ASM International

TRACING ITS ROOTS BACK TO 1913, ASM International is a membership organization for material scientists around the globe. Its mission is to gather and disseminate knowledge, provide educational resources and offer research and development services to its members. ASM International delivers this array of services from under the unique roof of its headquarters, a geodesic dome built to showcase the architectural, structural and artistic work possible with materials such as steel, aluminum and copper.

To remain nimble and relevant to its members, ASM International embraces technology in every aspect of its operations, which is why it recently upgraded its ERP technology to Acumatica with support from NexTec Group’s consulting team.

“NexTec has been our technology partner for years,” says King Miner, CNAP, Controller for ASM International. “When we determined it was time to move our operations to the cloud, NexTec was the partner we turned to first.”

ASM International had been using Microsoft Dynamics SL, but knew the technology was dated and incapable of supporting the organization’s projected growth. Miner says the organization performed its due diligence, reviewing multiple cloud accounting applications before deciding on Acumatica and NexTec. “Other applications we reviewed would have required us to purchase several add-on pieces to give us the complete functionality we need. Acumatica was the one solution that offers everything we need in a single solution.”

The fact that NexTec was the vendor representing Acumatica definitely factored into the decision. “We’ve enjoyed a long and successful relationship with NexTec,” says Miner. “With Acumatica and NexTec, we’ve taken a big step into the future, positioning the organization with technology that can scale with us for years to come.”

With the decision made, the implementation proceeded quickly, and NexTec successfully completed the project under budget.

“Like every complex project, we had a few surprises along the way, but NexTec was prepared,” Miner says. “The entire team worked together very effectively to address, delegate and adjust the project’s scope and goals. NexTec’s deep knowledge of the software and their familiarity with our operations, combined with our team’s skill and commitment, led to success. It was truly a collaborative approach with plenty of honesty and trust among the players.”

Thankfully, ASM International was live on Acumatica when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020.

“Together with NexTec, we had AP Automation up and running, which was tremendously helpful when we had to send everyone home to work,” says Miner. “Acumatica’s accessibility makes the difference in our team’s productivity.”

“With Acumatica and NexTec, we’ve taken a big step into the future, positioning the organization with technology that can scale with us for years to come.”

The integrated approval workflow within Acumatica brings not only convenience but security as well. “Before, we would send emails with attachments around to approvers, but it exposed us to potential fraud,” says Miner. “Somebody spoofed an email address and inserted themselves into the invoice approval processes, attempting to change the payment information. Now that we have Acumatica, a highly secure approval process is in place and we’re confident that we are protected from this happening again.”

Acumatica’s anytime-anywhere access empowers employees to find answers to their own questions. “We’ve given every employee access to the reporting tools in Acumatica,” says Miner. “This takes the burden off our finance team to respond to multiple requests for reports, and it puts the power into the hands of employees.”

Another early win with Acumatica came during the annual budget cycle. “Shortly after implementation, it was budget time,” recalls Miner. “NexTec made sure everyone received training in the budgeting module and we rolled it out. Previously, we’d send templates to each line-of-business manager, who’d fill it in and send it back. We’d then have to review it, enter it into Dynamics SL, then generate another template for round two. Acumatica is saving us countless hours. Managers log in and enter their own information. The finance team can now focus on other budget cycle tasks and managers feel more empowered.”

NexTec built a custom API that brings sales orders from the organization’s separate eCommerce application into Acumatica, where the orders are picked, packed and shipped to members. The program then transfers the shipment details back to the eCommerce application, keeping both systems in perfect sync.“

Previously, the organization was not tracking inventory since it didn’t have the ability to integrate its eCommerce system with Dynamics SL. “Now we have accurate, up-to-date inventory data and can give our members better and faster service,” adds Miner.

“Our experience with NexTec is so positive in large part because of their breadth of knowledge, their willingness to understand what we need and their ability to reach outside their zone to find other services and products that can help us,” concludes Miner. “NexTec is top of the line and a joy to work with. If you want a solid partner that can help you implement new software and scale with you into the future – then NexTec is a clear choice.”

About NexTec Group

NexTec Group is one of North America’s largest and most experienced technology consulting firms, specializing in industry-specific solutions for mid-sized organizations. For nearly 30 years, NexTec has been a trusted partner to businesses, delivering, implementing and supporting the core Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions they need to scale and grow. NexTec is a gold-certified Acumatica partner with deep experience in field services, manufacturing, distribution, professional services, and more.