Innovation in Aluminum Fabrication

Learn how IQMS' manufacturing-specific ERP solution has helped Linn Products achieve their highest levels of success.

Video Transcription:
Joe Kolwick, General Manager: Randy Linn started the company back in 1980. He started out with just a fabrication shop to begin with. He ended up investing, he bought a press, then he bought a second press for the extrusion line. So basically he took it from a fabrication shop to a “one stop” shop. We go all the way from the extrusion, fabrication, through the anodizing department. We have light assembly, and when we finish it, it goes out of here as a finished component and goes straight to the customer.

We basically do automotive, and then we do some architectural. Hinges, geared hinges, and then there are a lot of automotive components; sunroof rails, we do rear sliders for the rear windows; there is just a multitude of projects that we do. Business has been great, we’re booming, probably getting close to maxed out, but there is still some opportunity open.

Tom Nowicki, Engineering Manager: The system we had previously didn’t really allow for really any engineering use at all. It was basically a database for shipping and receiving, and for accounting purposes. So everything was offline and on paper. IQMS, what it did is it allowed us to have not only the manufacturing, but project management tied into it a lot better. We were able to accurately tie in project planning and cost tracking, and tooling builds with our Accounting Department and our Tooling Department. We were a lot more able to keep track of everything going on and at the end of a project, be able to reconcile everything and close it out. The previous software didn’t allow for any of that.

Julie Bryant, Customer Service Supervisor: One of the greatest things that works for me is when I have a customer call and say “I’ve had an inventory loss. Do you have any inventory?,” I can punch it right up and see it now. I don’t have to actually walk out on the floor and find it, see how many we have. It’s right there at my fingertips while I’m on the phone with the customer so I don’t have to call them back now. I can just tell them what I have and if they need it expedited, we’re on it. The data that we receive out of IQMS and the knowledge from the people that we have here, is the greatest tool that we can offer our customer.

Tony Jones, Quality Manager: In my department, we use three primary modules. The Inspection; where we collect all of our quality data from the floor. Our Document Control is used very broadly throughout the company. It eliminates everybody having a document stashed on their hard drive. And we also use the Calibration Module extensively, and it’s worked out really well for us. In all of these activities, we’re able to use IQMS efficiently and it works out really good for us.

I‘ve worked in automotive manufacturing since I was eighteen years old. It’s the culture here, when you work in manufacturing in Michigan. Whether you’re putting the wheels on a finished vehicle, or you’re taking a billet, a “log” essentially of aluminum, and turning it into a very high precision functional part of a sunroof, there is pride in that. It’s amazing!

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