If you’re a Lowcountry manufacturing or automotive company whose operational efficiency is sub-optimal, or whose computer systems don’t communicate with each other, help is available from a local company that has been providing software solutions and support to Charleston-area manufacturers.
Summerville-based Software Projects Consulting specializes in providing end-to-end SAP solutions — enterprise software that weaves together all your operations into one system. That means finance, sales, distribution, supply chain management and production all reporting seamlessly on the same platform.
Software Projects’ consultants bring expertise in manufacturing and software to any job. Most of them started their careers in manufacturing, learned the SAP system and worked as consultants developing solutions within the SAP framework before joining the team.
SAP offers the advantage of efficiency. All systems are integrated and the entire user base can be trained on one system, not on separate systems for each function.
Software Projects Consulting works primarily with manufacturers that already employ SAP but need support with day-to-day operations or on individual projects. One company with completely manual materials handling looked to Software Projects Consulting for an automated warehouse management system. Software Projects introduced wireless scanners to track and route materials and log every transaction in real time. Founder and CEO Frank Muehlenkamp estimates the upgrade in efficiency will save his client $500,000 over three years.
New software and processes require training of staff, which Software Projects Consulting also provides. Unlike international behemoth consulting firms, Software Projects Consulting builds long-term relationships with clients in this region, developing a deeper understanding of those businesses in the process. “That proximity allows us to arrive in the plant 20 minutes after we get a call to help with a situation,” says Muehlenkamp. “That’s different than a consulting company that flies all over the world.”
For some local manufacturers, like Kion North America, IFA Rotorion and Hengst of North America, Software Projects Consulting’s special expertise in working with German companies is a bonus. Muehlenkamp says it’s helpful to be able to bridge the occasional cultural gap.
The expertise in SAP, its ability to integrate systems and the efficiencies that it produces prompt manufacturers to seek out Software Projects Consulting. Ultimately, a more productive operation and healthier bottom line are valuable in any culture.