Accu-tech EMS Ltd. is a full-service contract electronic manufacturer located in Kitchener, Ontario. Since 1987, Accu-tech has provided high quality innovative manufacturing solutions to the electronics industry.

For many years, Accu-tech EMS Ltd. ran their business using multiple Access Databases and many manual processes. Through growth, it became evident that an integrated solution was required to streamline their business processes.

Accu-tech EMS researched the ERP marketplace, and selected the VISUAL Enterprise System in April 2002. According to Jason Spencer, ERP Systems Analyst for Accu-tech, “VISUAL stood out above the rest. It encompassed all of the functionality we needed in an integrated solution.”

Accu-Tech implemented the entire system in under five months and kept within their original budget. What made the implementation successful was having a detailed plan and milestones. “The Shop 9000 implementation team helped us manage the implementation process right from the start. During the initial kick-off meeting, they presented a very detailed review of the system flow, and explained which areas of the software we needed to implement. We then worked together to develop a detailed project charter identifying what we needed to do to accomplish our goals. We lso identified the key objectives and milestones that we wanted to meet. This plan formed the foundation for our entire implementation.” adds Jason Spencer.

It was more than just a good plan that made Accu-Tech's implementation so successful it was the team. The group was organized, responsive, cooperative, and dedicated to the project. Spencer comments, “During the entire implementation we had virtually no absenteeism. All of our team members were active participants, and dedicated to the project. The Shop 9000 consultants did a great job of explaining the process, and whenever we had questions, they took the time we needed to work through them. If they were ever unsure of an answer, they researched it, and came back with the answers we needed quickly. We remained focused on our plan and met each of our milestones.”

Since implementing the VISUAL system, Accu-tech has realized some significant benefits. Spencer describes, “We used to keep manual track of our inventory levels. With the VISUAL system, all of the information is available at our fingertips. Today, all of our buying is done in one day, where it used to take weeks before. We're also able to operate with lower inventory levels and much better control over our materials. In the past, we were working with several four inch binders and had to keep manual track of our inventory levels.”

For Accu-tech, the biggest return on investment is timesavings. Spencer continues, “We can really see the impact of the system on our time. The integration of the VISUAL system is fantastic. I am able to quickly look up information on the system and get the answers I need. In the past, I had to contact multiple people, and research multiple systems to get the same information.

Our accounting processes have also been streamlined. We used to run two accounting systems, and all of the transactions had to be manually posted to each ledger making the month end reconciliation process very tedious. Today, with one integrated accounting system, less people are required to maintain the same amount of work, which has freed up time to focus on other areas of the business.”