Mack “Goes Live” with New ERP System

ARLINGTON, Vt. – While football, family dinners and free time are the norm for many on New Year’s Day, it was quite a different picture at Mack Molding’s three Vermont plants in Arlington, East Arlington and Cavendish, where some 50 employees ushered in 2004 by putting the finishing touches on a new ERP (enterprise resource planning) system that went “live” today.Nearly a year in the making, the transition to MAPICS ERP software will help Mack meet customer requirements more effectively and efficiently, according to Jeff Somple, president of Mack’s Northern Operations. “It is no longer enough for suppliers to manufacture products efficiently; they also have to manage the ever-changing requirements from customers without significantly impacting cost and time-to-market. This system will help streamline that process.”

Mack expects to reap several advantages from the new system, including shorter lead times, faster time-to-market, lower operations costs, improved customer relations, streamlined outsourcing processes, improved manufacturing throughput, reduced inventory levels, lower scrap and waste, better equipment uptime, greater on-time delivery performance and faster payment of receivables.

“We will implement Phase 2 of the system by mid-summer, which will incorporate additional software to manage workflow, electronic commerce, and expanded reporting, quoting and shop floor capabilities,” says Wanda Knowles, director of information technology.

Mack runs the MAPICS ERP software on an IBM iSeries server. Cistech, a leading manufacturing consultant, serves as implementation partner providing technical expertise and on-site education and training.

Headquartered in Atlanta, MAPICS is already the software provider for Mack Molding’s plant in Statesville, N.C. Its ERP software will also be implemented in Mack’s Inman, S.C., facility by late-spring 2004, thus standardizing all manufacturing systems throughout Mack Molding.

For further information about the MAPICS software implementation at Mack, contact Wanda Knowles, wanda.knowles@mack.com.

About Mack
Mack is a full-service contract manufacturer that specializes in plastics design, prototyping and molding, as well as sheet metal fabrication. The company operates 12 facilities throughout the eastern United States, Mexico and Scotland totaling 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing space. For further information, call 802-375-2511.

About MAPICS
MAPICS is the largest global solutions provider focused exclusively on manufacturing. MAPICS solutions include software – extended ERP, CRM and supply chain management – and professional services. The solutions are implemented on the two industry-leading technology platforms – Microsoft and IBM. For more information, visit www.mapics.com.