THE LEAP TO ERP (2/3)

So, how to properly choose an ERP?

First of all, it is important to note that we understand perfectly the situation you are in if you are thinking about changing ERPs or implementing an ERP for the first time. This is a situation experienced by many manufacturers who want to modernize their production methods and must choose a software solution to achieve this objective. A solution, on the other hand, whose implementation process is intangible, invisible and immaterial; How can we know in this case that we have made the right choice and that the solution is really optimal for our company? How to be 100% sure that the choice is the right one?

Apart from the cost per se of the solution, a number of additional costs have to be taken into account: a person dedicated to implementation, the time needed to successfully implement the solution, modify an existing method that works (until now and proof of the contrary) and also provide for the training of technicians to learn how to use a new tool. In addition to restructuring part or all of the company, this requires us to rethink the fundamentals and philosophy of the work and be ready to put in the hands of technology a program that will lead (in collaboration with the team Technical) an ensemble of machines, projects, and in general a chain of processes that serve as connectors between each stage of furniture production. A real headache, isn’t it?
Let’s be honest, it’s not just about a simple software purchase here, but a whole new step, almost as important as the day your company was founded.

All changes are difficult in nature, but the way to proactively confront them will make a difference and ensure a successful transition. In order to do this, a software must not only have a good interface, but also a good team, with a thorough knowledge of the processes of the sector and the furniture, serving as support and accompaniment throughout the transition and even after.
The goal is to get a kind of photograph of the company, to transfer it into the software, optimizing its processes and operations and seeking to improve the existing processes. More than ever it is necessary to have a specific ERP solution rather than generic.

If you choose this type of solution, you will really have made the right decision, but you will not know it until the software is operational in your plant. It is a reality. And yet, even if you are convinced that the program is good, the team is worthwhile and other manufacturers are already working with, you will not be guaranteed that the project is 100% successful only when you see it running with your own eyes in your society. We all have a bit of Saint Thomas in us. The question will always arise. Whether with TeoWin or any other software. And anyone who tells you otherwise would not be objective.

Of course, our mission is to reduce your doubts and concerns to the maximum and do everything possible to make the project work. We have a responsibility, but you also have to complete your part. It is necessary to properly allocate the resources to succeed, so it is above all a team effort between our two companies.

Every business is unique. The only thing they have in common is that they all make furniture; the rest is custom-made, like the proper furniture they make.
In this sense Simsa, with its TeoWin software, offers a complete solution for those who really want to manage all the tasks from a single application, or to link the solution to ancillary programs already in place (accounting or otherwise). With a solution of this kind, it will be possible to expand the possibilities, to get new markets and apply new methods that until now remained out of reach.

Our software has a structure that can be adapted to each reality, every sector of activity, including your own. The idea is ultimately to make the software almost invisible and only serves to optimize the whole and that all the cogs and machining of your company are well oiled and efficient. The goal is to save time, avoid mistakes so you can concentrate on what is most important: make furniture and sell, serve the customer and bring him quality furniture at the best price. This is the main objective of this project. We are aware of this, and we want to help you achieving this goal with brio.

So once you are aware that this technological transition will bring new perspectives that previously could not have been materially possible to implement, it is important in the initial study to make a diagnosis of the current situation in order to anticipate A future situation, taking into account its capabilities and functionalities to adapt its organization accordingly. In this sense, Simsa staff is trained to help you make this diagnosis. We are also in collaboration with consulting firms specialized in the diagnosis for furniture companies.

One of the great advantages of a software like TeoWin is its flexibility, that is, its ability to adapt to all types of furniture. We are talking about the ERP applied to furniture manufacturers, but it can also be specified that the solution applies to carpentry as well as large groups. The goal is that the company does not have to adapt to the software, but that the software can adapt to the company. In spite of this, the company must have in mind the line to follow, to know what it wants to achieve and on this basis, TeoWin ERP proposes several ways to arrive at the same result, according to the needs.

The product cycle integration can be total or partial; You can implement a full ERP, or only a part of the ERP; At the level of a production line or only in the workshop, for example. The interesting thing is that the software is malleable as to adapt to a part of the business or in its entirety.

It is also very important, when implementing an ERP, to have the possibility to adapt the software and to make some specific changes relative to each client. For this we have a team of developers that can make changes to fully coincide with your way of working. We have examples like the French group YOU Industrie, the Spanish Alvic Group, Top Form and many others who have requested this type of tailor-made programming.
The originality of Teowin ERP is its versatility, but also its unique interface that can be used by many players in the process chain, giving power to the design office/Technical office as a starting point for the circuit. Each project in Teowin begins with a prototype, and a technical catalog produced by the technical office, in a 3D catalog that includes all the rules of manufacture, materials, costs … and this same catalog will be used by stores or distributors to realize their 3D projects and send back the orders (without having access to confidential production information or costs of course), and thus allow the manufacturer to recover in the same format all the information necessary to manufacture, without typing it again, by directly communicating with the workshop and the machines, and at post-production stages.

As we mentioned above, the ultimate goal the furniture maker is to sell; to do this, we offer solutions to facilitate the sale, management and logistics of all activities arising from these sales. The idea as we have already said is that the software is as discreet and invisible as possible so that each step is naturally integrated into the process chain in a fluid way. The consequence is that you lose as little time as possible, until delivery to the final customer, while reducing the delivery times and avoiding as many errors as possible.
Our software has a number of tools that allow you to track the status of a customer order in real time. There are more than 15 or 20 states depending on the needs of each client. We have clients that have protocols requiring counter-validation or a set of control protocols to start manufacturing.

Once the order has been made, we offer a complete solution for the workshop management with touch screens for each operator station, whether cutting, drilling, assembling, etc. And a barcode or QR code for tracking parts from the beginning of the chain to packing and truck loading. Then we also manage the carrier part, the part related to the stock, with the locations of the materials in the stock and the occupancy rate, or the inventory.

TeoWin also manages defective parts or after-sales service so that they can be quickly reintegrated into the production line and provide a solution to the customer.

For monitoring purposes and to compare or improve actions and processes, Teowin makes available a number of statistics for sales, productivity and a comprehensive analysis of the business evolution.

To sum up, TeoWin ERP is equivalent to several software at the same time, integrated into a single solution, from the same interface and a common database, with permits and different types of users, enabling to encompass the entire product loop, from conception to delivery, through to sales and manufacturing.
When we think about ERP, we usually think about big factories. This is an erroneous perception because ERP can also be set up in a relatively small structure. We have companies with 20 or 30 people who have opted for ERP, precisely because it is essential in these times of competition in the markets, to optimize effectively the resources in order to control the situation at any moment and remain competitive.

On the other hand, because the needs of a large company with 500 to 1000 employees are not the same as a company of 20 or 30 people, Simsa offers two types of solutions: a complete ERP and a more simplified ERP. The first solution meets the needs of a furniture factory that generates volume and works against stock and orders, while the second one would adapt to the activity of carpentry, which is more inclined to carry out manufacturing orders against customer orders and with many tailor-made products. Don’t hesitate to contact our sales to receive all the information you need about each solution.

Once the solution has been chosen and an agreement has made between the 2 companies (manufacturer + software company), this brings us to a crucial step: the implementation.