying lead times. Some of these services require less than 24 hours to complete. Others can take three or five days, while some require three to four weeks.

To further complicate matters, some areas have to manage orders coming from all of these different services. In such a complex production environment, efficient scheduling of workflow is paramount to delivering the finished product on time. According to Bruff, Global Shop Solutions helps organize, prioritize and schedule jobs in a timely and efficient manner. 

The Results: Global Shop Solutions ERP Implementation Benefits

Since implementing Global Shop Solutions, Fullerton Tool has improved on-time delivery rates by a robust 20 to 30 percent. Bruff attributes this to several factors that produce a better real-time understanding of where each job is in the production process and what might get in the way of on-time completion. These include using the dispatch lists to work on jobs in the correct order and using APS to schedule the more complex jobs that require multiple operations.

“The Work Order History screen is also very helpful,” adds Bruff. ​“On the rare occasions when we do ship late, we review the information, compile the data, and assign a root cause to identify the reasons the job wasn’t completed on time. From there, we can put a plan in place to fix it so we don’t repeat the same mistakes going forward.”

Even more impressive, Fullerton Tool has grown revenues by 40% since implementing Global Shop Solutions. And, according to Bruff, the software has had no problems keeping up. ​“The system provides a great foundation to support our growth because it’s designed to grow with us,” he says. ​“As we add more machines and people, the system scales with us. That’s one of the main reasons we acquired the software in the first place. It doesn’t just fit our current size; it fits what we’re trying to do for the long term.”

“Bottom line is that Global Shop Solutions gives you a complete business management tool. From estimating to shipping to service afterward. It does a great job of covering all the main areas of a manufacturing business.