Horizon Technology

Business Challenges

• Growing company in a complex industry was doing business on three disparate software platforms.
• Small size relative to competitors forced company to work smarter to prove itself to prospective customers.
• Tighter control over product quality and traceability were necessary to fuel innovation.
• Minimal budget and nonexistent dedicated IT staff limited options for on-premises software installations. 

Solution Benefits

• Identified and addressed machine issues immediately, rather than days after the issue occurred.
• Gained the ability to trace products within 10 to 15 minutes.
• Increased customer confidence and strengthened sales discussions by easily showcasing quality control processes on shop floor computers.
• Gained the agility to develop new technologies in response to emerging market demands. 

Most powder metal manufacturers work within today’s relatively narrow applications of the technology. Its use is limited, as powder metal is highly porous – like Swiss cheese, but with much smaller holes. To date, the growth of the industry has come on the backs of other metalforming technologies, largely serving the automotive and heavy equipment industries. When Horizon Technology launched its business, the team set its sights on much greater, futuristic possibilities.

“Our company’s growth opportunity comes from reducing the size and quantity of those pores, so that we can produce stronger parts and displace other metalforming technologies,” explains Eric Wolfe, President, Horizon Technology. “This has been our goal from day one.” 

The potential applications are numerous. For example, as automakers produce more electric vehicles, they’re looking for technologies that can reduce the size of car components. Horizon’s focus on reducing porosity and increasing density directly supports this need. The company’s technology can already reduce the size of an electric motor by as much as one-third. Beyond applications in the automotive industry, Horizon expects that its innovative materials will eventually find their way into a wide range of everyday products.

When Horizon opened its doors in 2001, the company chose to get up and running quickly on JobBOSS, Impact, and QuickBooks software. But in light of its growth plans, the company realized it would need a more sophisticated, fully integrated platform to manage its complex business.

“Our customers aren’t going to cut us any slack just because we’re smaller than our competitors. They expect us to be able to control our manufacturing processes, give assurance of a certain level of quality, and deliver on our promises. We needed a system that could support that.” - ERIC WOLFE, PRESIDENT

“We’re a small company in a very demanding market,” says Eric Wolfe. “Our customers aren’t going to cut us any slack just because we’re smaller than our competitors. They expect us to be able to control our manufacturing processes, give assurance of a certain level of quality and deliver on our promises. We needed a system that could support that.”

Flexible Rollout and Fast Time to Value

After launching with disparate, disconnected solutions, Horizon put together a detailed list of requirements for its new ERP system. The company wanted to be able to meet quality management system (QMS) and automotive requirements on one integrated, unified system of record. It wanted to empower shop floor employees to complete multiple activities on one screen. Error-proof quality activities were key. And, they wanted to increase traceability and ease of identification while reducing waste and non-value activities.

Given the company’s lack of a dedicated IT department, cloud technology proved appealing. In addition, some employees had used Plex in previous jobs.

“We looked at Plex and thought, ‘It’s perfect for us!’” recalls Cathy Cuneo, Quality Manager, Horizon Technology. “The only work involved in rolling out to employees was to set up a new computer with an internet connection. We quickly gained the ability to use an integrated system with no manual recordkeeping and easy access to data for everyone. And we knew it would be easy to add on modules over time.”

When Horizon implemented Plex, it first rolled out the quality module and then implemented other pieces of functionality on a timeline that made sense for the business and its growth path.

“We put workstations out there for people, using whatever old computers we had available at the time,” explains Cuneo. “One by one, we got rid of our old software platforms and moved more business processes to Plex.”

Horizon recently implemented Plex’s accounting and financials functionality. Throughout the process, Plex’s support team provided training and guidance to help Horizon get the most out of the module.

“The Plex support team was fantastic throughout our financials implementation,” reports Ken Wolfe, Secretary/Treasurer, Horizon Technology. “Our consultant was always available by Zoom meeting to take us through topics. But he would only tell us what we really needed to know, and he’d give us homework to help us make progress between sessions.”