The Company: About L.D. Davis Industries
Started in 1926, L.D. Davis Industries is North America’s premier and largest protein adhesive compounder and one of the top glue suppliers in the country. They pride themselves on industry-leading, innovative products that provide the best quality protein, hot melt and water-based adhesives for their customers. Their mission is to “build life-long bonds” with customers, vendors and employees.
The Situation: Disparate Systems
L.D. Davis was previously functioning on disparate systems, a combination of SAGE CRM, homegrown software and paper and pencil documentation/ tracking. Specifically, production scheduling was handwritten which was time consuming and prone to errors. As a made-to-order manufacturer, they needed the ability to track product formulation to provide quality metrics and traceability for their customers. The company’s unique ability to bid on distressed materials required a system that compares use of these materials with the purchase of regular raw materials. Lack of visibility by stakeholders throughout the company prohibited a clear picture of processes, inventory and customer orders.
The Solution: ProcessPro ERP
L.D. Davis selected ProcessPro’s fully integrated ERP solution to bring together all areas of manufacturing, as well as unite different geographical locations of their business. They based their purchasing decision on ProcessPro’s ability to support adhesive manufacturers with their industry specific software, as demonstrated by their long-time success implementing to batch process manufacturers. In addition, L.D. Davis desired a true business partner to grow with their company and support their business goals.
L.D. Davis implemented ProcessPro’s ERP software which enabled them to track all areas of production within one system and offered the ability to share information among stakeholders, increasing visibility within the organization. “Our Implementation Specialist kept us grounded when we had delusions of grandeur, encouraged us when we hit walls and was an invaluable wealth of knowledge,” Halee Ellis, Office Manager said. “It was great for us to have someone in-house that was intimately familiar with the base programming and add-ons/customization programming our company had chosen.” ERP implementation improved L.D. Davis’s productivity, streamlined their manufacturing processes and decreased costs, all of which improved their bottom line. L.D. Davis found that their new ERP software solution enabled everyone within the company to understand the big picture of operations. This cross-company visibility helped with team building, as employees now understand the value and function of each role within the organization.
The Results: ProcessPro ERP Implementation Benefits
Streamlined Processes
Streamlined manufacturing has changed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the better and allows products to be processed, packed and shipped quickly and efficiently, enabling L.D. Davis to remain competitive in the marketplace. Automating order processing, inventory functions and production scheduling decreased errors previously caused by manual procedures.
Accurate Product Costing
L.D. Davis’s unique need for cost comparisons between normal raw materials and distressed materials is readily accounted for in the new ERP solution, providing a system that meets the specialized needs of the adhesive products industry.
Product Formulation
Custom formula creation includes manufacturing instructions documentation and quality control test provisions with recipe formulation to decrease time spent on tedious calculations. ProcessPro’s industry specific ERP solution makes it easy to manage multiple formulas and track revisions.
Real-time Information and Reporting
“The ability to see usage and demand for our glue products in real-time has been a real game changer for us,” said Ellis. Information is more readily retrievable, with individual stakeholders now able to access reports/functions that display the information they need most. Business Intelligence (BI) functionality has succeeded in enabling L.D. Davis to better track orders, recognize order patterns and analyze lead times to identify inefficiencies and make adjustments as needed for both the short and long-term.
Improved Communication
Communication has improved for L.D. Davis with both customers and vendors. They are now able to store customer information in one location, accessing contact information, order history, shipping logistics and specific customer preferences to provide better service to their customers. Vendor communication has also benefited, as ProcessPro’s ERP solution allows direct delivery of purchase orders, complete with product specific information necessary for accurate materials delivery.
