Case study: Metal fabrication company gains competitive edge with custom QA app and Joesoftware’s real world experience

Posted October 30, 2023

Let’s turn the spotlight on Joesoftware and show you how our approach to clients, problem solving, and solution building are a step ahead of the competition.

We are excited to share some examples or case studies that give you a window into why Joesoftware is the leading Microsoft Dynamics Partner in Alberta and how we will go to work for your organization.

A mid-sized, Alberta-based metal fabrication company was looking for a way to manage and track quality assurance (QA) in their welding shop. They also wanted the ability to easily share real-time updates on orders with their customers.

Here’s what the Joe team learned as we looked at their needs and possible solutions.

The technology had to be friendly and easy to use in a welding environment. Welders wear a lot of protective gear and substantial gloves. The solution we were going to create had to be easy to use, work on a tablet, and the buttons on tablet screens had to be big enough so the welders could use it without removing their gloves. They also wanted an app that eliminated paper from the welding shop floor, as paper is highly combustible and not safe in a welding environment.

Our welding client also wanted their customers to have the ability to track the progress of their order online. Currently, considerable manual time was required responding to customer inquiries by phone or email. Real time information was important, so we needed to create the ability for their customers to visit a website to monitor the progress of their order anytime and from anywhere.

We introduced our client to Business Central and the third party app, Warehouse Insights, which helps manufacturers manage their warehouse operations and inventory. From there, we built them a custom app in Power Apps for tracking quality control from beginning to end.

When the design of a welded piece was finalized, it needed to be uploaded into the app so everyone knew what the final product was supposed to look like. As materials and pipe were selected for the fabrication of the welded design, the heat number for the various components were uploaded into the app so our client could trace back the source of all materials used in the project. This custom, quality assurance app gave our client the ability to track each step of the job, right from the shop floor, in real time.

Joesoftware employed various software solutions to address our client’s need. However, this example is about more than just programming and software. Our team brought our business and manufacturing experience to the table. We knew how our fabrication client worked. We understood their manufacturing processes, and the need for improved tracking, workflows, and oversight. Our extensive background allowed Joesoftware to better understand our client and easily translate their needs into an ERP solution and supporting custom application.

An added bonus was that the Joesoftware team member who developed this quality assurance app lives and works near Edmonton, Alberta, the same location as our client. His close proximity allowed him to visit their welding shop, watch how they work, see their needs first hand, and visually observe and analyze how we could adapt technology to work for them and suggest improvements based on their real-world use of the app.

We gave our manufacturing client a real-time competitive advantage. With their custom, quality assurance app, we saved them time and resources and created 360-degree accountability with their clients.

At Joesoftware, this is how we approach every client and assignment – big picture thinking and demonstrated experience that ensures the technology works for you. We are a trusted business advisor and Microsoft Dynamics Partner, and we’d love the opportunity to put our experience and the technology to work for your organization.