Mechanical Servants repackages a variety of convenience-sized beauty and health care products into compact travel-packs for retail outlets. We are constantly battling to attain and hold a slim competitive edge over our major competitors. The slightest misstep in pricing, packaging, or delivery can quickly shift the advantage to another supplier. Success in this business demands a first rate ERP system. Our former system tended to bloat inventory because it didn't allow us to precisely gauge sales flow and track how fast different product packages were selling. We clearly know that our next system had to truly meet ALL our needs in terms of capabilities, cost, and comprehensive support. We looked at five vendors, and there were some very big name brands among them. MasterToolsTM offered critical capabilities that enabled us to implement a "just-in-time" production and distribution strategy, that keeps us very competitive, When we considered performance and total cost of ownership, MasterToolsTM was by far the most reasonable alternative we saw. The system flexibility and minimal customization requirements were impressive. MasterToolsTM gave us exactly what we needed at a price we could afford. Our decision came down to cost, capabilities, flexibility, support, and the power of the underlying database engine. That combination put ONLINE Computing way ahead of the others. MasterToolsTM also has a wonderfully short learning curve. Other vendors said we'd be down for about a month, while our employees learn the new software. Our staff is a real mix of educational and cultural backgrounds and levels of computer literacy, so we thought those depressing estimates were fairly reasonable. ONLINE had our employees comfortably using MasterToolsTM within a couple of days. We cut off sales just prior to a weekend and two days later were back up and running a t full speed. The training was beyond exceptional. It was unbelievable. After all the product comparisons are done and the pricing gymnastics are over, as the buyer of a mission-critical system, you are left with the one question that really gives you a queasy feeling . Which company can I trust to treat us well In the years ahead? Since switching to ONLINE, we've come to realize the true value of vendor commitment. Most vendors are there for you at the start, but they soon fade away. ONLINE has always been there for us. We now view ONLINE Computing as a partner rather than simply a vendor.
The automotive business is extremely competitive. In order to survive, you have to constantly improve your products, reduce costs, deliver on time, and quickly adjust to rapidly changing customer needs. Companies that can't, soon disappear. So, we all tend to rely on advanced business management systems to gain a competitive edge. After more than eight years of struggling with a home-grown ERP software solution that consisted of separate systems for accounting, manufacturing, quality control, and shipping, I decided it was time for a comprehensive ERP system that would integrate all of our mission-critical functions. We looked at eight different systems . several from large well-known vendors. Most were far too generic for our industry-specific needs. We have to be able to trace individual parts back through the entire manufacturing and supply to trace individual parts back through the entire manufacturing and supply process. We also have to be ISO 9000 and QS 9000 certified. Both require extensive documentation. There was just no other system within reasonable price parameters that let us manage those requirements as well as MasterToolsTM. MasterToolsTM fit our needs with very little customization. However, we did need a few modifications and ONLINE quickly created them for us. Unlike many other software vendors, those modifications didn't become costly add-ons. It makes me feel good that they listen and continually improve the product to serve our changing needs. Another important consideration was the operating system and hardware. ONLINE was able to provide the server and support for our operating system. We run MasterToolsTM on Linux and it works beautifully. Cost was also a major factor. I couldn't afford the kind of money that a General Motors or a large tier one supplier is able to throw at the problem.
The MasterToolsTM cost:benefit ratio really gives us a tremendous advantage. Simply put, MasterToolsTM provides a completely integrated set of capabilities that are as good as often better than other systems costing a great deal more. I can do everything my larger competitors can at a fraction of the cost. For us, MasterToolsTM is an ideal solution.
