It was a joke I heard about 15 years ago. I was sitting in a presentation about MES, Manufacturing Execution Systems, and software such as Wonderware and AEGIS to manage batch-based production. The presenter noted that the most common MES in use is Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (MES, get it?). It was both funny and accurate because we see it all the time. We see it in small and very large companies, spreadsheets being used to track critical data or import data into an ERP system or label software. We also hear people refer to spreadsheets as a database, which is hazardous thinking for the integrity of your data!
Here at EMP, we keep our own informal and internal spreadsheet. It includes the most common ERP systems we see our customers using, what type of business they are in, and what additional bolt-on software they also use to run their business. What WMS or MES goes best with what ERP.
It takes 5 to 10 years to get one of our account managers up to speed. This time is necessary because they need to get a ton of product knowledge in their heads. They also need to understand our customers’ business; what hardware and software products best suit their needs. Our account managers average 18 years of experience in our industry, working to help automate the operations of companies like yours.
We see the big picture. We will ask what software you are running your business with. We will know when you should and should not try incorporating RFID into your operations. We will know which label printing software and label printers will work best for your application. We will know which barcode scanner you should use. We know because this weird, little IT niche of barcoding, RFID, and machine vision is all we do. When I meet someone and they ask me what I do for a living, I say I am with a boutique IT company, helping customers automate their warehouse and manufacturing operations. Elevator speech done!
All that, plus integrity. Having the fortitude to debate with you about not spending dollars on automation that we know from experience will be a waste of money. We know this because we have seen our competitors sell it to another company like yours and it is sitting in the corner with dust covering it. RFID is a prime example of that. Our competitors who only sell RFID will try to fit that technology into all their customer opportunities. But you can often do the job better and for far less money just by scanning barcodes. It is not as glamorous, but it gets the job done for less money and with less complexity.
Contact us today to put our experienced team to work for you!