Innovation in Action: Leadership That Transforms!
At Allied Steel Buildings, our culture of innovation has been one of our defining qualities since day one. Fueled by leadership decisions that encourage experimentation, embracing new technologies, and implementing scalable solutions, we have grown over the years by constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible within our industry. This mindset is what lead us to dive headfirst into fabrication in 2021, open our second manufacturing facility— complete with a first-of-its-kind robotics and automation line— last year, and take on so many of our clients’ projects that required a fresh new way of looking at things. In short, we credit so much of our successes and growth to outside-the-box thinking, creating solutions tailored to our needs- no matter how big or small those may be.
Allied’s ERP System
This year we’ve got our sights set on revolutionizing our operations, enhancing our client experience, and settings new standards in steel manufacturing. Over the past year, we made significant investments in internal innovation, including in the development of our own Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system— Allied 360 (A360).
At it’s core, the custom-built system is an integration of various operations-critical tools and software, that together create an ecosystem of seamless communication across every part of the business. Currently this includes features for streamlining document management and communication, optimizing cash flow analysis, more accurate capacity calculating, freight tracking, and a customer portal that simplifies requests for information and change orders amongst other things. As with everything we do, the entire system was designed to improve project execution and ultimately enhance client satisfaction. The end result so far: increased visibility both across our organization and for our clients, increased efficiency, and most importantly, an improved customer experience.
From a cross-functional perspective, the system’s integration of various tools and programs has already reduced silos that previously existed between departments, and allows for smoother scheduling between sales, project management, and operations.
In addition to reducing silos, A360 was designed to streamline and automate workflows across the organization, providing end-to-end visibility from sales through delivery. By centralizing our operations, we’re creating a unified platform that captures and measures efficiency at every step, allowing us to identify and resolve issues quickly and pivot as necessary.
Data Driven
A360 is also facilitating the move towards a more data-driven culture. By capturing real-time data across all stages of a project, we’re gaining visibility into performance metrics, empowering our team to make data-driven decisions. This visibility allows us to proactively identify bottlenecks or challenges and implement solutions before they escalate. Looking ahead, collected data can be used for predictive or preventative maintenance for our robotics system, computer vision— which can be used to identify faults or variations to standard components, and even for machine learning to optimize our supply chain with logistics.
To maximize the value of A360, we brought together cross-functional teams from sales, engineering, operations, manufacturing, logistics and IT and built a system that is tailored to the specific needs of each department. This collaborative effort not only fosters innovation but also strengthens our culture of teamwork and continuous improvement. By equipping our team with cutting-edge tools and processes, we’re positioning Allied to remain at the forefront of the steel manufacturing industry.
Looking ahead, A360 will be a cornerstone of our strategy to scale efficiently, improve accountability, and deliver superior results to our clients. It’s a prime example of how Allied invests in innovation to drive progress and set new standards in the industry.