Manufacturing Firm Streamlines Supply Chain Processes

The Challenge

The mid-sized precision components manufacturer was struggling with supply chain inefficiencies that threatened both their profitability and customer relationships across automotive, aerospace, and medical device industries. Their purchase order process crawled through an 8-touchpoint approval labyrinth that took up to 5 days—an eternity in just-in-time manufacturing environments. Inventory management across four global warehouses operated in disconnected silos with data synchronized just once daily, creating visibility gaps that triggered production delays three times monthly. Quality control documentation was scattered across a chaotic mix of emails (42%), paper forms (31%), and various digital systems (27%), making compliance tracking nearly impossible. These fragmented processes diverted 24% of staff time to manual data entry instead of value-adding activities, while the lack of real-time visibility forced the company to maintain excessive safety stock, wasting $175,000 monthly in unnecessary inventory costs. Most alarmingly, supply chain disruptions typically went undetected for 72+ hours—an existential risk in industries where precision and reliability aren't just goals but absolute requirements.

Our Solution

We engineered a comprehensive Power Automate ecosystem that transformed the manufacturer's fragmented supply chain into an integrated, real-time operation aligned with their global footprint. Our approach began with a thorough three-week assessment of their existing processes before developing a four-phase implementation plan. The solution included sophisticated procurement workflows with conditional approvals and mobile capabilities, IoT-connected inventory tracking with dynamic reorder calculations, a bidirectional supplier communication platform with real-time order tracking, and integrated quality control tools that connected the factory floor to the enterprise system. Each component was carefully designed to integrate with their legacy Oracle ERP system—a critical requirement that previous consultants had deemed impossible. The implementation followed a 16-week phased approach that minimized operational disruption while delivering rapid ROI, with ongoing quarterly optimization reviews to ensure continuous improvement as business needs evolved.

Key Benefits

• Lead-time: 35%
• Visibility: 50%
• Integration: 14 weeks

Technologies Used