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Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sigma Fasteners specializes in manufacturing high pressure bolting for wellhead equipment, pipelines, valves, and offshore. Their wide variety of custom manufactured ASTM bolting is plated or coated in-house. Sigma also stocks and distributes a huge selection of standard and non-standard bolting products.
In addition, the company offers a wide selection of coating and plating services to its customers, including customer material up to 20 ft long. ISO 9001-2000 certified, Sigma Fasteners is on the approved vendor list of major energy-related OEMs and petrochemical oil & gas companies worldwide.
Unlike most Global Shop Solutions customers, Sigma Fasteners used the ERP software to manage their business from the very beginning.
“Our management team had experience with ERP software, so we started up with Global Shop Solutions from day one,” recalls Bobby Baker, vice president of operations Sigma Fasteners. “Initially, we looked at a software that was too impersonal and cost too much. When we came across Global Shop Solutions, it seemed like a much better fit for our fast-paced, job shop mentality.”
Managing 25,000 Different Parts
Sigma Fasteners makes more than 25,000 different fastener products. Many of these seem almost identical yet still require different part numbers, which presents a number of shop floor challenges.
According to Baker, Global Shop Solutions’ shop floor control features—including the ability to customize and easily duplicate router templates—brings a new level of efficiency and control to the production process.
“We might have one part that is essentially the same, but sell it to eight different customers,” he explains. “Which means we have to produce the part as eight different jobs. Trying to manage so many individual revs, part numbers, and all the processes that go into it would be next to impossible without Global Shop Solutions.
“For example, if we have to put a 1/16 in. instead of a 1/4 in. chamfer on the end of a stud, we can quickly adjust the routers to accommodate the change. This allows our salespeople to identify the job costs in real time and give customers an accurate quote. It also means we don’t have to go through the time and effort of creating a whole new router.”
Moving to Mobile
Having almost identical finished goods parts also presents some unique inventory challenges—including precise lot-to-lot and bin-to-bin transfers.
Global Shop Solutions’ inventory management capabilities enable Sigma Fasteners to manage raw materials inventory with the precision they need. To simplify the finished goods transfer process and improve inventory accuracy, the company has begun implementing Global Shop Solutions Mobile. Workers barcode each box of finished bolts, and then use Global Shop Solutions Mobile to facilitate the lot-to-lot and bin-to-bin transfers.
“The hardest part was figuring out how to organize the warehouse,” notes Baker. “Once we got that done, it’s easy to put the labels on and transfer everything to the correct bin locations. Next, we plan to barcode incoming raw materials which are mostly large, bulk metal bars to improve raw materials management.”
Baker also appreciates the personalized support his company receives from Global Shop Solutions.
“Global Shop Solutions takes the time to understand your business and what you’re trying to do for your customers,” he adds. “And if you have problems, they offer fast, knowledgeable, U.S.-based technical support. The more we grow as a company, the more we learn about how Global Shop Solutions can help us get to where we want to go. More than just a software vendor, we value Global Shop Solutions as a partner in our long-term growth.”
