NORFOLK, VA
New full-featured enterprise resource planning system implemented at 40% of the cost of “big name” legacy vendors
EMSEAL Joint Systems recently mastered the “project management triangle” — fast delivery, excellent quality and cost-effectiveness — with their implementation of xTuple, the world’s #1 open source ERP.
xTuple CEO Ned Lilly notes, "EMSEAL is a great example of a smart company using open source ERP to create competitive advantage for itself in its market space. They're also great members of the xTuple open source ecosystem, actively engaging in testing and feature discussions; they understand that their involvement in the community creates an even greater return on their technology investment."
According to EMSEAL I/T Manager Keith Rauseo, the company had outgrown their legacy system of spreadsheets and home-grown manufacturing software, which lacked key functionality in purchasing and inventory control. EMSEAL’s two corporate entities, with a large amount of intra-company purchasing, necessitated customized data transfer capabilities. Their business complexity was further challenged by a multi-dimensional sales commission structure, outside the native capabilities of most ERP systems.
EMSEAL management researched several legacy business management software vendors, including SAP, Microsoft, Sage and Epicor, but ultimately chose xTuple after testing and piloting with the free and open source xTuple PostBooks, downloaded over one million times. Overall EMSEAL spent approximately six months of research and investigation followed by a year of piloting, following xTuple Implementation Methodology.
Rauseo said open source played an important part in the decision to select xTuple ERP: “We expected a need for significant customization and new module development which could be best accomplished in an open source environment, and we also appreciated the ability to reference the source code to do our own problem resolution.”
According to Rauseo, “xTuple offered the best functionality and flexibility with much lower up-front and ongoing expenses.”
Implementation of the full-featured xTuple ERP system was not only on-time, it was under budget – approximately 40% of the cost of other “big name” products, according to EMSEAL management. Moreover, significant improvement in inventory control using xTuple ERP saved the equivalent of weeks of EMSEAL employee time every month within the company’s manufacturing and accounting teams.
Rauseo says, “The quality of support xTuple provides is just excellent. Far and away the most personal attention I have seen from a software vendor. The issue reporting capability, coupled with fast response time and occasional fixes within one or two business days, which one can often apply immediately, leads to a great customer-vendor relationship.”
“What makes xTuple different is the people AND the product. I like xTuple employees and have found everyone I’ve worked with to be helpful, responsive, and knowledgeable, not just about xTuple, but about ERP in general. The base system did a lot of what we needed to do, and it’s been relatively easy to build the other things we needed. It is quite easy to administer,” said Rauseo.
Approximately half of EMSEAL employees work with xTuple Standard Edition daily, using all of xTuple’s modules, including Products, Inventory, CRM, Sales and Manufacturing. EMSEAL also uses a Fixed Assets module, developed by an xTuple partner, to record and manage maintenance orders on equipment, and the xTuple Connect product for complete email/EDI integration and extensive job scheduling that runs throughout every business day and off-hours.
An active participant in new xTuple development, EMSEAL sponsored the Enhanced Commissions module and participated in xTuple’s first “Feature Mob” which resulted in adding integrated email to xTuple Connect. xTuple recently launched Feature Mob 2 to crowd-fund the development of thirty new features most-requested by the xTuple community.
“Overall, we just run more efficiently and data is more visible and accessible to everyone on the team with xTuple,” added Rauseo.
Using xTuple ERP benefits for EMSEAL include:
- On time, on budget implementation with limited internal resources, especially while extracting and loading data from an older system while simultaneously developing custom modules.
- Huge, cost-effective improvement in operations included efficiency and accuracy in inventory control, purchasing and order entry.
- Better positioned for growth due to improved productivity, now with a scalable, supported solution.
- Easy-to-customize, open source system allowed for custom-developed modules added onto the base functionality.
- Effective, responsive, knowledgeable and speedy support and consulting assistance.
- Instilled an operating discipline and processing rules that did not exist in the earlier system.
Rauseo will share EMSEAL's experience at the upcoming xTupleCon global user conference October 10-12, 2013.
Tweets
Says @EMSEALtoday: Quality + under-budget (40%) + on-time with #xTuple #opensource #ERP | http://ow.ly/oql9Y
Saved weeks of employee time monthly in #manufacturing #accounting teams with #xTuple #ERP | http://ow.ly/oql9Y
About xTuple, the world’s #1 open source ERP
Award-winning xTuple, makers of the world’s leading suite of open source accounting, Corporate Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), is supply chain management software for growing businesses to control their operations and profitability. xTuple integrates all critical functional areas in one modular system: sales, financials and operations — including customer and supplier management, inventory control, manufacturing and distribution — the powerful tools to Grow Your World®.
As a commercial open source company, xTuple works with a global community of tens of thousands of professional users. xTuple gives customers the ability to tailor solutions with multi-platform support for Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile as well as flexible licensing and pricing options. Connect with the company at www.xTuple.com, and join the innovation conversation with the open source community at www.xTuple.org.
About EMSEAL Joint Systems, LTD
EMSEAL, based in Massachusetts and Ontario, is the leading innovator and manufacturer of premium sealants and expansion joint systems for the commercial construction industry and specialty gasketing applications. EMSEAL has provided sealant and expansion joint systems for some of the world’s most famous structures, like the Empire State Building, the Guggenheim Museum, Lambeau Field, the Mall of America, and the CN Tower. The Sustainable Business Leader Program (SBLP) has recognized EMSEAL as a leader in sustainable business practices and a partner in the effort to debunk the myth that companies must choose between profitability and sustainability. http://www.emseal.com