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Expectations, Plex Selection Process, & Planning

As their business expanded rapidly, Dura-Shiloh realized that in North America alone, their facilities were running on a total of seven different ERP Systems. This made it difficult to access consistent data from plant to plant. Terry McKinney, Shiloh Director of Digital Transformation, stated, “We spent more time looking for the right data and cleaning it than we did capturing the data."

The team at Dura-Shiloh made a collective decision to simplify their facilities and switch to a single ERP system to increase both productivity and connectivity. Not only were they looking for one solution, but they also needed a system that was both user-friendly and could easily connect multiple facilities. By simplifying their ERP model and picking one solution that could both store and retrieve their data for reporting, Dura-Shiloh was confident in their ability to improve business and ultimately make more informed decisions moving forward.

Before any implementation could take place, the Dura-Shiloh team spent seven months strategizing and designing a method that would later be used to simplify the implementation process from one plant to the next. A team of employees was formed, including project managers, system analysts, and shop associates, to ensure that all areas of the business were being represented in the implementation process. By developing a common model, Dura-Shiloh found a process that worked for everyone and can be expanded upon in the future as they continue to grow and acquire new business.

When Plex was introduced as a potential ERP solution, the Dura-Shiloh team quickly determined that it would bring invaluable assets to the day-to-day workflow. Not only could Plex be implemented across all Dura-Shiloh locations, but the features within Plex’s ERP were created specifically for manufacturers, appealing to Dura-Shiloh’s business model. By making the initial process a dual effort between Plex and Dura-Shiloh, both teams were able to communicate requirements and determine exactly what Plex was capable of in conjunction with Dura-Shiloh’s expectations. The design process that was created allowed the team to easily combine Plex and Shiloh resources and better visualize the implementation. They also visited several representative sites to gather different implementation requirements and better understand the process before implementing themselves.

Implementations 1-15 & Advice

Shiloh partnered with Plex Professional Services to build and execute an implementation plan targeting deploying a standard solution model across their facilities. Since their initial implementation with Plex, Dura-Shiloh has fully implemented 14 additional plants. McKinney described these implementations as “flawless” and stated that now, “everybody can talk the same talk.” With one ERP system in place, all Dura-Shiloh facilities have a common language, and all team members are on the same page. Not only has this allowed communication to be streamlined but connectivity has drastically improved, too.

Dura-Shiloh’s Plex implementation yielded positive results quickly. As one example, physical inventory is checked on a yearly basis. After their first physical inventory check post-Plex implementation, one facility described how they had less than 1% material variance.

From one implementation to the next, the Dura-Shiloh team has become more accustomed to the process and gained more confidence. As they’ve found additional ways of measuring progress and success with each new facility that implements Plex’s ERP system, the process has also become more efficient. The learning curve of the initial implementation helped Dura-Shiloh prepare for future acquisitions and a transition to a high level of self-sufficiency. During the first two implementations, Dura-Shiloh had a Plex delivery consultant available on-site to answer any questions that employees may have had. After working closely with Plex and developing a strong internal implementation team that met consistently and provided support to the team when it was needed, Dura-Shiloh felt confident moving forward with more limited Plex assistance.

Given that Dura-Shiloh implementations are done on a plant-by-plant basis, the team has had the ability to carry out preliminary meetings with each plant prior to their Plex implementation. An additional kick-off meeting also takes place once the implementation process has started, ensuring that all steps of the process are outlined, and everyone understands the timeframe and expectations. All associates on the plant floor are trained directly on the Plex system, further ensuring success during each transition.

By having strong executive sponsorship and a centralized governance model, Dura-Shiloh was able to maintain a common configuration and deployment approach throughout their rollout. This allowed them to quickly deploy each site live on Plex in under 16 weeks, an exceptionally expedient benchmark for an ERP deployment.

In the coming months, Dura-Shiloh has plans to take the next steps in their road to Industry 4.0. With 15 implementations already under their belt, the team is confident in their ability to self-implement moving forward. As they continue to expand business through acquisition, the possibilities are endless for Dura-Shiloh with Plex in their corner.