Miller-St. Nazianz, Inc.
Agricultural Manufacturing
Mobile App & Supplier Portal
Story
Miller is a manufacturer of sprayers used in the agricultural industry. Having been in business for over 100 years, the company has grown substantially. IFS ERP utilization aided much of the development.
As Miller expanded, one of the company’s most pressing needs was to find a way to collaborate with their suppliers without wasting efforts on time-consuming activities such as sending numerous emails or faxing purchase orders. While these actions did allow them to stay connected with the suppliers, Miller knew it could improve processes by implementing additional solutions that integrated with IFS.
Miller also discovered the need for enhanced efficiency within Production. To improve, they needed to leverage modern technological tools such as mobile devices. It was crucial for Miller to find an organization that provided IFS compatible products and services.
Solution
Michael Krahn, Miller IT Director, first encountered Nayo Technologies at an IFS conference and was immediately impressed with their IFS knowledge and experience. Nayo’s ability to develop and implement solutions that integrate with IFS would provide Miller with exactly what it needed.
“The biggest reason to go with Nayo was their strong partnership and integration with IFS,” said Krahn. Many years of experience working with IFS Applications has made Nayo particularly adept at technical services.
Krahn worked with the Miller purchasing department and compiled the proposed system requirements for the Supplier portal. Nayo played an important role in the solution planning, and was able to deliver the tools that best met the requirements of all involved.
Nayo collaborated with Miller and implemented IFS compatible solutions, most notably a Supplier Portal that allowed the company to connect electronically with its suppliers, and also the mobile application iKanban.
The Nayo Supplier Portal, an IFS ERP add-on, provided Miller with the means to better connect with its suppliers. Not only can suppliers easily acknowledge when they receive a purchase order, they also confirm critical data components of it back to Miller.
The Supplier Portal also includes the Request for Quotation of purchased parts (RFQs) and the exchange of the Engineering part drawings and support documentation.
The portal processes are exception-based, which means the purchasing department only needs to address and acknowledge exceptions to the purchase orders.
The iKanban app runs on Apple mobile devices like iPods and iPads. The Miller Fab Department in Production is using this app to create KanBan replenishments, which essentially creates a shop order automatically for the parts needed on a weldment.
By scanning the barcodes of items that needed to be replenished, iKanban reduces human error and mitigates the risk of the wrong product being ordered.
Benefits
Supplier Portal and iKanban improved efficiency by eliminating numerous steps previously taken to fill requisitions and process purchase orders. Multiple tasks can be completed quickly thanks to the functionality of the Nayo solutions.
With enhanced speed and accuracy, more time can be spent on important tasks and costly mistakes are kept at a minimum, ultimately leading to increased profitability.
This is no longer an issue because suppliers now easily acknowledge through the portal when they receive a purchase order. Confirming PO’s through the portal forces suppliers to acknowledge the qty, date and price of the PO line. They cannot be accepted unless these elements are acknowledged, which ultimately requires the supplier to comply with these specifications.
Nayo Difference
Miller did not have internal resources with the expertise required to work on leading-edge mobile and web app technology projects. It had to depend on a service provider that had experience, possessed in-depth knowledge of IFS, and offered an unmatched level of support.
Nayo Technologies, an IFS Service Partner, met all of the requirements. In addition to creating first-class business applications, Krahn had peace of mind knowing that they were in the hands of a company that knew exactly how to integrate them with IFS.
“The biggest reason to go with Nayo was their strong partnership and integration with IFS.” – Michael Krahn