Summit Imaging Removes Obstacles to Growth with Rootstock Cloud ERP and Salesforce

In 2015, Summit Imaging was encountering growing pains from increased demand from healthcare facilities seeking their high-quality products and services. They had been using manual processes to enter data into three disparate systems, and this solution was not providing the instant information that was needed to continue to serve their customers.

The company, which repairs ultrasound and mammography equipment, found that their old way of doing things was preventing growth. Everything was done by paper or with redundant data entry. Reporting was frequently completed a month after the transactions closed. Their three separate systems didn’t communicate with each other. They had no access to critical data from a mobile device. But perhaps most frustrating of all was the fact that as a repair company, they needed instant repair information to refine operations.

Like many firms in the same situation, Summit Imaging finally said “enough” and decided to modernize with Rootstock Cloud ERP on the Salesforce Platform.

Obstacles to Growth

Summit Imaging found themselves with three main obstacles that were hampering their growth:

  • Three separate systems that didn’t talk to each other
  • Inefficient, error-prone manual processes
  • No real-time visibility into critical information, including sales, cost of sales, inventory and repairs

 

Three Separate Systems

As a company primarily concerned with repairing medical equipment, keeping track of all the replacement parts in inventory is a critical part of their operation. Yet Summit Imaging was still using an old Access database to manage their inventory. This included the parts of the machines such as connectors and computer components, and the transducers, the all-important part of an ultrasound machine that acquires the sound waves and transmits them to the computer in the ultrasound machine.

The second system previously used was Salesforce CRM, but they had configured it to record sales and transaction history within a Salesforce opportunity. They were not using Salesforce as intended but had figured out how to make it work for their company.

The third system they were using was QuickBooks for all of their financials.

According to Sonia Smith, Controller of Summit Imaging, “We had an Access database from 2006 that we were using to maintain our inventory and it was bogging down because of its speed, weak multiuser environment, and intensive need for custom applications to perform simple functions. We were using QuickBooks for our financial information, and anything we did had to be manually keyed in, and nothing transferred in and nothing transferred out.”

Worst of all, these three systems stood apart from each other, leaving Summit with three siloes of information that were becoming increasingly useless without the others as company needs changed. “Our company was growing, we had these three systems that did not talk to each other and trying to reconcile everything was very cumbersome,” said Smith.

They knew that they needed a single, integrated system.

It provides functionality we never had before, which is a dynamic, detailed look at inventory, cost of sales and sales. It gives us a real-time ability to dissect pretty much anything we want. It’s a big benefit.

– ALAN DISHLIP, CFO, SUMMIT IMAGING

Manual Processes

Summit Imaging had become dependent on a series of manual processes to do everything, including entering financial information and recording the repairs.

“Everything was done by paper,” recalls Smith. “For all the repairs, techs had to write all their notes, we had to scan things to save them, they had to turn paper packets into us for accounting so that we could enter invoices, and we had to manually type the part numbers, descriptions and serial numbers and needed to be extra diligent to not make a mistake.”

These inefficient processes were holding the company back. They were spending far too much time entering all the information they needed to run their business, and with the company growing, all that manual entry was becoming a clumsy, disconnected burden.

Lack of Real-Time Visibility

Another significant problem was the lack of real-time visibility. For a company that repairs complex medical equipment, knowing how long repairs take to complete is a critical task. Yet Summit Imaging did not have this information at the level of detail needed to triage individual processes and make improvements.

They also couldn’t see what was in inventory in real time or the cost of sales. They couldn’t process same-day transactions, and invoices couldn’t be created quickly. Furthermore, reporting was always delayed.

“In the manual basis, it would take a week or two before we could get to the invoice because we had to collect all the paperwork for it,” says Smith. “Everything was always past tense, and we were always about a month behind on reporting anything with the old system.”

Summit understood that they needed to automate if they wanted to grow.

When we looked at some competitors of Rootstock that weren’t built on the Salesforce Platform, there was a lot of handholding, getting the APIs right, inefficiency.

– ALAN DISHLIP, CFO, SUMMIT IMAGING

The Selection Process

Because the company was already using Salesforce, they targeted only those vendors whose ERP software could integrate with the Salesforce Platform. Their exhaustive research led them to Rootstock.

Alan Dishlip, Summit Imaging’s CFO, described what made them select Rootstock. “We really had to have it seamlessly integrate with Salesforce, that was the ultimate objective, and find something that worked for us in that environment. When we looked at some competitors to Rootstock that weren’t built on the Salesforce Platform, there was a lot of handholding, getting the APIs right, inefficiency.”

“Alan and I did a fair amount of research on a variety of different companies,” added Sonia Smith, “and with Rootstock, because of the manufacturing side of it, there were a lot of things there that would be similar to what we do, even though we’re not producing parts. The manufacturing part is what drew us into Rootstock.”

In addition to the Salesforce requirement and the application of ERP manufacturing to their repair business, Summit Imaging also wanted to be able to access their data from anywhere. “We wanted to have access, whether it be desktop or mobile, wherever we are in the world. The cloud was important in that respect,” says Dishlip.

A Flexible Solution

Rootstock ultimately turned out to be the most flexible solution for Summit Imaging.

Not only does Rootstock Cloud ERP software integrate seamlessly with Salesforce, it is flexible enough to apply manufacturing functions to Summit’s repair operations. With FinancialForce to handle their accounting, the ability of Rootstock to integrate with that software on Salesforce added to the overall solution.

Customizing the Rootstock Configurator

Additional flexibility was built into Rootstock’s Configurator, which helps firms create accurate and immediate estimates for different product designs. After a challenging process of customization, Summit Imaging is now able to use the Configurator for all transducers.

Sonia Smith goes on to describe how they use the Configurator. “When we are talking about ultrasound equipment, we break it up between parts, which are all different components of the ultrasound machine, and transducers.”

Smith says when they repair parts, they can drill into those details fairly easily. Customizing the Configurator for the transducers turned out to be more complex.

“We built the Configurator so that when a transducer comes in, we break it down from head to tail and define all the things that could go wrong,” she describes. “So, when they hit a section, it populates all the different variables that could be affected; we check that and drill into the next section, and we continue until the end of that process.”

Not only does Rootstock Cloud ERP software integrate seamlessly with Salesforce, it is flexible enough to apply manufacturing functions to Summit’s repair operations.

Replacing Three Systems with One

Once the implementation of Rootstock Cloud ERP was completed, Summit Imaging said goodbye to the problem of three disparate systems. Gone was the old Access database. Gone was QuickBooks, replaced by FinancialForce. And they were finally using Salesforce the way it was intended.

“Salesforce is basically our home page. It’s where things start,” says Smith. “The RFQ is the opportunity, so everything starts there with our Sales team. They also use cases in Salesforce because those will later flow into a sales order. All our customers are set up in Salesforce with leads until they get converted, or we add them in and utilize them in Rootstock, whether it’s a vendor or customer.”

Eliminating Inefficient Manual Processes

Once Rootstock was implemented, Summit Imaging replaced all the inefficient manual processes with automation.

The first efficiencies the company achieved were in inventory and capacity planning. Summit uses the drag-and-drop scheduling and capacity planner to view their day-to-day work center capacity by labor for their different departments. Next was in project-based work; Summit assigns every customer a project number, so Rootstock allows them to track customers by project numbers.

All of the company’s sales orders and shipping orders are generated in Salesforce. All purchase masters for vendors and customers also start in Salesforce and flow through Rootstock, including products for purchasing requests and payables in FinancialForce. “We have all of our products set up in Rootstock for purchase requests and purchase order approvals; we do the whole PO-AP match and our payables all go in there,” says Sonia Smith.

One of the biggest areas of improvement was in tracking repairs, which had been a cumbersome, manual process before. Smith is pleased with the new efficiency. “We utilize the work orders on the shop floor, where the technicians now make their notes, and then we can see those notes, we know who worked on it, we upload photos to that, so all of our documentation when we repair an item is attached to the work order,” describes Smith. “We only have to go to one spot, we can find pictures when it got finished, what it looks like. We’ve got our notes of what repairs we did, so if it comes back, we know where to go to look for it.”

Now we are real-time, we know what our sales are for that day, we know what our gross profit is for that day and we generate reports, so everybody knows where we stand.

– SONIA SMITH, CONTROLLER, SUMMIT IMAGING

Summit also enjoys automation on the engineering side. Sonia Smith is responsible for maintaining all of the part numbers for the company. “I maintain all of the part numbers because of its complexity, depending on whether it’s a part or a transducer and how it needs to be coded for the Configurator. I use the engineering master, the item master, the Rootstock master, because I’m in there all the time.”

Taking advantage of the seamless Rootstock integration on Salesforce, the company now enjoys same-day transactions. “Utilizing Rootstock with sales orders, we are able to do same-day transactions,” says Smith. “If that sales order gets shipped out that day, we’re invoicing that same day. Before, in the manual basis, it would take a week or two before we could get to the invoice because we had to collect all the paperwork for it. But now we are real-time, we know what our sales are for that day, we know what our gross profit is for that day and we generate reports, so everybody knows where we stand.”

Gaining Real-Time Visibility

Prior to implementing their Rootstock Cloud ERP solution, Summit Imaging had limited visibility across their entire company. Now they have visibility into everything, which not only provides company-wide insights, but also allows employees to see how the company is doing.

“We are now able to know in real time where we are with our work orders, how many are sitting in outstanding, how long certain parts take to repair because of the reports we can build off of the Rootstock items,” says Smith. “We never had that visibility before, it was always a guess or by golly.”

They also have visibility into their inventory, a critical part of their repair operations. “We know what’s on hand in our inventory at all times, where it is, is it sitting waiting to be worked on or if it’s in a cage to be sold. All of that is all real time,” describes Smith.

Adds Alan Dishlip, “It does provide functionality we never had before, which is a real-time look at inventory, cost of sales and sales. It gives us a real-time ability to dissect pretty much anything we want. It’s a big benefit.”

An Unexpected Benefit: The Time Factor

One unexpected benefit was what Sonia Smith describes as the time factor; they now know how long it takes to complete repairs and have been able to do things faster. “Everything was always past tense, and we were always about a month behind on reporting anything with the old system. I think the biggest unexpected benefit is that we’re able to do things much quicker than we used to.”

Summary

The story of Summit Imaging and Rootstock has a happy ending. Summit Imaging was able to remove their obstacles to growth by implementing Rootstock Cloud ERP on the Salesforce Platform.

They replaced three disparate systems with a single, integrated system. They replaced cumbersome, manual, paper-based processes with automated processes that flow through the system from Salesforce to Rootstock to their accounting solution. Finally, they gained 360-degree visibility into their organization, whereas before they had very little.

The implementation process was not without its challenges. The Configurator customization in particular was difficult and time-consuming, but in the end, Summit Imaging and Rootstock support collaborated to make it all come together.

Says Smith, “It’s going tremendously smooth right now. What we’ve got going works for what we’re doing. I’ve got good people that I can communicate with and the system is working smoothly.” On a personal level, Smith admitted to expanding her own knowledge.

“I can say that I’ve learned how to be a system admin and how to figure things out. If we get an error message, I know how to understand it and how to fix it. If I don’t, I submit a tech support case. The good news is my tech support cases have dwindled considerably.”

Summit Imaging is now poised to take the next step, the growth of their business, thanks to Rootstock and Salesforce.

Download the Case Study

Click here to download the Rootstock Software Case Study “Summit Imaging – Removing Obstacles to Growth with Rootstock and Salesforce.”

About Summit Imaging

Summit Imaging (Woodinville, WA) is a technology-focused ultrasound medical equipment support company. It offers end-to-end customer support, including hands-on training courses, fast repairs, high quality parts replacement, free 24/7 technical support, the longest warranty on parts and services in the industry and the ability to diagnose most problems over the phone in under 7 minutes. Summit Imaging constantly strives to improve the customer experience and because of their outstanding reputation, has grown by over 60% year over year to become the very best in their industry. The company recently received ISO 13485:2003 and ISO 9001:2008 certifications from The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) for its repair and support services of ultrasound medical equipment.

To learn more about the Summit Imaging, please visit mysummitimaging.com.

More Customer Success Stories

Architectural Fabrication: The Power of Real-Time ERP Reporting & Data Visibility

Architectural Fabrication: The Power of Real-Time ERP Reporting & Data Visibility

Architectural Fabrication is an established shade solutions company located in Fort Worth, Texas. It has been around for more than two decades, providing custom solutions for canopies, sunshades, walkways, and several other architectural elements that enhance the look of buildings. The company has made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies for three years running. It partners with general contractors, architects, and engineers to provide manufacturing, design and installation services. In fact, it works with some of the largest architectural firms, general contractors, and retailers in the U.S. If a customer can conceive it, Architectural Fabrication can deliver it, turning a drawing or idea into a custom solution.
BACA Systems, Inc.: Rootstock Cloud ERP is the De Facto Choice for Long Term Success on Salesforce

BACA Systems, Inc.: Rootstock Cloud ERP is the De Facto Choice for Long Term Success on Salesforce

BACA Systems Inc., based in Orion Township, Michigan, is known for Innovative Fabrication Solutions for Industrial Stone Automation. BACA’s dedicated team of experts provide industrial-sized solutions in Robotic Automation, System Integration, WaterJet Technology and Countertop Fabrication. BACA Systems, an industry front runner, gives seminars in how to set up a shop with the right templating, sawing, edge finishing and water treatment equipment to increase profits and to reduce labor costs.
Boston Dynamics Achieves Fundamental Business Transformations with Rootstock Cloud ERP & Salesforce

Boston Dynamics Achieves Fundamental Business Transformations with Rootstock Cloud ERP & Salesforce

Boston Dynamics is an American engineering and robotics design company founded in 1992 out of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology.) Once owned by Google, they are still located in Massachusetts. Boston Dynamics offers a highly advanced robotic line; their engineers design robotics nimble enough to climb stairs, master a multitude of warehouse tasks, and traverse remote areas and terrain using a 360-degree view.
Equipter shows 30% growth year over year since implementing Rootstock

Equipter shows 30% growth year over year since implementing Rootstock

Equipter/New Heights LLC (Paradise, PA) is an American-owned, family-run business that designs and manufactures state of the art equipment to help businesses in construction, general contracting, residential roofing, commercial roofing and more improve debris removal and in turn improve efficiency. Their flagship product is the Equipter RB4000 (The Roof Buggy), a drive-able, raise-able, tow-able and dump-able construction and roofing vehicle that can fit into tight areas, streamlines the removal of roofing debris and makes jobsite cleanup faster and easier.
Northeast Lantern: From Spreadsheets to Cloud ERP

Northeast Lantern: From Spreadsheets to Cloud ERP

Northeast Lantern exists to provide high quality solid brass and copper lighting fixtures through highly skilled and dedicated employees, excellent customer service and proficient manufacturing processes. Northeast Lantern offers a lifetime guarantee and unique ability to customize any fixtures to ensure confidence and satisfaction with customers. Northeast Lantern continually innovates and improves American made lighting fixtures to maintain a competitive edge in the industry and keep up with market demands. Over 20% of the company’s lanterns are custom. Northeast Lantern sells their finely crafted products through a network of US and Canadian authorized dealers.
OSI – A Modern Foundation for High Quality Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

OSI – A Modern Foundation for High Quality Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Osoth Inter Laboratories Co., Ltd. (OSI), headquartered in Thailand, is a high-quality manufacturer of pharmaceutical and dietary supplements and a subsidiary of the SAHA group, a multi-business/cosmetics and consumer product manufacturer.
When Planning for Its New Manufacturing ERP, Pacer Group Planned for Success

When Planning for Its New Manufacturing ERP, Pacer Group Planned for Success

Established in 1979, Pacer Group (Sarasota, Fla.), is a leading wire and electrical cable manufacturer that offers custom electrical products, value-added solutions and parts distribution. The Pacer group of companies has expanded beyond its traditional marine industry focus at its 42,000 square-foot manufacturing, assembly and warehouse complex in Sarasota. Our array of capabilities begins with wire and cable manufacturing and progresses with customer focused solutions such as battery cable assembly, wire harness assembly, instrument and dash panel design, and complete electrical system integration.
Perpetua Advisors: Next Gen ERP Platform Advice for the Next Generation of your Business

Perpetua Advisors: Next Gen ERP Platform Advice for the Next Generation of your Business

Perpetua Advisors helps manufacturers digitally transform their business eco-systems through the effective expansion of reliable data. Core to their success is helping clients pivot away from traditional technology solutions that deliver siloed and fragmented data and move towards achieving long-term digital transformation success using unified data. Hear from Chief Digital Officer & Co-Founding Partner, Mike Wind, to learn how Perpetua advises their customers on the selection of a proven cloud platform with Salesforce and Rootstock to deliver one common data model that empowers customers and suppliers with timely, high-quality data.
Pioneer’s CRM and ERP now roll smoother on one cloud platform

Pioneer’s CRM and ERP now roll smoother on one cloud platform

Pioneer Motor Bearing provides original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end users with first-class bearing engineering, manufacturing and repair expertise. Its mission is to help them design, build, maintain and upgrade large rotating equipment to operate more efficiently and reliably over an extended life. Products include turbine and generator bearings operating in nuclear power stations, very large vertical guide and thrust bearing assemblies operating in some of the largest hydroelectric plants in North America, patented designs for small tilting pad radial bearings for high speed lightly loaded rotating machinery, and new and repaired bearings for the U.S. Navy.
Pro-Tech Cleans Up Software System with Cloud ERP

Pro-Tech Cleans Up Software System with Cloud ERP

Pro-Tech Manufacturing and Distribution, Inc. (Rochester, NY) revolutionized the snow and ice management industry when they launched the Rubber Edge Sno Pusher in 1994, which has helped thousands of snow and ice companies across North America move more snow faster, thereby increasing efficiency and profitability. Since then, they have never stopped working to craft the perfect containment plow, striving to increase the already extreme durability and functionality of their product line.
SPR Therapeutics Revolutionizes Customer Excellence with Next-Gen Cloud Platform

SPR Therapeutics Revolutionizes Customer Excellence with Next-Gen Cloud Platform

SPR Therapeutics is committed to improving the lives of millions of pain sufferers with its peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) platform technology poised to be the standard of care and ultimately, the treatment of choice for pain management.

Led by a world-class team of scientists, physicians, and business professionals with a track record of commercializing innovative neurostimulation products, SPR’s PNS therapy for acute and chronic pain management provides a non-narcotic, reversible, safe, effective and more affordable alternative to addictive opioid medications and invasive surgeries.
Summit Imaging - Removing Obstacles to Growth with Rootstock and Salesforce

Summit Imaging - Removing Obstacles to Growth with Rootstock and Salesforce

Summit Imaging (Woodinville, WA) is a technology-focused ultrasound medical equipment support company. It offers end-to-end customer support, including hands-on training courses, fast repairs, high quality parts replacement, free 24/7 technical support, the longest warranty on parts and services in the industry and the ability to diagnose most problems over the phone in under 7 minutes. Summit Imaging constantly strives to improve the customer experience and because of their outstanding reputation, has grown by over 60% year over year to become the very best in their industry. The company recently received ISO 13485:2003 and ISO 9001:2008 certifications from The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) for its repair and support services of ultrasound medical equipment.
Swift Straw - Using Native Cloud ERP Technology to Scale Rapid Business Growth

Swift Straw - Using Native Cloud ERP Technology to Scale Rapid Business Growth

Swift Straw has earned its reputation as “the ground cover specialists” in the American Southeast. With a focus on pine straw and mulch products, the largest beautification components for landscaping nationwide, Swift Straw has created a method to package pine straw in compact easy-to-handle bales that allow for new market expansion across the country.

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Swift Straw is the largest pine straw distributor in America. They ship and install pine straw and mulch products to a diverse client list of landscapers, private and commercial real estate projects, hotels, homeowner associations, schools, parks, and more.
Supporting Explosive Growth with Rootstock Cloud ERP

Supporting Explosive Growth with Rootstock Cloud ERP

Tilray, Inc. is a leading global cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company with operations in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and Latin America that is changing people’s lives for the better – one person at a time – by inspiring and empowering the worldwide community to live their very best life by providing them with products that meet the needs of their mind, body, and soul and invoke a sense of wellbeing.
Unionwear Improves Production Capacity Planning with Rootstock & Salesforce

Unionwear Improves Production Capacity Planning with Rootstock & Salesforce

Unionwear is the trade name, URL and DBA of New Jersey Headwear Corp., which manufactures and embroiders headwear, bags, accessories, work wear and safety gear. Unionwear currently operates a 45,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Newark. Unionwear sells through a nationwide network of several hundred promotional products distributors. As the premium paid for domestic production shrinks, more and more markets are enforcing labor standards in their procurement, such as colleges, federal, state, and local governments, as well as corporations with strong union workforces – for employee gear, and non-profits. For the past ten years, Unionwear has focused on providing products to clients requiring products to be made in the USA and is not forced to compete with imports on price. The US military and federal government accounts for half of the business with clients like labor unions and presidential campaigns representing much of the balance.
UTG Mixing Group stirs up ERP from scratch

UTG Mixing Group stirs up ERP from scratch

Uutechnic OY - founded in 1993 and headquartered in Finland - specializes in the demanding technology of mixing solutions. Specially manufactured to meet almost any specific heavy industrial need, Uutechnic’s equipment-solutions serve a variety of large capacity conditions. Uutechnic has developed into a respected global brand for mixing technology and serves mining, fertilizing, pulp/paper processing, and chemical industry clients.