Case Studies SYSPRO case study: Gorant Chocolatier Uses SYSPRO to Enhance Operational Efficiencies

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	SYSPRO case study: Gorant Chocolatier Uses SYSPRO to Enhance Operational Efficiencies

SYSPRO case study: Gorant Chocolatier Uses SYSPRO to Enhance Operational Efficiencies

Technology Category	Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) Functional Applications - Inventory Management Systems Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Applicable Industries	Food & Beverage Retail
Applicable Functions	Business Operation Quality Assurance Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases	Inventory Management Predictive Quality Analytics Process Control & Optimization
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration Training
Challenge	In September of 2009, Gorant Chocolatier was sold to a private ownership group and was given a little over a month to find, purchase and implement a new software system. Additionally, Gorant didn’t have a fully integrated manufacturing system in place and was recording data manually on spreadsheets. “Before [SYSPRO], we did everything manually everything from spreadsheets to handwritten delivery notes to our customers and it took a lot of labor to do that. In addition, if we were ever faced with a recall, it would have taken us a great deal of time to trace where those finished products went,” says Gorant Chocolatier Purchasing Manager, Mary Ann Yerage. Read More
About Customer	Gorant Candies was founded in 1949 by two brothers, Sam and Charles Gorant, in Youngstown, Ohio. The company originally started as a mint candy manufacturer. As the popularity of Gorant Candies grew, the company expanded by opening several small stores in the areas surrounding Youngstown. In 1977, Sam and Charles Gorant decided to further expand Gorant Candies and purchased a manufacturing plant within a few miles of the original store and factory. Built on a 7.5-acre lot on the outskirts of Youngstown, the plant opened in late fall of 1977. In 1986, Gorant Candies was sold to Shurman Fine Papers (Papyrus) where it eventually expanded further with sales of greeting cards, candies, and fine chocolates. Today, the company now known as Gorant Chocolatier operates out of a 55,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility where it manufactures fine confections and chocolates. Customers include wholesale accounts, resale stores, and private label customers as well as online and mail order business. Currently, Gorant has more than 4,000 SKUs occupying its warehouse and fills hundreds of orders each month. Read More
Solution	Based on its requirements for fast, effective implementation and a fully integrated ERP System, Gorant Chocolatier selected SYSPRO ERP. As an FDA-regulated company, the SYSPRO Lot Traceability module was needed to track the history and future of every ingredient coming into their facility. Yerage remembers, “We chose SYSPRO for two main reasons: The first is that they were very well known in the food industry for their Lot Traceability modules, which is something that we need. The second was their Fast Track Implementation program, and a quick implementation was a requirement for us.” On October 31, 2009, Gorant Chocolatier began remotely implementing SYSPRO ERP. The system went live the weekend before Thanksgiving. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)

Functional Applications - Inventory Management Systems

Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

Applicable Industries

Food & Beverage

Retail

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Quality Assurance

Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Inventory Management

Predictive Quality Analytics

Process Control & Optimization

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Training

Challenge

In September of 2009, Gorant Chocolatier was sold to a private ownership group and was given a little over a month to find, purchase and implement a new software system. Additionally, Gorant didn’t have a fully integrated manufacturing system in place and was recording data manually on spreadsheets. “Before [SYSPRO], we did everything manually everything from spreadsheets to handwritten delivery notes to our customers and it took a lot of labor to do that. In addition, if we were ever faced with a recall, it would have taken us a great deal of time to trace where those finished products went,” says Gorant Chocolatier Purchasing Manager, Mary Ann Yerage.

About Customer

Gorant Candies was founded in 1949 by two brothers, Sam and Charles Gorant, in Youngstown, Ohio. The company originally started as a mint candy manufacturer. As the popularity of Gorant Candies grew, the company expanded by opening several small stores in the areas surrounding Youngstown. In 1977, Sam and Charles Gorant decided to further expand Gorant Candies and purchased a manufacturing plant within a few miles of the original store and factory. Built on a 7.5-acre lot on the outskirts of Youngstown, the plant opened in late fall of 1977. In 1986, Gorant Candies was sold to Shurman Fine Papers (Papyrus) where it eventually expanded further with sales of greeting cards, candies, and fine chocolates. Today, the company now known as Gorant Chocolatier operates out of a 55,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility where it manufactures fine confections and chocolates. Customers include wholesale accounts, resale stores, and private label customers as well as online and mail order business. Currently, Gorant has more than 4,000 SKUs occupying its warehouse and fills hundreds of orders each month.

Solution

Based on its requirements for fast, effective implementation and a fully integrated ERP System, Gorant Chocolatier selected SYSPRO ERP. As an FDA-regulated company, the SYSPRO Lot Traceability module was needed to track the history and future of every ingredient coming into their facility. Yerage remembers, “We chose SYSPRO for two main reasons: The first is that they were very well known in the food industry for their Lot Traceability modules, which is something that we need. The second was their Fast Track Implementation program, and a quick implementation was a requirement for us.” On October 31, 2009, Gorant Chocolatier began remotely implementing SYSPRO ERP. The system went live the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Impact #1	Since implementing SYSPRO, Gorant Chocolatier has seen a multitude of benefits from having an integrated software program. Not only did SYSPRO’s STARS Fast-Track implementation meet the company’s requirement for quick implementation, but the software also streamlined processes across the entire business.
Impact #2	Modules like SYSPRO’s Lot Traceability have given Gorant the capability to manufacture for large label private customers who require them to have that traceability. Yerage notes: “SYRPRO gives us the edge of having a two-hour recall and knowing the destinations of our products. This makes us very desirable to the large and small private label corporations looking for manufacturers.”
Impact #3	Additionally, SYSPRO allows Gorant the ability to look at its job structures and determine its true manufacturing costs associated with manufacturing each product, enabling the company to operate more economically through tighter inventory controls and the ability to forecast.

Impact #1

Since implementing SYSPRO, Gorant Chocolatier has seen a multitude of benefits from having an integrated software program. Not only did SYSPRO’s STARS Fast-Track implementation meet the company’s requirement for quick implementation, but the software also streamlined processes across the entire business.

Impact #2

Modules like SYSPRO’s Lot Traceability have given Gorant the capability to manufacture for large label private customers who require them to have that traceability. Yerage notes: “SYRPRO gives us the edge of having a two-hour recall and knowing the destinations of our products. This makes us very desirable to the large and small private label corporations looking for manufacturers.”

Impact #3

Additionally, SYSPRO allows Gorant the ability to look at its job structures and determine its true manufacturing costs associated with manufacturing each product, enabling the company to operate more economically through tighter inventory controls and the ability to forecast.

Benefit #1	Implementation of basic ERP modules in three weeks
Benefit #2	Ability to look at job structure and gain accurate account of true manufacturing costs
Benefit #3	Increased sales and gained private label customers based on Lot Traceability

Benefit #1

Implementation of basic ERP modules in three weeks

Benefit #2

Ability to look at job structure and gain accurate account of true manufacturing costs

Benefit #3

Increased sales and gained private label customers based on Lot Traceability

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Overview

SYSPRO case study: Gorant Chocolatier Uses SYSPRO to Enhance Operational Efficiencies

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit