American National Carbide Reaches ERP Milestone

If you think customer loyalty is hard to achieve in today’s highly competitive manufacturing environment, try telling that to American National Carbide (ANC; Tomball, TX), a vertically-integrated manufacturer of tungsten carbide cutting tools that recently passed the 40-year mark as a loyal ERP software user of Global Shop Solutions (The Woodlands, TX). “We made a conscious decision to stick with them because of the software’s ever-expanding capabilities, the ROI of the applications, and the service we received,” says Greg Stroud, the president and chief executive officer of ANC. “Over the years, the system has become part of our company’s DNA, interwoven in every aspect of our business. We couldn’t operate without it.”

ANC makes cutting tools for a wide range of industries, including metalworking, oil and gas, and wood processing, as well as zinc reclaim powders and ready-to-press grade powders. In addition to their 50 standard grades, they can formulate new grades to exact specifications, since they produces all the raw materials in-house, and their tooling design and production capabilities allow them to create complex geometries without issue. All of these tools are made according to an ISO-compliant quality system, and the company prides themselves on their flexibility to work closely with customers to design and manufacture carbide tools for virtually any application. Since 1970, they have served the global market for tungsten carbide tools with confidence through their network of sales representatives and distributors that are strategically positioned to provide service worldwide.

According to Stroud, they originally purchased the ERP software in the early 1970s. Back then, long before personal computers burst upon the scene, Global Shop Solutions used punch cards and large floppy disks to organize and store production data for users. As computer and software technologies improved, the ERP software continually grew in size and sophistication, and ANC remained steadfast in their loyalty to the product and the company. Using this ERP software to manage their production and back-office processes has yielded ongoing improvements in virtually every area of their business, including:

• Major improvements to inventory and scheduling.
• 95 percent on-time delivery rates.
• Dramatic improvements in labor efficiency, accompanied by significant reductions in labor costs.
• Vastly improved customer service that has driven customer retention to unprecedented levels.

Even after 40 years, ANC still finds new and better ways to use the software to reduce costs, improve production efficiency, and serve their customers better. “This ERP software is the glue that binds our organization together,” adds Stroud. “It supports all of our processes and programs, and keeps everyone on the same page. We wouldn’t be where we are today without it.”

“We are humbled at the kind words and longevity of our relationship from our great customer and friends at ANC,” noted Dusty Alexander, the president and chief executive officer of Global Shop Solutions, sharing his thoughts on this unique long-term relationship. “Their loyalty to our business has made many contributions to our software over the past 40 years. We congratulate them on their many initiatives with us that simplified the way they do business. We wish their business and our relationship continued success for decades to come!”

www.anconline.com, www.globalshopsolutions.com