DEMOCRATIZING DATA: A NEW ERA OF INFORMATION SHARING FOR VLT
Volt-Link Technologies Adopts PredictaPrep Software for a More Data-Driven Culture
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The Data Challenge
In today's fast-paced business landscape, leveraging data-driven insights is crucial for companies to remain competitive. For many organizations, accessing the necessary data is no simple task. Deeply engrained, missioncritical legacy systems, often difficult to replace, are major roadblocks leading to missed opportunities.
VLT, a leading harmonics filter manufacturer for large industries, has innovatively addressed this challenge with the aid of DataPurity Pro, the data blending, cleansing, and preparation tool from PredictaPrep. Over the past three years, VLT has made a significant shift towards becoming a data-driven company — they just needed one man and one tool for the job.
ONE-MAN DATA SHOP
At the heart of VLT's technology evolution is Systems Administrator and Analyst, John Smith, who plays a pivotal role in democratizing data access and streamlining information flow throughout the organization. Despite confronting a data-rich ERP system, Smith has harnessed DataPurity Pro to bypass data access and reporting challenges.
By delivering the right data to the right people, VLT has effectively eliminated the need for other departments to extract their own information, ushering in a new era of information sharing within the company. In a nutshell, DataPurity Pro stands as the catalyst propelling VLT into the modern age of data-enabled business.
"Once I saw what DataPurity Pro could do, I really ran with it," shared Smith. "We were in the process of moving certain reports out of our ERP system and combining them with other Excel or SQL inputs. It was perfect timing to start using DataPurity Pro to simplify data sharing."
— John Smith, Systems Administrator, Analyst, VLT
OPTIMIZING SALES REPORTING
Direct ERP Connection
Smith directly connects DataPurity Pro to their Epicor ERP database, expediting the reporting process
Real-Time Generation
Results in real-time, automatic generation and distribution of reports
Stakeholder Distribution
Ensures key stakeholders, from the President and CEO to Sales and Marketing, are well informed
Two of Smith's primary areas of focus are VLT's bookings and sales reports. Previously, a member of VLT's marketing team invested hours every week into creating these same reports within Epicor. Today, data is easily prepared, and reports are automatically generated, scheduled, and shared monthly, all within one DataPurity Pro job.

"DataPurity has saved us countless hours in the three years we have been using it. Across the company there has been so much time saving just from doing it within DataPurity Pro, instead of having someone try and do it manually."
REAL-TIME SCHEDULING & ASSIGNMENTS
Before: Manual Process
  • Employees go to lockers
  • Wait in line at supervisor's desk
  • Verbally receive workstation assignments
  • Return to lockers for belongings
  • Proceed to designated station
Every day, supervisors took time to review tasks and assign them to each worker, a multi-step procedure hindering productivity.
After: Streamlined Solution
  • Three spreadsheets received in advance
  • Data filtered and merged in DataPurity Pro
  • Output to SQL database
  • Information displayed on shop room floor
  • Employees simply clock-in and check display
Formerly, scheduling on the shop-room floor was a cumbersome process. Coordinating personnel placement and shift schedules for the day was time intensive. The process relied on manual methods and went undocumented.
In response to these challenges, Smith devised a streamlined solution. He now receives three spreadsheets in advance from each supervisor, including names, assigned workstations, and other relative information. Within DataPurity Pro, he filters, merges, and outputs the data to a SQL database that populates the information on floor displays.
As a result, employees simply clock-in, check the overhead display, and proceed to their assigned workstation.
Beyond the daily schedule, this new system communicates additional information, like upcoming meetings or changes to workflows. Streamlining the approach now saves "two minutes per person, per shift, per day," according to VLT's manufacturing manager. On days when the workforce presence is especially high, hours of productivity can be gained each week.
IN-HOUSE LEAN MANUFACTURING METRICS
VLT's success hinges on remarkable customer service and an extensive portfolio of customized parts. Their engineers diligently monitor the shipment and condition of these materials. Historically, internal communication amongst the department relied on inefficient, manual email exchanges. Today, Smith uses the email communications feature within DataPurity Pro to schedule and send messages regarding the latest parts.
Component Deployment
When new components are deployed, VLT engineers can monitor them more closely
Automated Flagging
Smith's automated job checks product data for specific characteristics and flags new parts
Multi-Team Communication
Emails regarding shipments go out to shop floor, customer service, and tech support
When new components are deployed, VLT engineers can monitor them more closely, as Smith's automated job checks product data for specific characteristics. For instance, when a newly designed part is shipped, this information is flagged and sent to the engineer team.
Additionally, emails regarding the shipments go out to the shop floor, customer service, and the tech support team. Given the limitations of their legacy ERP system, Smith went as far as building a second DataPurity Pro job to provide VLT with comprehensive insights into how these new parts are performing, where they are in the world, and what condition they are in.
THE POWER OF DATA KNOWS NO BOUNDS
To Smith, the possibilities are endless when it comes to data at VLT. In fact, the central duty of his most recent job is maintaining the accuracy of VLT's online marketing catalog. The marketing team now receives prepackaged data in a ready-to-upload format for their website. Through the "Catalog Part Job", data is seamlessly extracted from VLT's ERP system and reconfigured into a more suitable SQL database format to cater to their website's specific needs.
Embracing a proactive mindset, Smith envisions utilizing DataPurity Pro to facilitate data provisioning to help other teams in the company access essential information. Every week, new requests for reports or tasks continue to surface, reflecting the organization's evolving need for agile and data-centric decision making.
Smith humbly concluded:
"A lot of these projects were the ideas of other people in the company. I've just been able to bring them to life with DataPurity. Before, we really couldn't do that. I don't know how we would do all this any other way."
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