PICS Integrates MFG/PRO with FormTrap, Saving Client Time and Money in Shipping Process

Whether it is a U.S. Customs form, an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) or a certificate of compliance, many of the products a manufacturer ships today require some type of special documentation. And it can be difficult for even the most experienced warehouse worker to know what paperwork must be included with which packages.

Mike Boyle, Interpower Corporation's Manufacturing & Shipping Manager, realized this when he had to unexpectedly work in the company’s warehouse one day. “Because the information wasn’t in our business system, it took me awhile to figure out what paperwork went with what.” Interpower is an Iowa based manufacturer of power system components for electrical and electronic equipment. Boyle continues, “We didn’t store the forms in a central area. Our employees had to walk all over the place to get them.”

Even worse, Boyle says, the company’s forms were handwritten, and were often copies of copies. “We needed something that projected a more professional image,” he says.

Boyle knew he had to find an alternative, as more than
30 percent of Interpower’s products require special documentation. He contacted PICS for help.

A Professional Alternative

PICS offered Interpower a solution: They would integrate FormTrap, a dynamic forms production package, with Interpower’s MFG/PRO system. “Because we have in-depth knowledge of MFG/PRO and our customer’s business processes, we were able to build a seamless interface that pulls data out of the business system and sends it through FormTrap for processing,” Terry Rossi, PICS CIO, says. “And best of all, the entire process is transparent to the user,” he says. “They don’t ever have to leave the system.”

Now, when Interpower employees get ready to pick an order, all relevant documentation prints out along with the pick ticket. “It’s as simple as pressing a button,” Boyle says.

He says that his people make far fewer mistakes because FormTrap takes the guesswork out of the process. “Packages don’t get returned—or stuck at the Canadian border—because we made an error when we filled out the form.”

As an added bonus: FormTrap “definitely” increased productivity in the warehouse. “We’ve reduced staff by about 20 percent out in the warehouse,” Boyle says. “Due to the fact the data is obtained right from our business system, FormTrap gets it right every time. Our people are spending their time picking and packing, not searching for information.”