Tech Group Confidential
Project Manager at the Tech Group
Finance background
4 years ago, I was asked to lead a project to upgrade
QAD to 2011 SE across all 9 sites.
Since then, worked on QAD training, implementation
and improvement projects, and IT projects
Intro – Jackie Das
Nine Manufacturing Sites using QAD
1,000,000 square feet of mfg. space
$275MM in Sales/1,500 employees
A division of West Pharmaceutical Services,
Inc, a $1.4bn company
Competencies: Product Development
Injection Molding
Contract Assembly
Finished Packaging
The Tech Group
Tech Group Confidential
“A process driven, full service developer and
manufacturer of components & devices for the
healthcare industry”
7
Arizona (4)
Pennsylvania
Ireland
Denmark
Manufacturing Sites
Development Centers
Michigan
Puerto Rico
Indiana
Manufacturing Footprint
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Markets Served
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Pharmaceutical
Devices & Final
Packaging
Pulmonary &
Injectables
Diagnostics
Components, Kits
& Packaging
Molecular &
Point of Care
Medical Care
Components &
Assemblies
Ophthalmic,
Ambulatory,
Surgical
Consumer
Components &
Assemblies
Personal Care &
OTC Packaging
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Share with you our training program ‘journey’ at The
Tech Group
Review some of the challenges and how we are working
through them
Answer your questions
Today’s goal
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1988
QAD/MfgProimplemented
2012/2013
Upgraded to 2011 SE
Training program implemented
Evolution of QAD
training/improvement program
2015 and
Beyond
Training
program
continues
*No ‘formal’ training*
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1. Trust in ERP system/Poor quality data
2. No defined training program
3. Business Processes not defined/standardized
4. No baseline understanding of APICS and ERP
concepts
5. Not using all ERP functionality/working outside the
system
6. Reporting difficulties/visibility across sites
7. No champion/no strategy
8. No ‘go to’ for training
Problems we faced:
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What we were hearing:
“The system won’t allow us to do that…”
“The system is crap….”
“We don’t trust the reports…..”
“ I don’t use MRP because it’s wrong…” “The MRP
reports are so long I can’t find what I’m looking
for…”
“The inventory balances in the system are off, I’m
better off walking the floor to see where my stuff is
at”
#1:Trust in the system/Poor
quality data
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What we did:
Train people on the meaning of the various data fields
and how they impact processes and reports.
Week long ‘workshop’ to agree how all the sites would
use use key data fields
Began “cleaning up” the data
Examples:
Planning data
Archiving
#1:Trust in the system/Poor
quality data
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What we do now:
All new hires go through formal training
Online training videos (learning portal) on SharePoint site
#2:No defined training program:
#3:Business Processes not
defined/Standardized:
Manufacturing is challenging!
QAD impacts everything we do and can be
confusing.
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Agreed ‘best practice’ processes across all sites – week
long workshop held in 2014
These form the basis of training
#3:Processes not
defined/standardized
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What we had before:
People understand only the transactional piece of their job
No understanding of why their piece is important
People feeling isolated.
Acronyms and terminology not understood
#4:No baseline understanding of
APICS and ERP concepts
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What we have now:
Understanding in the business of how what people do impacts
the upstream and downstream processes.
#4:No baseline understanding of
APICS and ERP concepts
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Developed a 3 day training (not hands on in QAD) to teach concepts
Lego game to demonstrate: BOM
Inventory control
MRP
Costing
Forecasting
Variances
Formal APICS training
Plan to take the 3 day training and make it “hands on”
#4: No baseline understanding of
APICS and ERP concepts:
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Trained over 100 people
Went to all the sites
Measured results – quiz before and after class
Published glossary of terms
#4: No baseline understanding of
APICS and ERP concepts:
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What we had before:
#5:Not using all ERP
functionality/working outside the
system:
And th
#5:Not using all ERP
functionality/working outside the
system:
Manual Systems
Spreadsheet overloadGuessing games
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MRP in use at most plants
Planning and Scheduling Workbenches implemented by
end of 2015
Forecasting
GRS (Global Requisitioning System)
EAM (Enterprise Asset Management)
Fixed Asset Module implemented in Europe
#5:Not using all ERP
functionality/working outside the
system:
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What we had:
Unable to readily access data for consolidated reports
Hunting and pecking for information we needed
Reliance on other people
What we have now
Browses and browse collections
Cyberquery
60 people across the company trained
Puts the power in their hands
#6:Reporting Difficulties/Visibility
across sites
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ERP Excellence Director
ERP Excellence Team:
Project Manager
IT Business Analyst
Supported by top management
Expected to deliver measurable results
Central resource for training
Coordinated approach to training
#7 & #8:No Champion/No
Strategy - No “go to” for Training
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No quick fix!
No easy button
Not a one year project, not a 5 year project….
Multi year project
Time Frame Alert!!
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Remember the 3 P’s – People, Process, Platform
Get a Corporate Sponsor(s)
Training doesn’t belong in IT
Peer pressure is a great thing!
Right people/right time – MSW/PSW is a case in point
Start with the end in mind
Make training interesting
Keep the momentum going
Don’t get discouraged!
Final words….Lessons learned
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