McNeal Enterprises is a contract manufacturer specializing in custom plastic components, including machining, fabrication, thermoforming and assembly. Integrated data by Vantage enables McNeal to view historical data for all their products, enabling them to be much more efficient and accurate.
“Implementing Vantage went very smoothly, without any major problems or downtime,” remembers De Anna Godfrey, vice president of business operations and chief financial officer with McNeal Enterprises, Inc., San Jose, Calif. McNeal is a contract manufacturer specializing in custom plastic components, including machining, fabrication, thermoforming and assembly.
“Our Vantage representative was very helpful and the implementation guide recommended a plan of action tailored for our needs,” recalls Godfrey, who adds that they also received excellent training. “We were taught the process flow of how the different Vantage modules are related.
McNeal is a plastics-only facility, working with a wide range of thermoplastic and thermoset materials. “We serve diverse industries across the U.S. and Canada, including semiconductors, computers, instrumentation and medical diagnostics,” explains Godfrey.
Some of the products McNeal makes include components for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, disk drives, tape backup systems, electronic fingerprint ID systems and blood-analysis equipment. “Our products range from very simple to extremely complex ,” notes Godfrey. “Last year we even supplied components used on a Space Shuttle project.”
The company markets its services through trade shows and advertisements in trade journals. "Word of mouth is our best source of business,” explains Godfrey. “When buyers change jobs, they often recommend us to their new employer.”
Godfrey says McNeal’s customers increasingly request wider ranges of services. “They want one supplier who can handle everything, and we’ve broadened our capabilities accordingly. In addition to manufacturing intricate, precision components, we make the protective case or housing and assemble it all together.”
McNeal’s engineering services include metal-to-plastic conversion, which helps customers identify metal parts that could be made more cost-effectively from plastic. “We examine the metal parts and identify the most important properties, such as resistance to stress or heat,” explains Godfrey. “Then we find a plastic that can do the job just as well as metal, for a lower cost.”
The company recently moved into a new, 62,000-square-foot facility, almost tripling its size. “We had outgrown our previous building -- there was no more space for people or machinery,” explains Godfrey.
McNeal’s new facility includes the following areas: machining (both CNC and conventional), quick-turn engineering and prototypes, fabrication and molding, cleaning, polishing, clean room and assembly. McNeal also operates depot facilities in Texas and Colorado, primarily to service specific customers.
Before implementing Vantage in 1996, Godfrey says McNeal experienced numerous reliability problems with its old software system. Because old data was unreliable, Godfrey says McNeal decided to re-enter information rather than converting files. The implementation process took three months; the company went “live” with all its Vantage modules on July 1, 1996. McNeal started Vantage on a Novell network and today has 33 terminals running Microsoft Windows NT.
“In choosing software, we wanted an integrated system that could do everything,” recalls Godfrey. “With Vantage, information flows automatically from orders to jobs, eliminating the need for duplicate data-entry. And Vantage helps us manage our entire operation, from production through accounting.
“Our quoting process was one area that needed improvement,” says Godfrey. “Now we can access previous quotes and be much more efficient and accurate.”
The part tracking capability of Vantage was another strong selling point. “The ability to view historical data by part number for all our products is extremely helpful,” comments Godfrey. “It’s easy to find out when a product was made, how many were sold, what price was used, and how many are in inventory.
“Before Vantage, we also didn’t have Bill of Materials records for each part,” remembers Godfrey. “Now each time we make a part, we know what raw materials are required and all the processes involved.”
Godfrey says Vantage has also improved communication with customers. “We create reports by salesperson, which show the status of their customers’ jobs. It’s very easy for our staff to respond to inquiries and keep customers informed.”
McNeal obtained ISO 9000 certification in early 1999 and Godfrey says Vantage was very helpful in this effort. “Vantage works well with ISO standards,” explains Godfrey. “The system tracks the progress of work through our factory and manages data, ensuring that we follow our documented procedures. It’s more efficient having one integrated software package, rather than every department running something different.”
When McNeal started with Vantage in 1996, they had 25 employees. In just over three years, that number has grown to 115. Additionally, company revenues have more than doubled during that time. “Vantage has enabled us to keep our administrative staff as lean as possible, in spite of our growth,” notes Godfrey.
McNeal is optimistic about the future. “We continue to win contracts and new work,” comments Godfrey. “Our goal is to double revenues again in the next year.
“When your business is growing quickly, you have more important issues to worry about than software, such as staffing, machinery and facilities,” concludes Godfrey. “Your software should support growth, rather than being a limiting factor. I know Vantage will be able to grow with us.”
|