A 43% increase in sales would be a dream scenario for most companies.
But for Prosper-Tech Machine & Tool in Richmond, investing deeper into Industry 4.0 technology has made that dream a reality.
In 2022, Prosper-Tech received a matching $12,000 Industry 4.0 implementation grant by connecting with the Macomb County Economic Development team.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant helped the company purchase a MES/ERP (manufacturer enterprise system/enterprise resource platform) that manages company operations.
The system has been running since March 1, 2023. Since then, sales have increased dramatically, and the company has increased employees to support this growth.
CEO Heidi Devroy said the system has allowed operations to move more efficiently, with a history of every part. It includes such things as time, profit, and root cause analysis as well as trends.
It was literally a jump from Excel sheets and clipboards to I4.0 technology.
“It was getting extremely hard to manage our operations, and we weren't able to grow. It’s made an unbelievable difference and allowed us to grow,” Devroy said.
Prosper-Tech has also increased its level of capital investment, which has allowed for additional capacity.
“We can play in the big leagues now,” Devroy said. “We’re able to work with prime customers. It makes us more legitimate.”
