Rae-Line achieves robust growth with SYSPRO ERP solution

Established in 1972 and based in Melbourne, Australia, Rae-Line is the market leader in the design and manufacture of commercial upholstery, sports and safety padding solutions. The company has seen robust growth over the years, currently employing more than 140 staff and supplying its products to major names in industries such as automotive, heavy transport, recreational vehicles and sports padding.

A few years back, due to substantial growth in the company, Rae-Line's in-house ERP solution was no longer meeting business requirements. The system lacked Material Requirement Planning (MRP) capabilities and had a separate financial system. The management identified the need for a well-integrated, robust system that could meet its ever-changing needs as well as support future expansion.

After evaluating six ERP suppliers, Rae-Line chose SYSPRO for its in-depth presentation, the capabilities of the solution, and the responsiveness of its team. Dave Moody, General Manager and SYSPRO Project Leader, explained, "From bulk uploading of sales orders to managing those jobs through bills of material, inventory controls, stocktakes, Material Requirements Planning (MRP), and all the way through to the financial processes, SYSPRO is strongly aligned with our business processes."

The introduction of SYSPRO benefited Rae-Line in several ways, not only aiding the 60% growth in staff and orders over the past two years but also improving quality and time by 20%. These improvements were mainly brought about by the system's ability to provide feedback, resulting in fewer mistakes and reworks.

In recent times, several major customers increased their demand by around 50%, leading to challenges that required a reinforced system to cope. Moody noted, "Because SYSPRO has a strong front end and can upload bulk sales orders, we've been able to satisfy the increased demand with the same admin team."

The transition to SYSPRO enabled Rae-Line to streamline production planning as the staff knew exactly what a customer needed on any given day. "SYSPRO is fully integrated... ensuring we can satisfy customers on time, every time. The MRP system ensures that we've got the right materials in the right place," Moody remarked, emphasising how the robust system contributes to precise and efficient production processes.

As a market leader, Rae-Line must meet high expectations of product quality and service. For instance, Kenworth's quality standard requires only 10 rejects for every million parts, demanding an unwavering focus on quality. With SYSPRO, Rae-Line moved from the traditional "paper Bibles" to using tablets for real-time changes. Moody observed, "You simply can't do that with a paper-based system. It needs to be electronic, correct and immediate."

In adopting SYSPRO, Rae-Line's management team was assured of the solution being the best fit for their business. Moody and Vorhauer lauded SYSPRO's depth of industry knowledge, understanding of the Rae-Line operation, and excellent support, saying, "We would encourage anyone who's looking for a new system to seriously consider SYSPRO."