Michigan Custom Machines Revamps ERP Efforts with Encompix

INDIANAPOLIS, May 21, 2009—Consona Corporation (Consona), a worldwide leader in providing customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and services for companies of all sizes, today announced that Michigan Custom Machines, Inc. (MCM) has selected Encompix as its enterprise-wide ERP system after an extensive vendor analysis. A leading designer and builder of custom test and assembly equipment, MCM expects Encompix’s ease of use, flexibility and superior support team will provide great value to the company and its customers going forward.

Based in Novi, Mich., MCM designs and builds industrial test machines for the commercial and automotive markets for products such as diesel fuel injectors, fuel pumps, various engine sensors and turbo chargers. Over the past 15 years in business, MCM has maintained a commitment to quality and expertise, resulting in an 85-87 percent customer retention rate. While MCM’s business and reputation have made impressive strides over the years, its original ERP system has not. By 2009, the system was antiquated, and due to the integral nature of an ERP system to a company’s business, MCM decided it was time to upgrade.

After an intensive search, MCM selected the Encompix ERP solution from Consona. Michael Schena, president of MCM, said the system was flexible enough to generate custom reports, and would be used for everything from to quoting, generating bills of materials and job costing to managing AP/AR.

“A lot of product out there requires a complete bill of materials before starting. Our business is quite different in that the bill of materials is continuously developed throughout the life of the project, and it really isn’t complete until the project is finished,” said Schena. “The system has to be able to easily deal with returns, non-conforming materials, last-minute changes, and so on. Encompix simply fit the bill.”

Schena was especially impressed with the quality and amount of support provided throughout and after the implementation process, which eclipsed that of the previous system. “When we purchased our previous ERP system, we were given an hour of instruction, and then we were on our own,” he said. “Our Encompix team outlined a strategic plan spanning months, which covered every detail until we were fully antiquated with the system.”

Once live, Schena said Encompix exceeded his expectations: There were no surprises or problems to speak of, and the transition to the new system was seamless. Additionally, Schena added that any suggestions for improvement will not fall upon deaf ears. “We like that Consona is constantly improving its solutions, and that if we make valid suggestions, those may be considered for future Encompix releases,” he said.