Balloon One IT improves Make to order furniture control and efficiency

Supply chain IT company Balloon One has developed an advanced solution for make-to-order (MTO) furniture manufacturers. The solution combines a start of the art integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with manufacturing planning software. By using Balloon One's MTO furniture companies will improve efficiency, reducing their operational costs, while increasing customer service.


The lifeblood of any small to medium enterprise is cashflow. With Balloon

One's solution it makes it possible to invoice on delivery which effectively speeds up payment collection. It also simplifies debt management as well as managing preferential payment terms with certain customers. With money coming in quicker to the company, the quicker it can pay its suppliers and ensure it can order the materials they need for manufacturing their products to keep the supply chain moving.


The integrated solution also reduces waste: both in administration and in

manufacturing. It helps to cut through paperwork as everything is transacted electronically with the database updated in real-time. This is advantageous as management decisions can be made using reports based on live information. By providing full visibility of orders, work in progress, and stock it streamlines the whole manufacturing process from raw material to finished

product.


Customers that require special configurations for their furniture orders

are readily catered for using Balloon One's MTO solution. It streamlines

materials required planning, so that the shopfloor has the correct raw

materials and quantities to fulfil the order. It also helps with automating the

planning of manufacturing capacity.


Multifunctional furniture manufacturer Gopak is already benefiting from

the solution.


"What would take up to a day to do, now takes 10 minutes on average. All

we need to do is run a simple software Wizard and the invoicing is done.

This will allow us to use our resources for other things, such as proactive

customer service. We've also got much more control in the despatch area as we

can use the system to help to secure payment before we send out new orders,

" says Andrew Fieldwick, Gopak's MD.


Craig Powell, Managing Director, Balloon One adds: "Our MTO solution is

cost-effective and flexible, helping our clients to save money on operational

costs. It provides accurate management information and improves their

processes and customer service. It has been developed to give greater control

for furniture manufacturers so that can process orders quickly and

accurately, improve manufacturing performance while lowering costs, and have finger tip access to management information to guide their decision making and

grow their businesses."