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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
GENEDGE ALLIANCE 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, GENEDGE ALLIANCE 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 GENEDGE ALLIANCE 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 GENEDGE ALLIANCE
experience as if you have those people on staff."
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