Technodynamics is a premium LED lighting systems manufacturer based in Utah. The company specializes in the design and production of safe lighting solutions for hazardous environments where flammable gases may pose risks of fire or explosion, including oil and gas platforms, aircraft and boat painting, etc.
“Originally, we were just supposed to design the products—but they got more and more complicated and we wanted to have more control over the whole process,” says Senior Production Engineer Alfred Neufeld, who joined Technodynamics in 2018 as the company started to manufacture at scale.
New software was needed as production ramped up
After the departure of an employee who managed much of the company’s supply chain with a homegrown MRP system, Neufeld had to figure out how to manage inventory and purchases on his own.
“I spent three or four months going through a lot of different solutions,” he says. “But ultimately, MRPeasy covered the bases we needed in the cleanest possible way.”
According to Neufeld, entering data into MRPeasy was “as easy as it gets” and the new system went live on its first day of implementation in February 2023, with additional functionality rolled out gradually over a year.
“It was a year of incremental adoption—bringing products and processes into the system as needed, and getting value from it the entire time,” he says about the setup.
Tracking wire by the inch
The new system enabled Neufeld to introduce strict record-keeping discipline. He set up the BOMs as accurately as possible to account for every piece of material going into the product.
“Under the old system, things like odds and ends weren’t counted in the BOMs,” he says. “People assumed small items like an inch of wire didn’t need to be accounted for, but in my opinion, they do.”
Even though the new system required discipline from employees, training the production staff to use it was painless.
“You couldn’t have made it simpler for them—just press play, pause, punch in a number, and you’re done,” Neufeld states. “The only additional thing I had to teach them was how to write off consumable tools like X-acto blades.”
Accurate cost tracking is a key benefit
Having used MRPeasy for two and a half years, Technodynamics has gained substantial advantages from the implementation, starting with accurate cost tracking.
“With MRPeasy, we can open a manufacturing order and see a full cost breakdown,” Neufeld says. “That level of detail is incredibly valuable.”
Integrating production routings with subcontracting has made order and cost tracking much more efficient. As the company’s processes are highly complex, grouping various subcontracted operations together with in-house processes enables Neufeld to get a complete overview of manufacturing orders, material consumption, and costs all in one place.
“The subcontracting functionality within a routing is actually quite unique among MRP systems,” he states. “That feature alone was a game-changer for us.”
A new level in inventory management and customer service
Having reorder points for stock items has been another improvement. While the company used to struggle with component stockouts and the resulting production delays, the reorder points now alert them when inventory drops below a critical level.
“MRPeasy helps us stay on top of inventory and ensure things are in stock when we need them,” Neufeld maintains.
The new system has also streamlined communications with customers, providing much-needed structure to the previously unorganized ordering process.
“Clients can see exactly where their order is in the process, when it ships, and even access the tracking number,” he says. “Having all that information available online has been a huge help in strengthening our key partnerships.”
Choosing the right tool for the job
With an engineering background, Neufeld approaches process improvement with a simple but critical mindset: use the right tool for the job.
“You don’t tighten bolts with a hammer. Excel is great for many things, but it’s not designed to document or track a manufacturing process,” he says. “If you're going to do this properly, you need the right tool—some form of MRP or ERP system is essential.”
For businesses facing similar operational demands, Neufeld believes MRPeasy is the obvious choice: “The more complicated your manufacturing process gets, the more MRPeasy makes sense,” he firmly states.
For more information, visit www.MRPeasy.com.
