Each business has their own, unique challenges. For Synalloy Corporation, their aggressive growth rate, various business units, and requirements as a publically traded company made it difficult to manage operations and aid in acquisitions. It was clear that they needed a new ERP solution that would centralize their business. Here’s their ERP story…
THE COMPANY
Synalloy Corporation (SYNL) has a rich history supplying its customers with quality products and services in the metals and specialty chemicals industries. Headquartered in Richmond, VA, Synalloy has been in business since 1945 with over 450 employees with operations in Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, and South Carolina.
With an annual revenue of $138.6 million, Synalloy’s business strategy is focused on both organic growth and growth through acquisitions. The holding company consists of five business units: CRI Tolling LLC, Palmer of Texas Tanks Inc., Manufacturers Chemicals LLC, Bristol Metals LLC, and Specialty Pipe & Tube Inc.
THE ERP REQUIREMENTS
In 2008, Synalloy Corporation identified the need for a more flexible and agile ERP framework. In the past, the company used a mix of ERP systems leading to a complex and expensive IT and business framework. “We required an ERP system that would help us manage operations and aid in acquisitions,” said Mike Padden, Corporate Director of IT at Synalloy Corporation.
Since the company relies on a shared services model and aggressively targets other firms for acquisitions, its requirements were quite complex. “We have very different types of businesses with different needs but we require a standardized set of processes,” Padden explained.
Some unique business requirements of their new ERP solution included consolidated accounting for all business unites, SOX compliance, multiple production processes, and customer credit management.
THE DEACOM STORY
Synalloy Corporation selected DEACOM ERP in August 2013 and went live on the software just seven months later. Since then, the company has successfully migrated all its business units onto the platform and continues to do so with each new acquisition.
With the single-system ERP solution in place, the entire business is able to experience a more streamlined environment offering greater visibility into all aspects of the operations and between the various business units.
Through product enhancements, Deacom created native solutions to address Synalloy’s unique business requirements. This creates an inherently simpler approach to product development and user adoption. “Any changes to our system is part of the core code, and there’s no longer a need to update systems manually, including following upgrades,” continued Padden.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
By running DEACOM ERP on virtual private servers, Synalloy has gained greater flexibility, particularly when changes and updates are necessary. This also enables the company to add server capacity or disk space in a matter of days or even hours, rather than weeks.
For more information about how DEACOM ERP can help drive efficiencies for food manufacturers, click here.
