Solarsoft Reports New Implementations of iVP Suite

March 1, 2011 Alex Woodie

Solarsoft Business Systems has sold its IBM i-based ERP suite to several new customers, including GW Plastics, one of the 100 largest plastic injection molding firms in the United States, and Autotube, which manufactures tubes and fluid-level indicators for car makers.

Based in Bethel, Vermont, GW Plastics is a growing plastic injection molding company that makes products for the automotive and medical industries. With an award-winning year behind them, and double-digit growth and overseas expansions expected for 2011, the company felt it was time to improve its core ERP system.

GW Plastics was already a user of Mattec, which is Solarsoft’s manufacturing execution system. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that GW Plastics decided to stick with Solarsoft and go with the IBM i-based iVP system for its ERP needs.

“The integration will help us improve the accuracy of our key reporting metrics,” says John Silvia, vice president of manufacturing engineering at GW Plastics. “We’ve always run a tight ship, but the combination of iVP and Mattec will help to further boost our lean manufacturing and Six Sigma programs.”

Designed specifically for discrete manufacturers, the RPG-based iVP suite should help GW Plastics get a handle on the movement of finished and unfinished goods in and out of the company’s factories. “Solarsoft’s out-of-the-box traceability, inventory accuracy and warehousing capabilities are a welcome improvement over our heavily customized legacy system,” says Howard Cook, GW Plastics’ MIS director.

Meanwhile, another iVP installation will soon be underway at Autotube, a Strathroy, Ontario, manufacturer of tubes and dipsticks used for checking coolant and oil levels in automobiles.

Autotube’s legacy ERP system–and particularly its labeling system–was becoming an impediment to business. “Support wasn’t readily available. There was usually a delayed response from the vendor,” states Autotube controller Mike Evans in a press release. “And when your customers include GM, Chrysler, and Toyota, you can’t afford to be waiting around.”

Autotube spent a year evaluating ERP products from various vendors, including Infor, QAD, and Plex, but decided to go with Solarsoft.

Price and experience with automotive suppliers’ ERP systems were the leading reasons why Autotube chose Solarsoft, according to Evans. “As a small business, Solarsoft was the competitively priced, fully integrated option we were looking for,” he says. “And because we don’t have an internal IT department, we’ll benefit from the ability to have the Solarsoft server managed for us off-site.”