Emerald Technologies Shines Bright With Aptean Discrete Manufacturing ERP

Headquartered in San Jose, California, electronic manufacturing services provider Emerald Technologies makes some sophisticated stuff. The company’s printed circuit board (PCB) builds are used in cutting-edge applications like aerospace and medical devices, and many other electronic manufacturing businesses rely on the business for critical parts and supplies.

Emerald Technologies first implemented Aptean Discrete Manufacturing ERP Made2Manage Edition at one of its sites in 2004. The enterprise resource planning (ERP)’s shop floor functionalities and web application programming interface (API) have been invaluable in Emerald Technologies' journey, as has Smart Hub, Aptean’s integration and process automation engine.

The organization has grown steadily since then and now operates 10 facilities around the world with more than 1,500 employees combined. But as a result of mergers and acquisitions over the years, not all sites were on the same version of the ERP, and some implementations were still in the works, which limited visibility and efficiency.

That’s why Emerald Technologies engaged with Aptean to get all instances of its discrete manufacturing ERP updated and migrated to the cloud. Bradley Hong, the vice president of digital and IT, spoke with us about the experience so far and what makes Aptean the right technology partner.

Deploying Aptean Discrete Manufacturing ERP Organization-Wide

The main goal to be achieved through Emerald Technologies’ digital transformation was to establish a single technology platform that could support the entire company and all its operations. Hong noted that while different sites serve different industries and customers, there are many common practices between them, and Aptean Discrete Manufacturing ERP Made2Manage Edition enables the business to evaluate and compare performance.

“Before, without a common platform, it was very hard to say which sites were doing which processes well,” he elaborated. “But now it's different. We can easily extend those common best practices to all sites. And every time we have a new initiative, it can also be easily deployed to different sites. So those are the benefits we can see from a consolidated environment based on Aptean technology.”

Aptean’s purpose-built discrete and industrial manufacturing ERP provides everything from quoting and procurement to order management and financials, in addition to the aforementioned shop floor functionalities. The people of Emerald Technologies have all the tools they need at their fingertips, and with standardized processes backed by a single source of truth, they’re empowered to succeed.

A Smooth Implementation Experience

One phase of Emerald Technologies’ digital update entailed getting a newly acquired company’s facility in Oregon on Aptean’s platform for discrete manufacturers for the first time, and leadership was presented with a critical question: Should it be a traditional on-premise installation or a cloud deployment?

The fact that Aptean offers hosting on the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud, ensuring compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), was a point in favor of cloud hosting. The cost of putting in new hardware and infrastructure to support an on-premise deployment was a clear drawback, so the decision to deploy via the cloud was straightforward. And the implementation process was efficient, effective—maybe even enjoyable.

“It's been excellent,” said Hong. “We have great folks from Aptean, both from the support team and from the professional services team, that help us go through these implementations. So far, our experience is great—together, we work as one team.”

“For our implementation, we have one great consultant, and she knows everything end-to-end, both on the accounting side and on the operations side. So that's a great way to help us get through this. So far, we only have great things to say about our implementation experience,” he concluded.

Cloud Is a “No-Brainer”

The Oregon facility’s cloud-based rollout was just one of the cloud initiatives in Emerald Technologies' complete project roadmap. One milestone to eventually reach is migrating Aptean Discrete Manufacturing ERP Made2Manage Edition to the cloud at all facilities. Hong pointed out that there’s no downgrade in performance, but several significant benefits.

“From a business perspective, by going to the cloud we don't need to worry about infrastructure. We don't need to worry about backups. We don't need to worry about things like patch management,” Hong said. “For those we have Aptean to help us, so we don't need to worry about that back-end stuff, and we can focus on solving our business problems. We can help our users use Aptean products better, and that way we can gain efficiency.”

Hong also emphasized that it makes more sense financially to go to the cloud when taking into account the combined cost of server hardware, storage and backups required for on-premise deployment and maintenance. That made moving all facilities to the cloud the better option.

Outstanding Experience With Aptean Support

While Hong had some reservations about the cloud migration—which is completed at some facilities and either in-process or planned at others—he quickly moved past them after working with the Aptean professional services and support teams. They're reliable and always ready to help Emerald Technologies overcome any issues that arise.

“We ended up working with a very good team from Aptean that responds back to us very quick, and they are very cooperative with all different kinds of requests,” Hong said. “We’re always working together if there’s an issue that comes up and we can’t find a solution right away. Overall, our experience has been very good—I don’t worry about that piece at all.”

What’s more, Aptean cloud deployments come with the assurance of airtight cybersecurity—not only is Microsoft’s ITAR-compliant cloud among the most secure in the world, there are also Aptean professionals providing monitoring and testing. That means Emerald Technologies is protected from cyberthreats and doesn’t have to stretch the IT budget for additional support.

Streamlining Processes With Aptean Discrete Manufacturing ERP

The upgrade from multiple instances of outdated software to a single, unified cloud platform has made a world of difference for Emerald Technologies. Questions that before would have taken weeks or months to answer through extensive querying, researching and/or calculating can now be solved in minutes. Other essential functions, like printing and scanning of barcodes and labels, are as efficient as ever.

“We can do a lot of things better now with Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP Made2Manage Edition,” Hong said. “Now we are all on the same platform, and while we’d still like to optimize it, at least have a common platform and data set, so we can easily understand what's going on.”

The organization has also used the software to create a supply chain dashboard that lets teams dig into data from any facility, see all inventory and connect with suppliers. This dashboard serves a crucial role for the company, providing a 360-degree view of what’s inbound, on-hand and out the door.

Aptean’s Improved User Experience

Another significant improvement realized through Emerald Technologies’ digital transformation is greater efficiency and satisfaction among the workforce. Anyone who’s had to work with an antiquated computer program knows it’s not always the ideal experience, but that’s all behind the business now.

“Regarding team productivity and morale, it's day and night compared to our old way of doing business,” said Hong. “If you look at using an old system, slow and lacking functionality, and then look at the modern Made2Manage interface—that improvement is making a big contribution to morale as well.”

As for the software’s capabilities, they’re greatly expanded. The web API allows Emerald Technologies to freely integrate the ERP with other systems, and Smart Hub automates workflows, including those that run across multiple solutions. The Microsoft datalake can be used to create reports, and exchanging a dataset with a third party is much easier now.

Excitement for AppCentral

AppCentral is Aptean’s exciting new all-in-one platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI) with preconnected apps, including our ERPs and many other solutions. The first foundational bundle of apps launched is centered on Aptean Discrete Manufacturing ERP Made2Manage Edition, and Hong is excited for Emerald Technologies to embrace this next generation of enterprise technology.

“My impression of AppCentral is very positive,” Hong said. “Everyone is talking about AI, but then you say, ‘How can AI contribute to my business?’ and nobody really has a concrete answer. But we can rely on Aptean to figure out how we can use it to improve our efficiency.”

“We can have more access to AI, and as long as it can improve our efficiency, solve our problems and make things better, we're all for it,” he concluded.

Extending access to AI-powered industry-specific software—especially to companies that might not otherwise have access to AI beyond what’s available for free—is an important part of Aptean's mission to be an AI-first organization. Emerald Technologies will soon be fully equipped for the future and can use AppCentral to grow further.

Advice for Peers

When asked what his recommendation would be for other businesses, Hong made it clear that choosing advanced software tailored to the discrete manufacturing industry from a trusted provider is the way to go.

“My recommendation to a peer that's considering Aptean is, they’re really a great company with great people,” he said. “A lot of the folks we deal with at Aptean, they all have years of experience and they have been with the company for a long, long time. That gives us access to very deep knowledge in a specific industry we're operating in."

And between flexibility with plug-ins and hosting in a reliable ITAR-compliant cloud, the match of Emerald Technologies and Aptean solutions could not be better. The manufacturer can trust its technology partner for outstanding support, automatic software updates, continuous development and endless innovation.

Reflecting on the UNITE Experience

Hong spoke with the Aptean team at our annual UNITE customer conference in Atlanta in 2024. He found the four-day event—filled with captivating speakers, memorable presentations and engaging sessions—of great value, especially meeting Aptean team members that he’s worked with for years in-person for the first time, but also the new insights to bring back to his organization.

“I also learned a lot at this conference—Aptean’s future product roadmap, where you’re going from here as a company,” he said. “That certainly helped me make sure that our strategy and future roadmap match with where you’re going.”

He was also able to speak with Aptean leadership to ask questions, share observations or make suggestions. We rely on our customers for their invaluable feedback and are always happy to collaborate and make sure that your business’s needs are fully met.

If your business is an Aptean client and you’re interested in attending Aptean UNITE 2025, you can learn more about the event or register today.

What Could Your Business Achieve With Aptean?

If you want to read more Aptean customer success stories to fully understand the transformative impact that Aptean Discrete Manufacturing ERP Made2Manage Edition has, check out the case of laminating and roll coating equipment manufacturer Black Bros Co., as well as that of heavy haul and trailer manufacturer XL Specialized Trailers.

Of course, if you’re wondering if Aptean really is a partner you can trust, consider we were named a Major Player in four IDC Marketscapes reports, a recognition that speaks to our credibility and dependability that we’re proud of. And if you want to get a feel for the system, you can take a product tour.

And if you want your company to have the best solutions available, with deep industry-specific functionality on the AI-driven AppCentral platform, you can contact us today or book your demo.