ACRYLUX
Paint Manufacturer Boosts Production Up to 30% & Cuts Raw Material Costs 20% with ERP Software
CUSTOMER PROFILE
Since 1959, Acrylux has used the most current technology and chemistry to manufacture Acrylux-branded paints, coatings, and sealers that enhance esthetics and ensure durability.
- 15+ employees
- 10,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant
- 3,000 sq. ft. store
- 100 to 150 raw materials
- 50 to 75 SKUs
SOLUTION
Mar-Kov Batch Control & Inventory Management Software
CHALLENGES
- Manual, error-prone legacy ERP software
- Insufficient, inaccurate data and reports
- Difficult to forecast, plan production and maximize efficiency
- Tough to track, plan and purchase raw materials
- Hard to precisely measure materials, accurately scale formulations & track batch dates
RESULTS
- 6-month ROI
- Up to 30% increase in production
- 20% drop in material costs
- Up to 15% cash flow improvement
- 4 hours of employee time saved daily
- Effectively manage, plan & forecast with real-time reports & data
- Negotiate bulk material purchases
- Automatically track batches & scale formulations
Since Acrylux went live with Mar-Kov’s ERP in 2022, the company has increased its throughput by up to 30% and cut material costs by 20% to achieve a 6-month ROI.
“With Mar-Kov, we’re more in the loop and more informed about our business and manufacturing processes,” says Lucas Berry, director of operations, Acrylux. “Mar-Kov has more data which is better because it provides insights and answers if anyone in management has a question.”
Acrylux discovered local manufacturers had positive experiences with the Mar-Kov platform when they looked into replacing their manual legacy system with an ERP platform. The Acrylux team soon learned Mar-Kov had the capabilities they considered essential. In order of priority, Acrylux needed to track raw material inventory and purchasing, and automatically control batches and scale formulations. As importantly, Acrylux required a real-time, centralized database that would provide a range of dashboards, reports and data points specific to the company’s manufacturing operations.
“As a smaller business, we really appreciated Mar-Kov’s simplicity and ease of use,” says Lucas. “We didn’t need or want the big, complicated features that come with the more expensive software options.”
In fact, Mar-Kov made so much actionable data available to management, Acrylux leaders now hold weekly meetings to assess and improve operational performance. Managers use Mar-Kov’s data to obtain business insights on the company’s performance and efficiency, material costs and inventory levels. The data also helps Acrylux better plan and forecast to manage the company’s business operations.
On a daily basis, Acrylux uses Mar-Kov to more efficiently schedule production and manage its raw material purchases and inventory at its manufacturing and retail facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“We regularly make decisions and take action based on Mar-Kov data,” says Lucas.
Lucas Berry
Director of Operations
Acrylux Paint Mfg. Co
More Efficient Production & Batch Control
Mar-Kov assesses orders, then determines when batches should be scheduled to reduce changeover times and maximize production while meeting packaging and shipping deadlines. The production set view database helps managers monitor the number of batches produced weekly as well as the individual batch makers’ efficiency and results.
“With Mar-Kov’s data, we’ve increased production throughput by 15 to 30%, and that’s critical to a small business that needs to fit as many batches into our weekly schedule as possible,” says Lucas.
Acrylux batch managers rely on Mar-Kov to automatically scale formulations up and down with great accuracy. Scale adjustments are virtually instant and ensure Acrylux delivers the consistent quality its customers have come to expect while minimizing raw material waste. Testing new materials and adjusting formulations had been difficult and time-consuming when the input, revisions and calculations were all done manually.
“Mar-Kov does it for us in seconds – accurately, quickly and simply, so that we can test batches, and finetune and perfectly blend our formulas,” says Lucas. “It used to take us hours to manually plug in, calculate and then correct data when scaling formulations.”
As Acrylux relies on current technology and chemistry to produce the best paints, finishes and sealants possible, Mar-Kov records every formulation change. Mar-Kov gives managers and employees instant access to each formulation’s complete history via detailed records.
“Mar-Kov preserves and protects our formulation information and it can’t be lost,” says Lucas. “The platform records every change and update since the inception of the recipe – it can’t be altered without our knowledge.”
Negotiating Bulk Raw Material Purchasing
Acrylux has also reduced its raw material costs by about 20% because the company leverages historical data to negotiate bulk buys. In conversations with suppliers, Acrylux can refer back to past purchases and look ahead to forecasts when discussing future agreements.
“We can reference our vast database and that gives us an edge when negotiating bulk purchasing agreements,” says Lucas.
At any time, Acrylux managers can see data that details the raw materials available for production. With this real-time information, Acrylux plans and purchases in advance to meet production and order deadlines, and avoid raw material stockouts.
By glancing at Mar-Kov dashboards and reports instead of walking the warehouse to check raw material inventory, managers also gain an additional 30 to 60 minutes daily. Mar-Kov tells managers exactly how much raw material they need to purchase to fill new orders based on current inventory levels. As a result, they buy only what they need and their just-in-time purchasing has improved cash flow by 10 to 15%.
Mar-Kov easily integrated with Acrylux’s suite of programs and as employees adapted to the new platform, they experienced the benefits of the centralized, real-time data and reports. They also appreciated the fact Mar-Kov’s automation freed them from the most time-consuming, error-prone and repetitive tasks.
“The ROI on the platform was about 6 months – Mar-Kov really allows you to upgrade the manufacturing performance of your business, streamline your operations and collect and make use of all your data,” says Lucas. “Every bit of the adjustment period has been worth it.”
