The Company
Virginia Semiconductor, Inc. (VSI) is a recognized leader in manufacturing customized silicon substrates. Their batch size is small, but their product quality sets the standard for the industry. The company's philosophy is "build today for tomorrow's future."

The Situation
In the mid-80's VSI changed its focus from commodity to customized production. This move created a problem for Director of Manufacturing Brad Miller. The company needed a reliable computer program to confidently track inventory and production, but had no experience in software purchasing. "We knew there were accounting packages available on the market, but they were not specific to manufacturing," said Miller. "We did not know enough to make a decision."

The Response
VPMEP Project Manager Paul Zirkel met with VSI employees to define the unique software needs of the company. Once the preferences of people from departments as diverse as research, manufacturing, and accounts payable were weighed, VPMEP identified three software packages that met the client's criteria. Product demonstrations were made and VSI selected a system.

The Results
The new system will allow better control of manufacturing processes, faster access to products, the ability to quickly identify off-the-shelf inventory, and will help control purchasing and scheduling. Virtually every step of the process, from order taking through shipping and billing, will be more efficient. "We used to track quality and production by hand several times a day. The software will allow us to enter the information once and improve our consistency. The software will also help with problem-solving," said Miller.

Management's Comment
"I think the new system will facilitate the growth we are anticipating," said VSI President Thomas Digges. "The new software will help us track costs and consumables better and improve scheduling. The strength of VPMEP is the technical expertise - real world people who have gone through similar types of problems," said Digges. "A small organization like ours doesn't always have the intellectual expertise for a particular project. You can pull from VPMEP experience as if you have those people on staff."

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