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Steady business growth and the demanding nature of the defense industry led Exotic Electro-Optics, Inc. (EEO)—a leading supplier of state-of-the-art infrared crystals, optical components, coatings, and assemblies for aerospace, defense, and commercial markets—to implement IFS Applications. Old technology
Before going live on IFS Applications in November 2004, EEO was running its business on technology that was holding it back, according to Steve Buzard, the company’s Manager of Information Systems. “We were operating on a very old D3 database, which is not a Windows® environment,” he said. “The main driver behind our getting into updated, open technology was access to information. Our legacy system was not an open technology that we could have access to through other reporting or analysis tools. There was no ability to utilize information that was in the system. “We were putting a lot of effort and information into the system, but we were not getting a lot back out. Now we are able to access data using IFS and other third-party tools— leverage information much more effectively.” EEO works for major defense contractors such as Lockheed, Northrup Grumman, and General Dynamics, and in some cases, directly for the federal government. So current technology was important to keep up with customer expectations. “Our customers were also aware that we were operating in an old system,” Buzard said. “It was difficult to give customers good data on their active projects because our old system did not have the capability of tracking the status of production. We had a hard time meeting their demands for communication.”
A&D appeal
To select a modern enterprise resources planning (ERP) offering to meet its needs, the company identified its critical requirements, solicited information from 20 potential vendors, and narrowed the list to four companies to speak with in earnest. Finalists included SyteLine, Relevant Business Systems, Oracle, and Deltek Costpoint. “I think IFS was the most advanced in terms of technology—had the broadest offering of capabilities,” Buzard said. “When we looked at the whole picture and the range of capabilities and the fit of all of the capabilities, IFS had the broadest and best fit overall. It is the most advanced in terms of the general language the product was developed in, and because of that it offers Web capabilities not available in other products.” Moreover, IFS Applications 7 will deliver even more functionality of interest to Exotic Electro-Optics and other aerospace and defense companies. “IFS’ focus on the aerospace and defense market niche was certainly of interest to us,” Buzard said. “Some of the larger defense contractors are also IFS customers, and they had the applications customized to deal with project-related functionality as well as costing. “The capabilities that were driven by that group were a big piece of what is being offered in IFS Applications 7. We are very interested in gaining the capabilities that have to do with project management.” Currently, EEO is implementing additional IFS functionality for capacity requirement planning, time and attendance, and business performance.
Facts about Exotic Electro-Optics, Inc.
Since its formation in 1961, Exotic Electro-Optics, Inc. (EEO) has been a leading supplier of state-of-the-art infrared crystals, optical components, coatings, and assemblies for aerospace, defense, and commercial markets. Through the years, EEO has vertically integrated its basic manufacturing technologies (germanium crystal production, optical fabrication, optical coating production, and mechanical fabrication) into complex assemblies. These assemblies are used in military fire control, missile guidance, and thermal imaging systems. During a program's conceptual and production design phases, EEO meets its customers' needs with producibility engineering. Engineering and preproduction models are produced in EEO’s model shop. During production, EEO's total manufacturing capability provides full in-house control over product quality and schedule adherence.
Benefits
- Easy access to critical business information throughout the enterprise
- Easy integration with thirdparty software
- Improved tracking and communication of production status
- Industry-specific functionality
- Easy integration with legacy systems
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