North Coast Seal abas ERP Implementation Case Study

North Coast Seal abas ERP Implementation Case Study

North Coast Seal ERP Case Study

NCS specializes in the distribution of O-rings but also handles gaskets, plastic materials and any other solution needed for industrial sealing. This creates a great deal of inventory diversity, with some O-rings just a few millimeters wide, up to much larger options. NCS serves industrial companies in a variety of sectors, including natural gas, automotive, aerospace, medical, and snow removal.

Purchasing seals in bulk empowers NCS to pass discounts down to customers, but the company doesn’t compete solely on price. An array of products use NCS’s seals, like natural gas for example – the quality and chemical makeup of the rubber is so critical that trying to offer the least expensive solution leaves customers at risk for using the wrong materials. Some O-rings are made simply to seal, like in a garden hose, in which case a leak is annoying, but not catastrophic like it would be for your gas line. Other O-rings need to hold up to extreme environmental conditions and function flawlessly for years. NCS ensures that their customers get the right seal and material for their application and that each part gets inspected with appropriate measures.

North Coast Seals inspection ERP case study

All of this is possible due to the company’s focus on using technology to gain an advantage over the competition through its inspecting machinery, processes and ERP software.

“We’re different than our competitors because we have a vision machine that inspects O-rings. Not many in the industry have one and, if they do, it doesn’t do what our machine does,” Quality Control Manager, Tim Sasura, noted as he discussed Hector the Inspector, an aptly named machine capable of inspecting more than 100,000 O-rings daily for quality. The day we visited, Hector was set to go through a batch of 18,000 medium-sized O-rings. The process was scheduled and finished in two hours and eight minutes.

Hector does not stand alone. NCS also includes Molly the Measurer in its family of solutions, and it serves to provide precise measurements to ensure O-rings are up to specification.

 

North Coast Seal staff - abas ERP

 

Implementing an ERP system has enabled NCS to further its core goal of using excellence in quality to fuel better customer service. To achieve this, the company is using abas ERP in diverse ways, including user-specific customization, specialized pick ticket and fulfillment scheduling workflows, and reinforcing company culture.

Terry Sasura put the situation simply, highlighting the role abas ERP is playing in helping NCS achieve its goals and build for the future: “North Coast is looking to grow every day, and to have a system that supports what we want to do is really encouraging,” she said.