Broadcom Case Studies SUCCESS STORY: MoldRite Plastics

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	SUCCESS STORY: MoldRite Plastics Broadcom

SUCCESS STORY: MoldRite Plastics

Broadcom

Technology Category	Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet
Applicable Industries	Plastics
Applicable Functions	Discrete Manufacturing
Services	System Integration
Challenge	MoldRite Plastics, a plastic-cap manufacturer, was facing challenges in integrating networks, applications, and users from two recent acquisitions. The performance of their Storage Area Network (SAN) and multiple applications was not meeting their needs. The company was also transitioning to Gigabit Ethernet, but the budget for upgrading from Fast Ethernet was extremely limited. The IT department was aware that Gigabit Ethernet would solve their current problems and support the company’s future plans for new applications. However, they were facing issues with switch saturation causing speed problems for users, and they anticipated that 1 Gigabit Ethernet and possibly 10 Gigabit Ethernet would be necessary for upcoming projects. Read More
About Customer	MoldRite Plastics is a manufacturer of plastic caps, primarily resold to pharmaceutical companies as containers for over-the-counter pills such as aspirin. The company is based in upstate New York and has recently made two acquisitions, integrating their networks, applications, and users into their existing infrastructure. The company has approximately 300 wireless clients and 600 wired clients, and is constantly developing new applications and services. MoldRite was facing challenges with their existing Fast Ethernet infrastructure, which was aging and not meeting their needs in terms of performance. They were also on a tight budget for upgrading their network to Gigabit Ethernet. Read More
Solution	MoldRite replaced its aging Fast Ethernet infrastructure with Gigabit Ethernet solutions from Brocade. The network serves approximately 300 wireless clients and 600 wired clients, and new applications and services are always under development. At the network core and at the access and aggregation points, Brocade ICX switches deliver exceptional performance, scalability, and reliability. With the Brocade Gigabit Ethernet network, the number of hanging transfers has dropped to zero. Switches are at only 5 percent of CPU and memory utilization, and overall link utilization is down significantly from the Fast Ethernet past. Since deploying Gigabit Ethernet, troubleshooting the improved network requires much fewer resources. The SAN supports faster transfers and is highly reliable, scalable, and manageable. With the mergers underway, the company is easily handling service integration and resource sharing. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet

Applicable Industries

Plastics

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing

Services

System Integration

Challenge

MoldRite Plastics, a plastic-cap manufacturer, was facing challenges in integrating networks, applications, and users from two recent acquisitions. The performance of their Storage Area Network (SAN) and multiple applications was not meeting their needs. The company was also transitioning to Gigabit Ethernet, but the budget for upgrading from Fast Ethernet was extremely limited. The IT department was aware that Gigabit Ethernet would solve their current problems and support the company’s future plans for new applications. However, they were facing issues with switch saturation causing speed problems for users, and they anticipated that 1 Gigabit Ethernet and possibly 10 Gigabit Ethernet would be necessary for upcoming projects.

About Customer

MoldRite Plastics is a manufacturer of plastic caps, primarily resold to pharmaceutical companies as containers for over-the-counter pills such as aspirin. The company is based in upstate New York and has recently made two acquisitions, integrating their networks, applications, and users into their existing infrastructure. The company has approximately 300 wireless clients and 600 wired clients, and is constantly developing new applications and services. MoldRite was facing challenges with their existing Fast Ethernet infrastructure, which was aging and not meeting their needs in terms of performance. They were also on a tight budget for upgrading their network to Gigabit Ethernet.

Solution

MoldRite replaced its aging Fast Ethernet infrastructure with Gigabit Ethernet solutions from Brocade. The network serves approximately 300 wireless clients and 600 wired clients, and new applications and services are always under development. At the network core and at the access and aggregation points, Brocade ICX switches deliver exceptional performance, scalability, and reliability. With the Brocade Gigabit Ethernet network, the number of hanging transfers has dropped to zero. Switches are at only 5 percent of CPU and memory utilization, and overall link utilization is down significantly from the Fast Ethernet past. Since deploying Gigabit Ethernet, troubleshooting the improved network requires much fewer resources. The SAN supports faster transfers and is highly reliable, scalable, and manageable. With the mergers underway, the company is easily handling service integration and resource sharing.

Impact #1	Gained the speed and performance required to support wired, wireless, and Storage Area Networks (SANs)
Impact #2	Improved manageability by reducing the number of switches and uplinks
Impact #3	Increased flexibility to develop and deploy new applications

Impact #1

Gained the speed and performance required to support wired, wireless, and Storage Area Networks (SANs)

Impact #2

Improved manageability by reducing the number of switches and uplinks

Impact #3

Increased flexibility to develop and deploy new applications

Benefit #1	Switches are at only 5 percent of CPU and memory utilization
Benefit #2	Overall link utilization is down significantly from the Fast Ethernet past
Benefit #3	The number of hanging transfers has dropped to zero

Benefit #1

Switches are at only 5 percent of CPU and memory utilization

Benefit #2

Overall link utilization is down significantly from the Fast Ethernet past

Benefit #3

The number of hanging transfers has dropped to zero

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Overview

SUCCESS STORY: MoldRite Plastics

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit