Cut for Growth
Cangshan Cutlery, founded in 2015, aimed to disrupt the cutlery industry by offering high-quality, artisanal knives at affordable prices. Their story began with manufacturing in regions renowned for craftsmanship, expanding from China to Germany and Japan. A key aspect of their success was building strong customer relationships, as highlighted by COO Rick Loofs, who emphasized their commitment to customer intimacy and engagement.
Read the full Cangshan Cutlery success story here.
- 100% increase in shipments per day
- 98.5% inventory accuracy within the first 6 months after implementation
Premier products, exceptional customer service
The Cangshan Cutlery Company offers both Western- and Japanese-style knives that deliver performance, meeting the high standards of even the world’s top chefs. Demand quickly grew for the company’s beautifully designed, highly functional cutlery crafted with premier materials. Since 2015, their products have been distributed in the U.S., embodying the company’s ethos of “Beautiful Function.” The company, which describes itself as a “startup disruptor,” is now creating a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Texas. As the business grew in size and complexity, Cangshan recognized the need for a comprehensive ERP system that could scale with operations. SAP provided the solution.
Optimizing business processes now and building a strong foundation for the future with SAP Cloud ERP
Before: Challenges and opportunities
• Lack of integration between the U.S. ERP system and overseas manufacturing operations, limiting visibility and operational efficiency• Reliance on time-consuming manual processes, lacking warehouse management functionality
• Report multiple sources of data, pulling from systems to work within Excel
Why SAP and Navigator Business Solutions
• SAP’s extensive manufacturing expertise, established business processes, and industry best practices• Ease of integration with partners using EDI and APIs and independent partners‘ data-sharing processes
• Navigator’s comprehensive discovery process tailored the implementation of Cangshan unique pathways
After: Value-driven results
• On-demand data access eliminated troubleshooting orders, replaced spreadsheets and manual methods• Necessary functionality with minimal customizations keeps SAP clean core and minimizes technical debt
• Easy on-demand access to metrics through tailored dashboards and granular control of transactions
Modernizing cost-effective warehouse processes with SAP Cloud ERP
Scaling quickly and adding manufacturing in the U.S. required Cangshan to evaluate its warehousing processes. The company did not have a bin management system, using manual, paper-based processes and struggling with inventory accuracy challenges. Also, although its previous ERP instances supported cycle counts, they were custom-coded. Legacy processes also limited the company’s ability to keep up with demand during the Q4 holidays, which is key for maximizing revenues.
With SAP EWM
, Cangshan has optimized warehouse operations. With barcode scanning and data managed in SAP, picking processes are more productive, and accuracy increased to 98.5% within 6 months. The company has also increased efficiency by implementing scheduled cycle counts through SAP. Cangshan’s plans include enhancing supply chain management with advanced technologies, including machine learning and other forms of artificial intelligence, supported by SAP.
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