2003 Press Releases
Glovia in the news
Glovia International Selected by Leading Cotton Fiber and Foam Manufacturer
glovia.com Beats Stiff Competition With Low Total Cost of Ownership, Superior Product Architecture and Diligent Customer Service
El Segundo, Calif., November 11, 2003 — Glovia International, a subsidiary of Fujitsu and a leading provider of extended ERP solutions for engineer-to-order and high volume manufacturers, announced today that Barnhardt Manufacturing Company, a 103 year old diversified manufacturer based in Charlotte, NC, is implementing its extended ERP suite, glovia.com, at all 11 of its operating companies.
glovia.com will enable the company to increase visibility into its operations, improving cost control and decision-making dramatically. Prior to implementing Glovia, Barnhardt labored with a system that could only deliver critical data – such as inventory levels and orders – on a monthly basis, leaving the company struggling to understand its true costs and operational performance. Barnhardt recorded more than $100 million in revenues last year, and is growing at upwards of 15 percent annually, so it needed a robust ERP suite to handle the various requirements of its companies today and for years to come.
With all 11 operating companies running on glovia.com, Barnhardt will obtain critical real-time information that will enable the company to make faster more informed decisions, increase organizational responsiveness, identify and track key performance indicators and improve information accessibility. By running a more efficient and informed business, Barnhardt will be able to pinpoint problem areas faster, react more quickly to customers changing demands and decrease inventory levels – all leading to significant cost savings.
Each operating company will be supported by a single glovia.com installation, and linked through an enterprise framework that is under development. Within two years, Glovia will finish implementing its extended ERP suite at all 11 Barnhardt companies, a rapid implementation process designed to ensure a lower total cost of ownership for the lifetime of the product. The first two companies are currently implementing glovia.com and are scheduled to go live by February 2004. Three more companies are scheduled to go live by the end of 2004 with the remaining six companies scheduled to be up and running by Q3 2005.
“An area where ARC is seeing increasing growth in ERP sales, is the mid-market. Most of the companies in this sector, of which Barnhardt is one, are operating with outdated enterprise software that is incapable of providing timely visibility across the enterprise,” said John Moore, vice president and general manager of Enterprise Advisory Services, ARC Advisory Group. “This is simply unacceptable in today's hyper-competitive market. For this reason, Glovia seems to be an excellent match for Barnhardt.”
Avgard Systems Consulting, a leading third party implementation and development firm, played a major role in Barnhardt’s selection and implementation of glovia.com “A majority of manufacturing companies in the middle tier market are requiring their IT solutions provide visibility across their Enterprise to help provide a competitive edge in increased customer service and cost effective offerings” said Jeff Baer, president of Avgard Systems Consulting. “Glovia’s diverse solutions base and their ability to work with third party implementation companies provide an excellent choice for Barnhardt Manufacturing to meet these challenges from a time, cost and return on investment standpoint”.
After implementation costs, Barnhardt estimates its ongoing annual overhead for all of its IT services, including glovia.com, will be approximately one percent or less of the company’s total annual revenues. This is a significant savings considering the average industry cost of running an ERP system alone usually costs three times this amount.
Beyond the cost savings, glovia.com’s ability to manage a wide range of manufacturing styles natively made it an ideal fit for Barnhardt, whose businesses include various bleached and carded cotton products and a variety of polyurethane foam products.
“glovia.com delivers the best functionality of any solution we considered, as well as a product architecture enabling greater visibility and management of our business processes,” said Tom L. Barnhardt, president of Barnhardt Manufacturing. “Glovia’s customer service has also been impressive. No matter whom we worked with – from the sales representatives to the technology, support and project management teams – every Glovia representative we’ve encountered has worked diligently to help us meet our goals and become a true strategic business partner. This really made a strong impression on Barnhardt, and made the decision to select Glovia an easy one.”
“When searching for a new ERP system, Barnhardt recognized some important differences between Glovia and other ERP vendors that came into play during the decision-making process,” said Dennis Michalis, president and chief executive officer for Glovia International. “From our customer service-oriented approach to our ability to deliver a technically superior solution cost effectively, Glovia is the best choice for mid-market manufacturing enterprises.”
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About Barnhardt Manufacturing Company
About Barnhardt Manufacturing Company
Established in 1900, Barnhardt Manufacturing Company began operation by producing layered batting made from unbleached cotton fibers. This padding laid the groundwork for two distinctively different corporate divisions - Barnhardt Manufacturing Company and North Carolina Foam Industries. The cotton textile side of the company has broadened in scope, supplying cotton products to many new markets. The business that began by supplying cotton batting for cushioning material has developed into a major worldwide supplier of bleached cotton for medical, health and beauty aids, and nonwoven fabrics. The foam side of the business, North Carolina Foam Industries (NCFI), was started in 1964. NCFI now offers over 150 grades of polyurethane foam for a wide variety of applications. They also manufacture polyurethane foam chemical systems for spray foam insulation, roofing, and other applications. Throughout its growth, Barnhardt's focus has always been -- and continues to be -- pointed toward the highest quality standards, customer commitment, and support of the local community. For more information on Barnhardt Manufacturing Company and its services visit www.barnhardt.net or call (800) 277-0377.
About ARC Advisory Group
Founded in 1986, ARC Advisory Group has grown to become the Thought Leader in Manufacturing and Supply Chain solutions. No matter how complex your business issues, our analysts have the expert industry knowledge and first-hand experience to help you find the best answer. We focus on simple yet critical goals: improving your return on assets, operational performance, total-cost-of-ownership, project time-to-benefit, and share holder value. Further information can be obtained from ARC, Three Allied Drive, Dedham, MA 02026, (781) 471-1000, Fax (781) 471-1100, E-mail info@arcweb.com, Web www.arcweb.com
About Avgard Systems Consulting
Founded in 1999, Avgard Systems Consulting is a third party implementation and development company specializing in ERP, MRP, logistics and banking applications. We offer solutions to companies with a flawless track record of delivering on time and on budget. We offer business re-engineering, off the shelf- package implementations as well as from the ground up development. Further information can be obtained from Avgard Systems Consulting, 8500 Sylvan Drive, Terrell, NC, 28682, (828) 478-9618, Fax (828) 478-9620, E-mail avgardsystems@charter.net.
About Glovia International
Glovia International, Inc., a subsidiary of Fujitsu, is a leading provider of extended ERP solutions for companies with global operations. Glovia’s ERP suite, glovia.com, delivers unmatched functionality to ETO/MTO, High Volume and Automotive manufacturers, including engineering, project management, supply chain and collaboration. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Glovia serves the needs of its 1000 customers in more than 100 countries. For more information about Glovia and its extended ERP solution, please visit www.glovia.com or call (800) 223-3799.
About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a leading provider of customer-focused IT and communications solutions for the global marketplace. Pace-setting technologies, highly reliable computing and telecommunications platforms, and a worldwide corps of systems and services experts uniquely position Fujitsu to deliver comprehensive solutions that open up infinite possibilities for its customers' success. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$38 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003. For additional information, visit: www.fujitsu.com.
