Sam Roberts and Greg Richardson, the owners of the shop based in Powder Springs, Georgia, are true examples of hard work and dedication. They started out as a few manual machinists and continued to improve their skills day by day to become CNC machinists, programmers, and product development consultants. Through their perseverance and resilience, they have transformed their small shop into a place that can handle projects that range from very small to large parts (up to 30,000 lbs). Their work includes tool and dies, fixtures for manufacturing, hydroform blocks, nuclear/hydro power generation, prototypes, medical parts, packaging equipment, and more. Having been around for over 20 years Greg and Sam were ready to take the next step in growing their business.

Ineffective job tracking

The company, a versatile job shop handling diverse tasks like turning, milling, and five-axis machining, grappled with a critical issue: ineffective job tracking. Traditional methods, relying on paper blueprints with minimal information, proved unreliable. Crucial details like due dates and subsequent processes resided solely in the memories of staff, leading to frequent miscommunication. This resulted in lost parts, scheduling delays, and production errors.

Trouble Tacking Assemblies 

Further complicating matters was the company's reliance on a blend of off-the-shelf parts with lead times and in-house manufactured components for the Tool and Die work. While their machining capabilities were efficient, a lack of proactive ordering for external parts created bottlenecks. Even if internal machining was on schedule, delays in acquiring external components stalled the assembly process.

In an attempt to improve the organization, the company experimented with Excel-based systems. However, these efforts proved equally ineffective. Documents were easily misplaced and the ability to track everything neatly was limited, hindering visibility into job progress. Again, crucial information remained siloed, creating communication gaps and halting progress.

Working with StartProto

Recognizing the need for change,  3D Machine turned to StartProto, a manufacturing execution system mixed with material resource planning software that is tailored to address the intricate needs of modern manufacturing environments. StartProto's solution was designed to be intuitive, scalable, and inclusive of features that directly addressed the challenges 3D Machine was experiencing. When the 3D Machine implemented StartProto, they were able to see improvements right away.

It provided a centralized platform for managing all aspects of production, fostering transparency and real-time visibility. From prioritizing tasks based on importance to tracking program completion, material ordering, and receiving, StartProto streamlined the entire workflow.

• Prioritized Scheduling: With StartProto, 3D Machine could now prioritize job scheduling with ease, ensuring that critical tasks were addressed promptly and efficiently.
• Material Order Visibility: The platform provided a transparent view into whether materials were ordered, reducing the risk of delays and improving project timelines.
• Scalability for Growth: Perhaps most importantly, StartProto offered a solution that scaled with the company's growth. It supported the expansion of operations without the previous constraints imposed by outdated systems.
• Ease of Use: StartProto's user-friendly interface meant that the team could adapt quickly, minimizing the learning curve and enhancing productivity.