Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP Case Study: Boston Centerless

Boston Centerless is an industry leader in supplying precision ground bar materials and grinding services, specializing in extremely close tolerances.

The Boston Centerless AccuRod® Division provides ground bars and rods cut to length for close tolerance machining applications, grinding a wide variety of materials such as stainless steel, carbon steel and alloys, titanium, tool steel, plastics and exotics. The GrindAll Division offers a range of grinding services for customers furnishing their own material or components. The PinGage Division manufactures a line of ultra-precise gages to validate precision measurements with absolute accuracy.

The Challenge  

In the past, Boston Centerless used manufacturing software developed as a custom application based on the Pick database and operating system. The program was technologically outdated and the support for the software was minimal. Boston Centerless dealt with the following challenges: 

• Existing software nearing obsolescence and lacking analytical features 

• Manual preparation required for complex specification documents  

• Long lead time for processing orders 

The company’s Director of IT, Robert Berger, had prior experience with another leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. “This ERP system was sold to us and supported by a reseller. Without a direct relationship with the software vendor, I found that it was days before someone got back to me on a support issue,” Berger explained.

The Solution 

Boston Centerless selected Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP, facilitating direct provider collaboration for reliable support and effective software management.  

“One of the key factors that contributed to the choice of Industrial Manufacturing ERP is that it is supported directly by Aptean, which makes for a much closer relationship. When there is a need to call for support, most of the time there will be a technician on the phone immediately who can solve the problem on the spot or in other cases will research the problem and get back to the caller with a solution. In any case, the issue is resolved much faster compared to other ERP software providers,” said Berger.  

The Results

Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP has helped Boston Centerless make significant contributions toward its goals. The solution has enabled the company to automate many of its business processes, establish uniform best practices throughout the organization and provide a real-time source of information that leads to more-informed decisions.

For example, Boston Centerless was able to fast track going live with the Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP by incorporating the use of the Advanced Configurator module as a tool for developing customer quotes and sales orders with a higher level of accuracy. The configurator uses wizards to ask the user a series of questions, resulting in complete and consistent orders.

Since implementing Aptean’s ERP for industrial manufacturing, the company was able to reap the following benefits:

• 20% increase in production with no additional staff

• Increased on-time delivery from 88% to 98%

• Reduced time from order receipt to the production floor from three days to one

• Increased volume, accuracy and timeliness of information available to decision-makers

The company has achieved significant reductions in non-value-added time by regular and frequent re-examination of business processes. Its latest project is the implementation of an order processing cell. Finally, Berger says, “Overall, Aptean helps us operate at a higher level of efficiency by being more productive, responsive and reliable.”

It’s Time To Grind Out Inefficiencies in Your Operation

In the world of industrial manufacturing, precision isn't a luxury, it's a requirement. Whether you're fabricating high-tolerance components, managing complex materials like titanium and exotic alloys, or trying to maintain razor-thin lead times, your ERP system needs to work as hard as you do.

That's why Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP is built specifically for businesses like yours. Our solution combines industry-specific functionality for discrete manufacturers with deep configurability to help you handle the complexity of quoting, scheduling, inventory and quality control without missing a beat. With tools like our Advanced Configurator, you can ensure that every quote is accurate, every order is consistent and every customer gets exactly what they need, exactly when they need it.

When you choose Aptean, you're not just getting a software solution. You're gaining a partner who understands your industry. Our in-house experts are fluent in the language of discrete manufacturing, ready to provide you with relevant guidance and best practices gained from helping countless companies like Boston Centerless. We're here to ensure you get the most out of your software and your operations.

Whether you're trying to reduce manufacturing costs or scale production without adding headcount, Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP is the solution that ensures you're always prepared for what's next. It's what keeps you agile, responsive, and ready to tackle any challenge that the future may bring.

And the best part? All of this industry-specific functionality is now deployed through our AI-powered platform, Aptean AppCentral. This means you get access to a range of pre-connected apps, extending your solution to cover asset maintenance, customer relationship management and transport tools. And you can leverage a range of AI-driven capabilities, such as natural language insights or enhanced automations.

Contact us to see how Aptean can help your business run with the same precision you deliver to your customers. Let’s schedule your personalized demo today.