Casco Drives Efficiency Improvements with QAD Supply Chain Portal

13.10.2010

Hosted Solution to Provide Real-time Supplier Communication for Leading Manufacturer in Lighter and Power Outlet Market

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--QAD Inc. (NASDAQ: QADI), a leading provider of enterprise software and services for global manufacturers, announced today that Casco, a world-class manufacturer of next generation lighters, power outlets and sensors for the automotive industry, plans to implement QAD Supply Chain Portal (SCP) to improve the efficiency of its supplier communications.

For years, Casco has been embracing Lean Market principles throughout its organization. However, with facilities on five continents, maintaining optimal supplier collaboration and visibility has been a formidable challenge. To meet this need, Casco plans to deploy QAD Supply Chain Portal, formerly known as QAD Supply Visualization.

QAD Supply Chain Portal is an On Demand supplier collaboration portal that will allow Casco and its suppliers to share real-time visibility of demand and supply. Casco and its authorized suppliers will be able to communicate electronically on inventory, scheduling, shipments, invoices and more. Using a robust feature set that aligns with Just in Time (JIT), Kanban, and other lean manufacturing replenishment methods, QAD Supply Chain Portal will help Casco and its suppliers improve performance by reducing costs, including freight and inventory; improving service levels, communication and compliance; and eliminating supply chain disruptions.

“Our decision on QAD Supply Chain Portal was a natural choice for us,” said Maurice Schaefer, IT Director at Casco. “It will allow us to focus on value-added activities instead of expedite and routing issues. Additionally, the ASN (advanced shipping notice) function will help us leverage EDI (electronic data interchange) in a more cost-effective manner.”

Casco’s material managers will now have greater flexibility in making the right decisions to keep their respective sites replenished without outages. Moreover, QAD Supply Chain Portal dashboards and automatic alert tools will give internal purchasing personnel and suppliers the flexibility they require to manage by exception.

“Supply Chain Portal is an optimal tool for helping us manage Kanban more efficiently,” added Schaefer. “We are looking to standardize our supplier labels for incoming product and offer a self-service option for invoicing. Its seamless integration with the Lean Manufacturing suite of QAD Enterprise Applications is invaluable.”

About Casco

Founded on 1921 by J.H. Cone in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA, Casco is a leading world-class manufacturer in the lighter and power outlet market with plant and developments centers in Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Casco manufactures sensors, power outlets, heater modules and other automotive accessories for almost all major automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) globally.