News Article

Horberg Industries - Latest development

By K. Charles Oelfke II

April 4, 2002

Horberg Industries hard at work.

"No doubt about, it's the best ERP available."
Bob Leety - Horberg Industries

I called Bob Leety, President of Horberg Industries (www.horberg.com) in Bridgeport Connecticut, a few days ago. Horberg Industries has been around for a long time, with an outstanding reputation in the precision metal products industry as a manufacturer of small, mostly round parts for aerospace, defense, medical, industrial and automotive applications. After the usual, "How has business been since the events of last September?" I asked Bob if there were any interesting new developments at Horberg.

He was quite excited about M1, his new ERP from Bowen & Groves, which became available in 2000. "It has really made a difference in efficiency around here. I'm finally convinced that a paperless operation is doable. Now with the Document Management feature, we scan all our blueprints and specs and then link these documents directly to a job or part number. I wish I could have done that years ago!"

I asked Bob how he found out about M1. "I was unhappy with our then current manufacturing software (and vendor) and was looking to upgrade. Over time, we had been exploring over twenty packages, when I happened onto the mention of M1 on an On-Line User Group. My curiosity was piqued so I asked some questions, took a test drive..and never looked back."

While Horberg's customers are located primarily in the United States, they also do business in Canada and even have a loyal customer in France. "Foreign customers mean freight forwarding costs get factored into the purchasing equation; so in order to stay competitive, our manufacturing operation must be extremely efficient," said Bob. "The various M1 modules help us to accomplish that."

Bob went on to extol the many advantages of M1. "Oddly enough, the first thing that comes to mind is the incredible organization behind the product. Application Specialists at Bowen & Groves, including CEO Geoff Groves, constantly monitor traffic on the On-Line User Group, and I mean they respond." "I'm not talking about just software issues.those are few and far between. I'm talking about different ways of setting up jobs, related applications or different industry experiences. 'how can I do this?' or, 'another way to tweak that?' I became disenchanted with the lack of real support that was afforded our old system. It was truly a struggle to get in touch with them; they would rarely respond and when they did, I seldom got answers. But Bowen & Groves really listens to questions and suggestions from users. They're ready to implement most suggestions that have universal application - and quickly. I've never had that kind of response from any organization/program I've used in the past."

"From Estimating and Quoting, Order Management, General Ledger and Job Management to Shop Floor Data Collection," Bob continued, "these modules integrate so well and are so incredibly effective, we're now able to streamline operations that used to take considerable time and effort. We also have the WebGear module, which allows our customers to see their information via the web anytime, 24/7. You'd better believe that this combination influences our bottom line, too. What can I say? M1 is the ultimate management tool."

By now, Bob was on a roll of enthusiasm. "...and the way you navigate through the system is so logical - we can print, fax or e-mail quotes with quantity price breaks directly from within M1, then follow their progress and job status accurately...and it's so easily customizable by the user."

Bob then summed it up. "I was a Computer Science Major in college, so I'm Type-A critical...and I really don't have a single criticism. There is no doubt in my mind that M1 is the best ERP available today."

For more information on Horberg Industries, visit their web site at www.horberg.com.

About Bowen & Groves Pty Ltd

Bowen & Groves was established in Australia in 1992 and expanded into the USA in 2000 with the specific focus to provide quality software and support to the Manufacturing Industry. Over the past nine years they have accomplished a reputation for excellence in customer support and professional service. More information about Bowen & Groves and its products and services is available at Bowen & Groves' Web site www.bowen-groves.com