Broadcom Case Studies Miller Welding Aims for World-Class Supplier Status with Help from Brocade

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	Miller Welding Aims for World-Class Supplier Status with Help from Brocade Broadcom

Miller Welding Aims for World-Class Supplier Status with Help from Brocade

Broadcom

Technology Category	Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software
Applicable Functions	Discrete Manufacturing Quality Assurance
Use Cases	Manufacturing System Automation Predictive Maintenance
Services	System Integration
Challenge	Miller Welding & Machine Company, a family-owned business providing metal fabrication, welding, machining, finishing, and mechanical assembly services for leading manufacturers, aimed to become a world-class supplier by using innovation to continually enhance operations and support growth. The company specializes in high-mix, low volume products, ensuring exceptional quality for small runs of many types of parts and consistently meeting high customer expectations for correct deliveries within narrow delivery windows. As the company grew, it needed to upgrade its network to an enterprise-class infrastructure to support next-generation manufacturing automation applications and services. High performance was the primary criteria, with high availability a close second. The network had to be able to withstand machine shock conditions and operate 24 hours a day at 99.999 percent availability. Miller Welding wanted integrated switching, wired, and wireless connectivity so that data was available everywhere—from warehouses and loading docks to representatives across the United States. Read More
About Customer	Miller Welding & Machine Company is a family-owned business founded in 1963 by David R. Miller. The company started by repairing parts for local farmers and has since grown to provide metal fabrication, welding, machining, finishing, and mechanical assembly services for leading manufacturers. The company has grown because of its commitment to world-class service and by implementing technology solutions to empower its employees and processes, growing sales tenfold from 2003 to 2007. Miller Welding’s specialty is high-mix, low volume products. This means ensuring exceptional quality for small runs of many types of parts and consistently meeting high customer expectations for correct deliveries within narrow delivery windows. The network is critical to delivering the data needed to achieve these goals. Read More
Solution	Miller Welding turned to Advanticom, Inc., its trusted IT partner for the past 10 years, to upgrade its network. After evaluating four leading network brands for Miller Welding’s new network, Advanticom recommended Brocade. The new network interconnects three manufacturing and office locations. Two of these sites also host data centers. Stacked Brocade® ICX® 6610 Switches serve as a combined aggregation and core layer for the main site, delivering data traffic to the Internet, voice traffic across the MPLS core network, and other data traffic over a direct connection to the secondary site. All Brocade ICX Switches are configured to deliver Quality of Service (QoS) for the phone system. Brocade ICX 6430 Switches deliver PoE power to wireless access points, aggregate wireless traffic at the network edges, and forward it to Brocade ICX 6610 Switches at the aggregation layer. Brocade ICX 6450 Switches forward traffic to the Brocade ICX 6610 Switches in the main data center and operate as aggregation switches in the other two locations for wired, wireless, and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) traffic transport. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet

Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Manufacturing System Automation

Predictive Maintenance

Services

System Integration

Challenge

Miller Welding & Machine Company, a family-owned business providing metal fabrication, welding, machining, finishing, and mechanical assembly services for leading manufacturers, aimed to become a world-class supplier by using innovation to continually enhance operations and support growth. The company specializes in high-mix, low volume products, ensuring exceptional quality for small runs of many types of parts and consistently meeting high customer expectations for correct deliveries within narrow delivery windows. As the company grew, it needed to upgrade its network to an enterprise-class infrastructure to support next-generation manufacturing automation applications and services. High performance was the primary criteria, with high availability a close second. The network had to be able to withstand machine shock conditions and operate 24 hours a day at 99.999 percent availability. Miller Welding wanted integrated switching, wired, and wireless connectivity so that data was available everywhere—from warehouses and loading docks to representatives across the United States.

About Customer

Miller Welding & Machine Company is a family-owned business founded in 1963 by David R. Miller. The company started by repairing parts for local farmers and has since grown to provide metal fabrication, welding, machining, finishing, and mechanical assembly services for leading manufacturers. The company has grown because of its commitment to world-class service and by implementing technology solutions to empower its employees and processes, growing sales tenfold from 2003 to 2007. Miller Welding’s specialty is high-mix, low volume products. This means ensuring exceptional quality for small runs of many types of parts and consistently meeting high customer expectations for correct deliveries within narrow delivery windows. The network is critical to delivering the data needed to achieve these goals.

Solution

Miller Welding turned to Advanticom, Inc., its trusted IT partner for the past 10 years, to upgrade its network. After evaluating four leading network brands for Miller Welding’s new network, Advanticom recommended Brocade. The new network interconnects three manufacturing and office locations. Two of these sites also host data centers. Stacked Brocade® ICX® 6610 Switches serve as a combined aggregation and core layer for the main site, delivering data traffic to the Internet, voice traffic across the MPLS core network, and other data traffic over a direct connection to the secondary site. All Brocade ICX Switches are configured to deliver Quality of Service (QoS) for the phone system. Brocade ICX 6430 Switches deliver PoE power to wireless access points, aggregate wireless traffic at the network edges, and forward it to Brocade ICX 6610 Switches at the aggregation layer. Brocade ICX 6450 Switches forward traffic to the Brocade ICX 6610 Switches in the main data center and operate as aggregation switches in the other two locations for wired, wireless, and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) traffic transport.

Impact #1	Moving to a Brocade network has enabled Miller Welding to do more than it has ever done before. Even with machinery in full operation, robots everywhere, wireless interference, and one of the most demanding environments conceivable, the Brocade network has operated flawlessly.
Impact #2	Low-latency VDI performance out to the edges and back through the Brocade switches has been rock solid.
Impact #3	The Brocade infrastructure gives Miller Welding manufacturing flexibility and peace of mind. It let them easily scale the network and provide the level of service that their customers wanted, even through a period of strong growth.

Impact #1

Moving to a Brocade network has enabled Miller Welding to do more than it has ever done before. Even with machinery in full operation, robots everywhere, wireless interference, and one of the most demanding environments conceivable, the Brocade network has operated flawlessly.

Impact #2

Low-latency VDI performance out to the edges and back through the Brocade switches has been rock solid.

Impact #3

The Brocade infrastructure gives Miller Welding manufacturing flexibility and peace of mind. It let them easily scale the network and provide the level of service that their customers wanted, even through a period of strong growth.

Benefit #1	Enabled the business to grow from 160 to 500 employees
Benefit #2	Increased sales from $13 million to $117 million

Benefit #1

Enabled the business to grow from 160 to 500 employees

Benefit #2

Increased sales from $13 million to $117 million

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Overview

Miller Welding Aims for World-Class Supplier Status with Help from Brocade

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit