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RamBase June 29, 2020 4 min read

Factory optimizes their internal processes to fit their new Cloud ERP System.

“We saw a great need for a more integrated system than we had: planning, production, and documentation needed to be linked in one solution,” says supply chain manager at Kristiansand Skruefabrikk og Mekaniske Verksted (KSMV), Lars Lohne, who was responsible for the implementation of their new Cloud ERP System RamBase.

He explains that their previous solutions were lacking in focus on the product supply chain and on production, and over the years the company had gradually become stuck in solutions and processes that they didn’t get enough value from.

“We had built ourselves into a lot of technical and organizational debt, and therefore saw it as necessary to modernize both and to implement a solution that was better connected,” says Lars.

 

Factory in Norway optimize their processes with RamBase

Kristiansand Skruefabrikk and Mekaniske Verksted (KSMV) is an established, traditional company in the mechanical industry that has, through ups and downs, grown to become one of Norway’s most advanced mechanical workshops.

A workforce of over 100 employees provides mechanical services; machining and welding for both national and international customers in a wide range of industries, with most of them being in the oil and gas sector; offshore and subsea segments.

 

“Our business is highly affected by the ebbs and flows of the industry, so for us, it is crucial to position ourselves in a way that prevents the hard times from being detrimental; to smooth out the waves,” says Lars.

 

He further explains that their new Cloud ERP system RamBase has added crucial visibility into the operation; that RamBase has made it easier to navigate using process status and find where various tasks are located in the process. Internally in the company, it has also added more confidence to the data, established more control over the flow of goods, and clear responsibilities to show who’s holding the baton.

“Having more control and more transparency creates great value for our day-to-day operations; that the processes work and that we can see where it stops so that we can quickly go in and fix it,” says Lars.

 

He adds that those who monitor the system today have seen major changes from the way things used to be; changes that directly strengthen the workflow in the business. This comes as a result of a comprehensive implementation process characterized by good collaboration with RamBase partner Mazeppa Consulting.

Lars in KSMV is a RamBase Customer sharing his expirience

“The transition from project-controlled order processing to a solution where we could see the flow through the factory with products and related product structures was a big transition for us. We devoted resources to learning RamBase internally in the company, so we spent a lot of time with Mazeppa, and with them, we made the necessary organizational changes to get process owners in the different areas into RamBase,” says Lars.

 

Something that became clear early on was that KSMV did not want to adjust too much in RamBase, but rather to use the system right out of the box.

“We made the assessment that we would make the least possible adjustments in the system, so as not to create more loose threads. We would rather make changes internally and adapt the organization to fit RamBase,” says Lars.

 

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This involved some structural changes within the organization; adjusting responsibilities and making alterations around planning and also building structure into the system. The result has been that RamBase is now being used on a full scale at KSMV today, and although not all functions are currently in use, the plan is for all functions in the platform to be in active use in the organization as soon as possible.

“With RamBase, we have control over processes and deliveries, which helps us to better meet our obligations to our customers. This again helps us maintain the confidence we have with our customers, which in turn has secured our growth,” Lars adds.

 

According to Lars, the plan for the future is primarily to stabilise and optimise the internal processes towards RamBase. Furthermore, the focus is on expanding integration with other systems while also exploring and getting to know other features of RamBase that KSMV will be able to take advantage of. His attitude is that the learning process is not over and that integrating the system with our business is ongoing. 

“We’re focused on learning right now; you always have a certain set of parameters when entering into such a project, and then you go live and learn to let go of some of the mechanisms that you thought would work, but which weren’t as you intended. We want to take part in all the changes and developments together with RamBase,” says Lars and concludes:

 

“The ERP journey isn’t over as soon as you’ve implemented a new ERP system: that’s when the job truly begins.” 

 

See how another RamBase customer uses their Cloud ERP system:

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