On the Right Trak

Having successfully diversified their sheet metal offering, Hertfordshire-based Ludwick Precision was looking to grow the business. They enlisted the ERP expertise of MIE Solutions UK Ltd to optimise their processes and improve operational efficiency. Here, MD Ryian Ludwick outlines how MIETrak Pro software is proving an essential tool for sustainable success.

Looking at Ludwick’s range of solutions and the variety of sectors it serves, it’s hard to believe the company started out making CPU racking for the MoD. Now, it’s offerings encompass office and commercial interiors, architectural design, and even specialised benches for the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

To make the leap, Ludwick has implemented a meticulous growth strategy, a large part of which has been integrating ERP software from Worcestershire-based providers MIE Solutions UK Ltd, as MD Ryian Ludwick explains:

“I’m a firm believer in processes. Without an operating procedure, you’re not going to grow your company,” he says. “We needed a comprehensive ERP solution to seamlessly change our production inventory and scheduling. MIE Solutions caught our attention for their proven track record in addressing these specific challenges within the manufacturing sector.”

MIETrak Pro ERP Software

MIETrak Pro is MIE Solution’s most comprehensive ERP system. Designed to empower manufacturing companies in overseeing all areas of their operations, it encompasses production planning, scheduling, inventory control, procurement, and quality management. By optimising these processes, MIETrak Pro helps manufacturers enhance their overall efficiency, respond more effectively to customer demands, and boost profitability.

A tailored solution

Designed with flexibility at its core, MIETrak Pro software offers a fully customisable approach to optimising manufacturing processes. “MIE created dashboard widgets for individual departments to optimise the front end for our various users,” Ryian explains.

“Prior to MIETrak we’d use spreadsheets and emails for generating RFQs; now our estimators have standard operating procedures that are faster, smoother, and make it easy to onboard new staff.”

“We’ve also been able to set up all our own inventory categories for consumables and create our own sequential, internal codes for everything. You can change up the whole system to suit your needs and it allows you to go deep. MIE installed a number part generator for us, too, that generates the next available number on orders and avoids double entries.”

Production planning

Alongside stock control, Ludwick is benefiting from MIETrak’s scheduling module to plan and keep track of production on orders. “The backward scheduling feature allows us to enter the delivery date requested by the client and the software gives us a start date for the project,” Ryian explains.

“The scheduling module has improved our operational efficiency and led to more reliable product delivery. It’s also helped communications with our customers on their order status, giving us more transparency, so we can be proactive in contacting them if the system flags a change to the timeframe.”

Real-time data

MIETrak provides real-time kiosk and shopfloor data capture, allowing manufacturers to set their own KPIs and monitor them against tangible results, something Ryian has found invaluable. “For me, one of the most important performance reports within a business is the estimated versus actual,” Ryian shares.

“No matter where I am, I can log into MIETrak and get a visual of what’s happening with the business via real-time data on my dashboard. As a business owner, you want that. The goal is to capture this data and feed it back onto our processes and training, so if we are making a loss on a job, we can implement changes to rectify it quickly.”

Informed decision making

MIETrak’s data-driven productivity analysis has already proved its worth in helping Ludwick identify areas of the business that are primed for investment. “MIETrak monitors our capacity. It will tell you if it’s 100 hours one minute and 50 hours the next due to a lack of resource within the business because someone’s absent or that skillset just isn’t there,” Ryian says.

“The lack of skill in the UK makes it difficult to hit high-volume delivery dates. Based on MIETrak data, we’ve made the decision that, given the projects we’ve got coming in this year, we’re going to struggle unless we hire five more welders – which aren’t available – or bring in a robotic welder, which is arriving in the next month. MIETrak’s allowed us to take a step back and work on the business rather than in it.”

A supportive partner

MIE Solution’s comprehensive training and user onboarding has helped smooth the introduction of the new software – and the MIE Solutions team are always on hand when Ludwick requires assistance, as Ryian says: “MIE have gone out of their way to help tailor the solution to our manufacturing needs. They’ve got excellent customer service and they’re competitive in terms of what other ERP systems are offering.”

“If you’re looking to achieve sustainable growth, MIETrak is a leading software in terms of its flexibility and agility. It isn’t an instant fix, but it is the answer.”