Success Stories

Business Challenge

Keltour had several key issues they were looking to address in a new system.

Time-tracking limitations required accounting and payroll to re-enter staff hours after they were submitted. This caused several hours of additional work every week, and resulted in a one week lag in job labour costing and reporting. 

Better tracking and real-time monitoring of their manufacturing data was needed. Finally, they needed to tie in to accounting data for better visibility of their WIP and project invoicing.

Solution

Keltour originally implemented Total ETO 18 years prior, but was using an old version, which no longer met their needs. Unaware of the upgrades made to Total ETO over the years, Keltour tried implementing another system, but were unable to get it working properly. There was no math linking, no logic, and no vendor support to help resolve problems.

Returning to Total ETO, they installed the newest version. Everyone was familiar and comfortable with it, so it was easy to start using again. In the end it was an easy decision and they immediately saw improvements to their processes.

Dynamic Benefits and Results

Efficient Timekeeping

Total ETO makes timekeeping much more efficient. Every employee enters their own hours, saving accounting and payroll several hours weekly, and providing almost-live tracking to projects.

Inventory Tracking

The ability to track inventory has been invaluable for Keltour. With inventory live on the purchasing screen, they can allocate and assign it directly to projects. Leftover inventory is logged so it can be reassigned to other projects, minimizing waste.

Keltour is now able to measure how much inventory they’re pulling monthly, which aids in planning for current and future projects.

These improvements are all helping build margin, something every business strives for.

Key Metrics

Keltour projects are typically fixed price, so having a clear picture of any projects that may be running over is critical to profit margins. With Total ETO, reports can easily be run to see how much engineering, manufacturing, testing, and assembly time and resources have been used to date. Adjustments can be made to keep projects efficient.

Consistency Between Facilities

Keltour has approximately 30 people using Total ETO in their Burlington location, as well as some staff at their US facility. Everyone follows the same procedures and practices regarding reporting, keeping both locations consistent and in synch.

Easy Reporting

Gary Jakob, Vice President of Operations states “My favorite thing about Total ETO is the simplicity of the reports. Whether labor related, material related, or WIP related, we are able to quickly run a report that is easily understood.”

He adds that the feedback from both the Canadian and US staff using the system has been the same; “The reporting is very simple, it’s easy to run, you don’t need to filter anything out, and it gives you what you need.”

Working Offline

During the pandemic, Keltour was able to work off line and allocate people to enter in material BOMs and perform engineering tasks.

“In spite of the restrictions put on our business during the pandemic, we have been able to keep the wheels on the bus operationally speaking, which has been great.” Gary Jakob.

Common Sense Support

Keltour has been very happy with the support they’ve received. Although they haven’t had to reach out very often, when they do, the Total ETO staff has been very helpful, walking them through the problem and solution.

“I like that with Total ETO, common sense is always involved and implemented. It makes it easier for the customer to understand and work with.” Gary Jakob.