The manufacturing process employs some of the most advanced pieces of machinery in North America today and through sophisticated technology, a positive workforce and a commitment to quality, Steelway has achieved success locally, nationally and internationally. Computer systems play an important role in the company. A 50-station local area network allows sharing of files, modems, and print services throughout the office and plant. It is also the vehicle for the client/server based Manufacturing Information System that handles all aspects of the organization.

The Right Technology
To manage the business and manufacturing processes, Steelway has relied on the VISUAL Manufacturing® System since early 1994. The VISUAL system provides many benefits to Steelway - both in operation flow and reporting. Key to Steelway is the flow of information in the VISUAL system. With VISUAL, once an order is entered into the system, it can be followed through the entire process, from manufacturing right through to shipping.

"Our jobs take about 10 weeks from start to finish. All jobs are made to order using a flow through process where all ending inventories are loaded directly on to the truck. The VISUAL system manages the inventory and purchasing areas very well which has helped us to reduce our costs, and provide accurate costing." Says Brian Blazey, Controller of Steelway Building Systems.

Another key feature of VISUAL is part traceability. According to Blazey, "When we receive steel, each shipment is assigned a unique tag number. Steel has to undergo a metallurgical test at the mill when it is manufactured. When we receive a copy of the mill test report, we review it to ensure that the steel will meet the specified detail in the purchase order. If there is a problem with a manufactured part we use VISUAL's part traceability feature to locate the exact tag number and shipment." Being an ISO 9001 registered company, the quality of materials is critical.

Success With Shop 9000
"Steelway has been a VISUAL user for many years and has seen the product through several stages and releases." When Steelway initially purchased the system, they only implemented the manufacturing side of the system. "Prior to release 3.1, the financial side of the product was very weak," says Blazey. "But Lilly Software Associates addressed the issues and put the required R&D effort into the financial modules. Today, we use the VISUAL Financials for the presentation of all of our financial statements and reports," adds Blazey.

"On the service side, we have seen Shop 9000 evolve from its inception and we are very pleased with the level of products, training, and services that they provide. One of the best services for us is the Semi-Annual Ontario User Group meeting which is sponsored by Shop 9000. It provides a great opportunity for us to see what's new, exchange ideas with our peers, and participate in some detailed workshops. This November we plan to bring 4 of our company representatives.