Smucker Laser Cutting and Metal Fabrication

Nesting + MRP = Power to Manage

Smucker Laser grows their business with higher capacity and better control

Smucker Laser excels in laser cutting, forming, and welding various metals, including steel, stainless steel, brass, and aluminum. Vice President Sheldon Miller sums up the industrious work ethic that contributes to their success. “Smucker Laser is a metal fabrication shop dedicated to meeting all customer needs related to metal. We start with laser cutting and can handle welding, forming, assembly, powder coating, painting, and even some machining.”

The Smucker family first identified a need for laser cutting services in central Pennsylvania and purchased their first laser in 2002. Over the next decade, they expanded their customer base well beyond fabricating parts for local agriculture and industrial equipment, into Philadelphia and Baltimore manufacturing and even the New York artist community.

Expanding to Meet Demand

To cater to a growing customer base, Smucker Laser invested in additional technology, including three Trumpf lasers, a Safan Darley press brake, and equipment for sawing, forming, drilling, and welding.

They also began to use SigmaNEST to optimize material usage and cut times, and to make programming more effective. Project engineer and supervisor Mat Mallios noted, “Programming with SigmaNEST was much more efficient, with the ability to post jobs to all three lasers simultaneously. We were able to reduce our programming time by half and focus on other tasks.”

Growing Pains

Now that Smucker Laser increased their production capacity, they discovered a new challenge—managing their growth. Miller explained, “As we started to grow, we had numerous estimators, project managers. There were times when customers would send in a quote to one project estimator and then maybe three months later send the same item to another estimator and get a different price back. All the moving parts are hard to keep track of when there are multiple project managers. It was difficult to give feedback to the customer about their job, whether it is on a machine or whether it’s sitting on the floor ready to be delivered.”

Stumbling blocks were starting to affect operations:

• Inconsistent quoting due to multiple estimators
• Inefficiencies in quoting with Excel and Google Docs
• Difficulty in tracking job status or inventory in real-time
• Inaccurate knowledge of actual laser cutting speeds

Integrated Nesting and MRP Capabilities

Already using SigmaNEST for nesting, Smucker Laser sought to integrate their business data. Mallios said, “We wanted to combine nesting and MRP software to be able to quote in real time about the project and how long it took to cut, rather than manually entering that information or guesstimating that information.” After evaluating a competitor’s MRP solution, they chose SigmaMRP for its dual benefits of a single accurate database and ease of use.

Advantages of Integration

• Real-Time Quoting: Integrating SigmaNEST with SigmaMRP enables accurate real-time quotes, reducing manual data entry and errors. “More quotes per day, per week” allowed them to assist customers promptly.
• Streamlined Operations: The integration links quoting, purchasing, and inventory operations, ensuring consistency and repeatability. “SigmaNEST helped us with more consistency. Everyone uses the same database and parameters when quoting.”

• Enhanced Job Tracking: Real-time job tracking through SigmaMRP improves visibility of job status and customer communication. “When customers ask for a job status, you have a live view of where the parts are and can provide updates immediately.”
• Remnant Management: The system tracks remnant size, geometry, and location, allowing Smucker Laser to quickly find leftover materials for other jobs. “The extra value-add for SigmaMRP is live integration within the software, reducing paper use.”

The integration of SigmaNEST and SigmaMRP has transformed Smucker Laser’s operations, streamlining quoting, improving job tracking, and enhancing overall efficiency. This well-coordinated workflow has become a hallmark of their business. Miller remarked, “Our customers appreciate a one-stop shop for complicated assemblies, trusting us to handle everything.”