Customer Success Story : Steel Rollformed Products
How this Steel Manufacturer Transformed Their Efficiency with M1
What is Steel Rollformed Products?
Steel Rollformed Products is a manufacturer based in Auckland, New Zealand. They specialise in steel wall and ceiling systems. Their main customer base is construction companies, and they provide parts overseas. Steel Rollformed Products (SRP) is committed to making safe, reliable wall and ceiling systems, that are high-rated and acoustic-rated and are a lot more sustainable on a bigger scale.
Before: A pen-and-paper pandemic
SRP faced a host of visibility problems that made growth nearly impossible. When asked about early workflows, Rakai Kirkwood, operations supervisor for SRP, describes the operations as “scatterbrained.” “We weren’t able to continually grow our business even though the demand was there because we didn’t have the infrastructure, in terms of software systems, to be able to support that.”
SRP relied on pen and paper and Excel sheets for inventory. In terms of labor, production, and setup costs, everything was calculated manually. When an order came through, admin had to manually enter the order information into three different systems.
“We didn't have an inventory system, so it was very hard to control. Not being able to be quick with customers to let them know what we have available for them. As well as forecasting because we didn't have the inventory system to forecast ahead,” explains Rakai.
With duplicated entry efforts, little to no visibility into accurate inventory, and an inability to communicate accurate information to customers, SRP was losing confidence in its ability to scale with its traditional workflows.
After: A digital revolution
SRP found M1 to digitalise and increase visibility across their shop floor. With insights available, salespeople are no longer guessing price quotes, inventory is up-to-date and available for customer inquiries, and everyone knows their roles.
“We are very streamlined, and we are all on the same page. Everyone knows their roles, and we know how they interact with each other, and M1's made that possible for us.”
M1 enables SRP to see every part of production—from order down to delivery. Rather than continuously guessing, the analytics provided by M1 helped the shop learn how quickly they could produce certain items. They could also see how much product was left onsite and forecast how much raw materials might cost in the coming months.
Prior to this visibility, Rakai explained they had no way to see how much product they were producing and shipping in one day. Now, all those insights are available.
“You can imagine a company with under 30 employees not being able to see everything that we can now. It was such a challenge, and we were getting overwhelmed by our production,” Rakai remarks.
SPR grew by 20% in 2022 and another 20% in 2023. The company is aiming for the same success this year. When asked about the impact of M1, Rakai declares that M1 has, without a doubt, helped them grow and scale the business.
“I do feel like M1 was designed for manufacturers. You can see it throughout the design. You can see it through the implementation process as well.”
For a traditional shop looking to scale, Steel Rollformed Products knew pen-and-paper processes just weren’t enough. With M1, the company has seen great success and growth. With valuable insights now available and accurate data, SRP can focus on growth, customer service, and providing quality products.