QAD Inc., a provider of enterprise applications and services for global manufacturers, has enabled Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions LLC of Garland, Texas, to apply lean manufacturing principles across its supply chain and increase the efficiency of overall business functions within the company using QAD Enterprise Applications.
Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions LLC, a company within the Construction and Mining Technique division of the Atlas Copco Group (based in
In July 2004, the Atlas Copco Group acquired Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd.’s Drilling Solutions business to form Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions. At the time of the acquisition, the company was running a heavily customized version of QAD MFG/PRO 8.5. With the help of QAD Global Services, Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions decided to upgrade the entire system and remove much of the system customization. Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions was also able to adopt lean manufacturing principles throughout its supply chain, leading to a decrease in operational costs and a streamlining of its manufacturing operations.
“We knew that we needed to upgrade our system, but the idea of jumping several versions at once and implementing across such a vast network of users was overwhelming. We relied heavily on QAD Global Services to help us develop a project plan that was achievable and would help us optimize our business processes,” said Mark van Tassell, IT/IS application services manager, Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions. “We were able to eliminate nearly 300 customizations that were running on the old system as well as move up several versions in one weekend thanks to the in-depth product knowledge and industry expertise of QAD Global Services.”
QAD Global Services employed their Q-Advantage Methodology, and worked closely with the Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions team to help design, develop, test and deploy the system based on Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions’ business and technical requirements. Key activities during the project lifecycle included assessment of the current use of QAD MFG/PRO 8.5, a system audit to review data accuracy, system performance tests, analysis of existing customer code and modifications, evaluation of integrated applications being used, assessment of training requirements, quality assurance, hardware analysis, infrastructure analysis and a detailed project schedule. With the upgrade plan in place and executing several test cycles, Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions was migrated to QAD MFG/PRO eB2.1, in one conversion effort. Key processes such as order-to-cash and procure-to-pay were improved through the upgrade process, allowing Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions to take full advantage of the rich functionality inherent in QAD Enterprise Applications.
“QAD Global Services was excited for the opportunity to help Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions upgrade their current QAD solution. By developing a plan that would take the project from start to finish, QAD Global Services was able to reduce customizations, decrease their operational costs and deliver a seamless upgrade,” said Duane Kotsen, vice president, QAD Global Services. “The team executed a direct upgrade path from QAD MFG/PRO 8.5 to QAD MFG/PRO eB2.1 over a weekend – with no issues. QAD consultants delivered training and developed work aids as well to help Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions take full advantage of their QAD investment.”
QAD Global Services provides manufacturers with an Upgrade Assessment Service Offering to help customers fully evaluate the benefits of upgrading to newer, more powerful versions of QAD Enterprise Applications. The Upgrade Assessment Service Offering utilizes QAD consultants who will provide a company with an expert view of what it will take to upgrade QAD Enterprise Applications on time and on budget. They provide a realistic cost estimate and schedule along with a business case and estimated return on investment analysis, offering companies the confidence that is needed to gain buy-in and budget approval from key stakeholders.
For more information about QAD Global Services and the Upgrade Assessment Service Offering, visit www.qad.com.
