In this series of articles focused on job management, the main theme has been adaptability. Component fabricators shouldn’t be required to adapt their operation to a piece of software. Instead, the value is in a software solution that adapts to their needs. No two component manufacturing operations are the same, we have said that already. What makes TrueBuild® Job Management stand out is flexibility. If your process is very simple with only a couple of steps, we can handle that. If your process is extremely complex with multiple plants and a large list of tasks, we can handle that also. TrueBuild® Job Management was built from the ground up around the idea that no two users will be the same. Our team wanted a product that was just as valuable to a small customer as it was to a large customer. We wanted flexible software that is easy to use and gives you time to build more.
If there is one thing that all component manufacturers agree on, it is that their way of calculating labor “works for them.” Over the years, I have seen countless methods used to calculate labor, from the very simplistic to the most extremely complex. The reality is that a component manufacturer is only selling the value they are adding to raw materials. They are selling their shop time. The labor calculation, and possibly more importantly the verification of that calculation, is the variable that most likely determines the level of profitability after a job is complete. Our team spent hours discussing the possible ways a user could calculate labor and built an interface that is not only flexible, but very easy to understand.
Now that we have our labor scheme developed, how do we prove it? We have built powerful analytical tools that allow a fabricator to import captured labor data or simply enter labor data manually. Easy to read and completely customizable dashboards and reporting allow for the analysis of estimated versus actual at a job level, a project level, or even across a period of time. These tools allow a fabricator to dial in those settings and prove that their method for calculating labor is accurate for their operation. Imagine if you could enter your actual timeclock data into your management software and instantly see if you accurately priced the work you built that week. Management software should help you MANAGE your business. We feel like TrueBuild® Job Management does just that. User-customizable dashboards allow you to choose which metrics are most important to you.
Now that we know exactly what our labor is, where is that job in our process? When it rains and your customer wants to push a scheduled delivery out a week, what do you do? Is the job cut, is it at the table, is it already built and ready to ship? With the flexibility of our status and tasks, you never have to stop and run to the plant floor to find out. User-controlled process flow allows for as many tasks as a user wishes to track. Assign status to certain tasks and choose which ones to display on a calendar. Flexibility at your fingertips with an easy-to-follow interface makes scheduling jobs and tracking status effortless. Manually change tasks or capture data from the plant floor. Your process drives TrueBuild® so you can manage your business.
Like everything at Eagle Metal, the TrueBuild® software suite has been developed in-house to enable great component manufacturers to build more. Our team takes pride in understanding what a component fabricator needs and delivering it. Please contact us today to learn more and to see how we can add value to your business beyond connector plates.