Leveraging Tech to Scale and Deliver Superior CX for Mining Manufacturer
For Shermac, Australia’s Premium Brand Manufacturer Of Mining Service & Support Vehicles, Operational Resource Management & Optimisation Was Desperately Needed To Keep Up With Market Demand
About the Project
Shermac has worked hard to build an exceptional brand that has resulted in strong and ongoing demand from regular clients such as BHP, Rio Tinto, and Fortescue for its engineered and manufactured range of service and support vehicles.
As the company has grown, so has the requirement for resources to produce their flagship range of products at scale. This brought significant pressure and focus on the company’s available manhours to actually physically complete production orders, process necessary compliance obligations, keep clients updated, and ultimately deliver on time.
Leveraging automation and ensuring the available resources were being utilised in the most efficient way possible became a significant issue that had to be addressed.
Client
Shermac
Industry
Manufacturing and Industrial
Project Length
12 Months
Services Provided
The Challenge
Shermac’s growth brought with it a set of unique challenges.
Their existing workflow, built gradually since the company’s inception, was a patchwork of different data repositories, numerous spreadsheets, manual data updates, and paper-based records.
Shermac’s production line was bleeding resources due to a lack of full team visibility, leading to multiple inefficient setups, rework required due to not having real-time in-process QA checks, and the doubling up of resources for jobs suddenly having to be completed urgently due to staying in a prior process for longer than necessary.
Clients were also becoming frustrated with no regular updates on their orders, which put even further pressure on Shermac’s customer service department.
This fragmented system was not only inefficient but also became a source of stress and cost for the company.
The Goal
- Consult, scope, process map and document Shermac’s entire sales order and workflow process.
- Identify inefficiencies and streamline processes in partnership with Shermac’s team for full buy-in.
- Create a custom production management system and client web portal tailored to Shermac’s unique needs.
- Integrate the new system with existing CRM and ERP software, ensuring real-time synchronization.
"They have a very positive and enthusiastic approach, and they challenge the way you think. Is there smarter and better ways to do things? I think Intuji can help any business that's wanting to grow and better their customer experience."
Steve Ray
Head Of Operations
The Solution
Intuji embarked on a comprehensive approach:
- Consultation & Scoping: Intuji dived deep into understanding Shermac’s operations, customers, staff, and existing processes. This phase highlighted both strengths and weaknesses within the system.
- Prototyping: Based on the identified needs, a functional prototype was developed, considering the experiences of all stakeholders. This prototype included both a web and mobile app for seamless data updates across different job roles.
- Custom Software Development: Intuji developed bespoke production software that meshed perfectly with Shermac’s existing CRM and ERP systems. From sales orders to quality checks and design improvements, everything could now be tracked in real-time.
- Efficient Communication: The new system provides dealers and clients with their own web portal providing full order status visibility and automatic updates on their orders, eliminating the need for manual communication methods and saving significant staff resources.
- Resource Management: The software enabled Shermac to track resource usage efficiently, comparing estimated vs. actual hours. Sales staff could also provide accurate lead time data for sales inquiries.
Technologies Used
The Results
With Intuji’s help, Shermac underwent a transformative shift in its operational workflow.
The company can now manage its resources efficiently, provide real-time updates to clients, ensure all quality checks are documented, and make design improvements directly from the production line.
The entire process is now streamlined, and the company stands empowered to serve its clients better and more efficiently.
