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."