About the Company
Vanguard Manufacturing Company, a dynamic startup specializing in precision machining. They set out on a mission to carve its niche in the aerospace sector. Having just come online in the summer of 2023, Vanguard’s founders wanted to start their business on the right foot. They determined that a comprehensive ERP system could streamline their operations and quality requirements.
The founders were certainly no strangers to the aerospace industry. With extensive backgrounds in quality management, they had already operated Advanced Aero Coatings for quite some time, serving an impressive list of Aerospace OEM’s. Planning to vertically integrate Vanguard Manufacturing into their offering, the team aimed to become a powerhouse of aerospace manufacturing productivity. Vanguard aimed for excellence from the outset. Their existing relationships in the industry and a talent pool of seasoned professionals allowed them to launch with confidence. That being said, there was one last building block that needed to fall into place. In order to align their operations with the stringent requirements of the aerospace sector, they needed a comprehensive ERP system tailored to aerospace manufacturing.
The Challenge
Starting their business with a clean slate, Vanguard’s first challenge was establishing efficient business processes for their machine shop. They met the exacting standards necessary for aerospace certification, particularly AS9100. With their substantial experience in the industry and existing relationships with aerospace OEM’s, Vanguard’s founders already knew the high standard of excellence their future customers would require from them. It was critical to showcase operational efficiency, precision, and an unwavering commitment to quality. This drive propelled the search for an ERP & QMS (Enterprise Resource Planning & Quality Management Systems) solution. They needed help to achieve their operational goals. They had a list of requirements, and the search for an ERP & QMS partner commenced.
Choosing ProShop
Floyd, Vanguard’s President, stumbled upon ProShop online through LinkedIn. Recognizing its potential to address their unique needs, Floyd began a thorough vetting process to see if ProShop would be a suitable platform and ERP partner for their new venture. After a careful review of ProShop’s capabilities, Floyd was confident that he had found the solution he was looking for. The deeply integrated QMS really set ProShop apart from the other systems that Floyd and his team considered. Despite some common reservations associated with ERP implementation for startups, Vanguard decided that ProShop offered the features and support which would be crucial to their operations, along with the visibility needed to build confidence in their target client base.
Implementing ProShop and Achieving AS9100
Working closely with ProShop’s implementation team, Vanguard was able to implement ProShop more quickly than expected. ProShop’s modular structure along with a pre-populated quality management system helped build out their internal business processes. Gaining familiarity with ProShop’s estimating module was also of significant importance. They needed to supercharge their new start-up with a pipeline of quoted work. Completing estimates in ProShop ensured a meticulous examination of true cost elements. This was a critical consideration for Floyd and the team in dealing with aerospace projects to ensure competitiveness and profitability.
Vanguard’s unwavering commitment to quality was substantiated when they achieved AS9100 certification within 2 months of signing up with ProShop. The certification process, often perceived as a daunting challenge, was rendered more manageable with ProShop’s paperless system. While it traditionally would have taken much longer for a brand new company to achieve AS9100 certification, the Vanguard and ProShop team decided to redefine what is possible.
Informal Audit by a Major Aerospace Player
Preceding their formal AS9100 certification, Vanguard underwent an informal audit conducted by a prominent aerospace company and potential Vanguard customer. ProShop helped Vanguard retrieve records and present quality data like First Article Inspection Reports (FAIR). As a result, their more comprehensive overview of their operations greatly impressed the auditors. This resulted in Vanguard gaining approval to progress to the subsequent stages of becoming a certified vendor.
Getting onto the approved vendor list with prominent aerospace OEM’s is known to be a long and difficult process. ProShop simplifies and expedites that process by providing visibility during customer audits which demonstrates competency and establishes confidence with those customers much quicker than with traditional systems.
Continuous Growth and Future Plans
Bolstered by their successful AS9100 certification in addition to being powered by ProShop, Vanguard has stacked the deck in their favor for future success and growth.
In addition to growing the company, their plans include extending ProShop’s capabilities to their coatings division, Advanced Aero Coatings. This strategic move aims to perpetuate a high level of organization and professionalism across all facets of their combined enterprise.
Having laid a strong foundation, it’s safe to say that the team is extremely optimistic about the future of their new venture.
Main Takeaways
A synergistic lasting partnership has been between Vanguard and ProShop. This serves as a testament to the transformative influence that choosing the right ERP/QMS partner can have in the success of a startup. Since laying the groundwork for efficient operations to attaining industry-specific certifications, ProShop has had the pleasure of fueling Vanguard’s journey towards excellence in aerospace manufacturing.
The story of Vanguard’s inception and success underscores the pivotal role of choosing the right ERP/QMS system during the early stages of the business, particularly for startups with aspirations for aerospace excellence. ProShop, having helped to establish Vanguard’s business process and achievement of AS9100 certification, has once again demonstrated this fact. Beyond the ERP and QMS software meeting requirements, always align your manufacturing business with good partners, as opposed to vendors. The difference, as Vanguard experienced, is the pleasure of working with someone who desires and has the capacity and expertise to increase the rate of magnitude of your success.