In the midst of the overblown Y2K craze, Joel Patterson began his professional journey in the world of enterprise software implementing Oracle applications. Having dedicated the first 15 plus years of his career solely to Oracle products, Patterson founded ‘The Vested Group’ in 2011. Only this time, he placed his trust in NetSuite. “Our primary focus—from the Oracle days to the present, has been implementing solutions for the manufacturing sector,” begins Patterson.

The Vested Group addresses the needs of manufacturers by focusing on three core areas: Shop Floor Control, Warehouse Management, and the Planning & Scheduling function. Often, manufacturers invest in shop floor equipment but are reluctant to invest in the systems that monitor and manage those processes. “You may be surprised how many factories still operate antiquated legacy systems that do not provide visibility into daily operations,” assures Patterson. “We continue to see a trend in which manufacturers are moving away from the traditional make-to-stock philosophy and adopting agile make-to-order or engineer-to-order models, which enables them to address consumer needs more aggressively as well as conserve cash. Additionally, there is a clear focus by manufacturers to include a service component in their business for remanufacturing, repair, and field service. We bring experience and capabilities in these areas as well.”

The Vested Group has fully embraced cloud technology not only in the services they deliver but internally as well to the point that they’ve never owned a server. The cloud technologies The Vested Group utilizes empowers manufacturers to automate activities on the shop floor and provide visibility to management. NetSuite allows manufacturers to react swiftly to opportunities and challenges, replacing unwieldy and complex processes with one application that minimizes delays and errors that impact costs.

Our primary focus, from the Oracle days to the present, has been implementing solutions for the manufacturing sector

“One of the principal reasons we’ve partnered with NetSuite is due to the extreme flexibility it provides. The application is not just an ERP system but also a development platform,” adds Patterson.

The Vested Group helps customers take advantage of NetSuite’s powerful warehouse management capabilities including areas such as directed put-away, cycle counting, and wave picking. This allows manufacturers to greatly reduce wasted time in the warehouse. For example, tracking inventory movement can be simplified through the use of barcode, scanner, and tablet technologies on screens designed for warehouse personnel. The Vested Group also offers in-house NetSuite development services allowing for the accommodation of atypical or complex business processes through system enhancements and customizations. Traditional ERP systems discouraged extending the system due to upgrade and version issues. However, NetSuite’s architecture removes the risks associated with customizing the software.

The Vested Group’s solutions enable clients to optimize scheduling, collect, and analyze information and use that information to increase productivity on the shop floor. “We also focus on helping our customers improve collaboration with suppliers, distributors, and customers. This collaboration creates value for everyone involved by simplifying supply and demand activities and reducing errors downstream,” says Patterson. The Vested Group prides itself on not just providing technology expertise but bringing true business process advisory capabilities.

Patterson insists that cloud-based applications are one of the few disruptive technologies that exist today, simply because of the way they are architected and implemented. “Cloud technology and its successful deployment are gaining more momentum every day. The manufacturing sector has traditionally been risk-averse and slow to embrace newer technology. Through 2016 and beyond, the Vested Group will continue to lead technological transformation in manufacturing,” he concludes.