Success Stories

With annual revenues in excess of $234 million U.S., the company has operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and China. C-MAC is acknowledged as a world-class manufacturer and to it's credit has achieved the ISO 9000 certification in all divisions.

This growing and progressive company is in the process of implementing the Foresight MXP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Taking a proactive approach to filling the need for high level project management, Dave Hulett, Senior Manager of Corporate Information Systems for C-MAC, contacted Foresight Software and asked for a recommendation on the top implementation team available. Foresight recommended ACUMEN, based on our track record of bringing particularly challenging implementations to a successful completion.

Working closely with the C-MAC project team, we identified the Returned Material Authorization (RMA) from customers and Returns To Vendors (RTV) as the most critically important areas to focus our collective efforts on first. The symptoms of these areas not performing well included incorrect inventory balances, inaccurate MRP output, delayed credits/re-billing to customers, and diminished staff productivity while trying to do their jobs in spite of these problems.

Utilizing ACUMEN methodology, all of the various tasks were sequenced, due dates established, and responsibilities assigned. Dave Credicott, Senior Consultant and Project Manager for ACUMEN, conducted break-out sessions with users, helping to maintain focus and momentum. Key activities included meetings with cross-functional groups, "white board" and system reviews of product flows, development of User Guide documentation, video-based user training, identification of essential software modifications, and any necessary data clean-up.

The joint ACUMEN/C-MAC team even resolved some other peripheral issues along the way! Based upon a few tips and techniques from the ACUMEN MXP team, for instance, we were able to improve general system usage and software navigation. We also documented flow diagrams that could readily be included in ISO procedures documentation and improved accounting processing in certain areas. Perhaps the most satisfying win from our perspective was sensing the enthusiasm of the users grow as they began to see the system perform as it was designed and in such a way as to enable them to increase personal productivity.

The really good news is that the RMA and RTV processes were satisfactorily addressed in accordance with the deadlines established in the project plan. Our joint project team did allow themselves to pause briefly to acknowledge this significant accomplishment but were anxious to move on and tackle the next critical business issue on the list. The C-MAC organization and its employees are committed to the principles of continuous improvement and recognize the key role an effective ERP system serves as part of this pursuit. All of us at ACUMEN are looking forward to assisting the C-MAC team in this endeavor.

Kudos are in order for dozens of the C-MAC professionals who continue to keep their company in the world-class league. Special thanks to the C-MAC MIS, RMA, and RTV implementation teams who worked diligently to develop a system that would work effectively across departments and divisions, in C-MAC’s international sites.