What should a small job shop do when a recession hits? Downsize? Cut expenses? Lay off employees? What about making an investment in a management software system? That’s probably not quite the direction most shop owners might take. But that’s just what Raj Bhurjee, Operations Manager of Bhurjee Industries in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada did in 2014, smack dab in the middle of a downturn in the economy. His reasoning? To keep up with business.
When the recession hit, it took a toll on our company. But I know we’d be worse off now, possibly not in business, had it not been for E2’s software. We would’ve drowned in the daily ins and outs of trying to keep up with orders, progress, and deliveries of jobs that were coming in because so many shops were closing.
- Raj Bhurjee - Operations Manager, Bhurjee Industries Ltd.
"Raj is convinced that had it not been for implementing the E2 Manufacturing System, his company wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the work coming in from many shops closing in their area.
Raj comes from a long line of machinists, shop owners and tech savvy engineers. His father led the way in keeping his company at the forefront of technological advances. Raj attributes his own drive to ensure the importance of shop technology to his father’s love of tech.
Today, Bhurjee Industries is concentrating on their own product, customized mounting kits for the oil and gas industry. Since there are many types and sizes of valves and actuators needed for oil and gas, Raj’s team creates multi-fit brackets and customized pieces that fit most of these valves and actuators. Instead of providing customers with 100 different pieces that might fit what they have, their kits have multi-fit parts that span across a large variety of valve and actuator brands.
“E2 is a lifesaver specifically regarding the fasteners for our mounting kits. The job requirement function is key to making sure we have all the bolts, washers, nuts, etc. for our kits,” said Raj. “Because E2 automatically collects all the data we need about these small parts, we don’t ever have to think about when and if we need to purchase these items.”
Raj’s team uses the Data Collection module to help them keep track of time and costs. “I’ve often used the system to prove my father wrong,” laughs Raj. “When he thinks we couldn’t possibly be making money on a job or process, I pull up a few pieces of info and print out a report to show him exactly what and how we are doing.”
According to Raj, the Quality Module has helped them tremendously with their ISO audits as well as keeping their customer promise of providing quality products with on-time delivery. Raj believes E2 gives them a big advantage in being able to estimate job costs and timing. With E2, they know they are competitive in the market.
Raj believes that without E2, his shop wouldn’t have been able to develop into a self-assemble shop. “To get everything accounted for prior to having E2 was a mess. We missed things all the time,” admitted Raj. “Many times, we have 300-400 jobs running at a time. There’s no way we could manage all the ins and outs of those jobs if not for E2.”
Still not quite back to the manpower and profit they were making before the recession hit, Bhurjee Industries is now a shop of just 8 people. Strong, advanced, flexible and innovative, however, are words to describe this small shop. While E2 was an investment for a small place, Raj is convinced it saved them from having to close their doors.
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