Plexus enables medical device remanufacturer to manage dramatic growth

Summary
STAT Medical X-Ray Tubes, Inc., a medical device remanufacturer, turned to Plexus Systems for help during a period of dramatic growth in its operations, scope and requirements.

The company was founded in Summerville, South Carolina, in 1993 and quickly became a leader in the repair, remanufacture, and reload of high-quality X-ray tubes used in dental, medical and industrial applications. In 2003, it expanded its equipment and capabilities so that it could service a new product line and it simultaneously recognized its need for a more effective way of tracking its data in all areas of operation.

Plexus Systems' applications were key in STAT Medical's transformation from a small operation relying heavily on manual processes into a more disciplined, efficient organization that ultimately quadrupled its business in a few short years.

On the Road to Improvement
When the company began operations, it was remanufacturing and reloading mammography and radiography tubes; work was steady, if not growing. Its expansion ten years later into the market of angiography/cardiology tubes "just blew the roof off the business," according to Mark Davis, who'd been hired just prior to the product expansion in order to prepare STAT Medical's day-to-day operations for the growth.

When Davis found that most operations at the company were performed manually and the environment was almost entirely paper-driven, he immediately sought to automate processes and add software that the company would need in order to take advantage of its new business potential. The challenge was to find one solution, hopefully one partner, that met all of the company's needs.

To add even more urgency to the challenge, STAT Medical had just faced the loss of critical invoicing data that had been PC-based. Davis added off-site hosting to his "wish list" of services and features offered by his ideal vendor.

Results
In the search for an integrated solution, STAT Medical found that the Plexus Online system fit the bill better than any of the other software and service providers it considered.

As an on-demand solution for manufacturers, Plexus Online combines the capabilities of enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing execution systems (MES), quality management, customer relationship management (CRM), shop floor integration, and much more. Also, Plexus has the ability to manage either a single facility or a global enterprise, utilizing lean principles to enable manufacturers to closely track and manage critical aspects of their operation, anywhere, anytime, via the software as a service (SaaS) model.

STAT Medical began its transformation by implementing Plexus's accounting and costing applications in 2005, then followed up several months later with applications that helped improve processes related to engineering, inventory, production tracking, quality (check sheets), purchasing, customer order processing, catalog pricing, shipping and receiving.

The implementation of Plexus Online not only helped improve STAT Medical's day-to-day productivity and efficiency, it eliminated the need for the company's leadership to perform tedious manual operations so they could focus on other important business opportunities: the construction of a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, and the pursuit of ISO 9000 certification, which it has since been granted.

Davis believes that the company simply couldn't have managed its growth over the last several years without Plexus.
Overall Benefits
From STAT Medical's perspective, the overriding advantage of the Plexus Online system is that all applications are integrated while each application is truly comprehensive.

"Our CPA loves the financial application, for instance, claiming that it rivals any fully functional accounting software on the market today," said Davis.

"We realize we are just scratching the surface of what Plexus can do for us, and we look forward to exploring more applications that can be tools for us."




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