Metal and Sheet Processing

In sheet metal work and machining, everything hinges on precision. Miss a tolerance and the part comes back; lose track of the work order and a machine sits idle; get the cost wrong and a job you thought was profitable is actually bleeding money. In workshops run on manual processes, those three problems usually show up together. This case study walks through how a mid-sized manufacturer turned that around.

Customer Profile

A manufacturing company running CNC machines and sheet metal equipment. 35 employees, 10-plus machines, entirely order-based production.

Challenges Faced

• No Work Order Tracking: Which job ran on which machine, and for how long, was never recorded. The information lived in the shop foreman’s head.
• Unknown Actual Costs: Bids were priced from experience. Whether a job made money or lost it stayed unclear, even once the project was finished.
• Difficulty Tracking Quality: Customer requirements and tolerances went down on paper and got lost during production.

Solution Approach: Manufacturing Management System

• Digital Work Orders: A work order is generated automatically for every order. Operations, durations, and machine assignments all sit in one system.
• Real-Time Cost Tracking: Material, labor, and machine costs are calculated on the spot for each work order.
• Quality Control Module: Specifications and tolerances are held digitally, with control points that kick in automatically during production.

Results Achieved

• Bid accuracy increased by 40%
• Machine utilization rate rose by 20%
• Quality-related return rates decreased by 55%
• Cost deviation per work order reduced by 35%