Quantumlytix: Pioneering Reverse-Engineered Systems Implementation
Jack Mensch, President From procurement to shipping, warehouse management, transportation management and payment processing; logistics and operations today piggyback on software systems. In fact, a poorly implemented system is not just a matter of inconvenience; it can cause the downward spiral of a company leading to high turnover of people and financial duress. Despite this, many companies engage with vendors who stay true to the phrase: ‘A Solution trying to find a problem’. Redefining this, Quantumlytix reverse engineers information technology in a bottom up data-driven approach defining, selecting, building, and implementing technology. The company helps its customers with system implementation services that involve defining processes, workflow, and even cultures based on a company’s end goals. “Most companies spend tens of millions of dollars on ERP, MRP and WMS “solutions” and then hemorrhage millions of dollars in inefficiencies and revenue leakage for years following an implementation. Despite all the money spent, we find more than 50 percent of the information required for them to manage their business does not exist and is why they underperform,” asserts Jack Mensch, president of Quantumlytix. Unlike traditional consultants and vendors, Quantumlytix team are operations leaders, engineers, and software developers who perform detailed analyses of their customers’ environments, unique processes requirements, and operations, gathering information on their financials, capacity potential, non-value added activities, culture, and change readiness before providing a solution. “Our approach defines the business problems, identifying risks and waste, then working side-by-side with employees we define the business needs to be uniquely competitive, this is counter to how systems are generally implemented where a solution is selected and pushed on the business top down.”The tactical method of Quantumlytix finds its roots in the company’s leadership. Mensch served as a Logistics Officer in fast-paced, zero defect-US Army medical logistics units and brings with him a mastery of six sigma, lean methodologies, supply chain technology, and P&L leadership from his experience at GE which started during the Jack Welch era. With hundreds of client engagements since being founded in 2010 with medical durable goods, devices and healthcare networks; industrial, aftermarket parts and e-commerce distribution; discrete and continuous flow manufacturing; and government municipalities in North America, Asia, Europe and Russia, Quantumlytix approach gets to the heart of issues quickly bring the required content expertise to implement solutions to the most complex business, process, cultural and systems challenges.
"Our approach defines the business problems, identifying risks and waste, then working side-by-side with employees we define the business needs to be uniquely competitive"
His team works with customers of different sizes at various stages of maturity, providing services ranging from full fledge turnarounds of underperforming business units, to distribution network optimization analysis, to building high performance distribution facilities, re-engineering complex business processes, to implementing new technology and full-scale refurbishment of systems.
A lot of what we do is based on developing logical processes with analytics to provide decision-making information from frontline employees to executives
Starting with Defining the Problems-First
As an example, following a troubled ERP implementation, a medical device company, became financially distressed in part due to lack of transparency on processes and profitability. The ERP and MRP previously implemented were pushed onto the company by corporate IT without an understanding of the unique business requirements such as inventory accounting, asset management, remanufacturing, issuing loaner equipment, and stock and direct shipments. It was simply too big with excessive functionality and there was not enough budgeted to adequately configure the required capabilities nor to fix the ongoing onslaught of issues. Following a detailed analysis Quantumlytix, vetted several financial and production applications, selected solutions that best met the business needs, extracted all data from previous systems and implemented the new ERP and MRP start to finish in less than 2 months. Considered the fastest implementation of the applications as noted by the software provider, the outcome led to warehouse, production, and financial processes that best fit the business model, clean financials, reduction in non-value added activities and ability to make evasive manoeuvres to recover revenue cloaked by the previous system.
Out of necessity to build reverse engineered solutions quickly, Quantumlytix developed—Singularity— which, Mensch describes as, “an application to build information technology.” Singularity allows employing a ‘fast-and-deep’ approach to create new enterprise processes previously conducted in spreadsheets, databases, and disparate systems. Through Singularity, streamlining workflow, capturing data, providing metrics, ability for root cause analysis on the gaps, and preventive and predictive analytics become simple and effective. Starting with a blank sheet, the team works through interactive design methodologies with the stakeholders and users involved to define information required for each of them to perform their roles effectively. “A lot of what we do is based on developing logical processes with analytics to provide decision-making information from frontline employees to executives. This ensures the business objectives are very clear and any gaps in achieving those objectives can be traced to the cause,” explains Mensch.
With Singularity, a solution can be developed by easy ‘drag-and-drop’ fields, charts, analytical models, and aesthetics. The application is then tied to a backend data warehouse to transact information. “In many instances, we have to create processes that don’t exist, in order to standardize work and create performance information to manage the business,” says Mensch. Having someone track data manually during initial stages, Quantumlytix then digitizes and automates those processes, establishing a data warehouse for accurate, timely and meaningful information for intuitive performance transparency.
In fact, it is this philosophy that gives rise to the company’s name, a portmanteau of quantum and analytics, signifying the customer’s ability to drill down into insights at a quantum level.
Enterprise-Wide Acceptance and Adoption
In order to facilitate a seamless adoption of the new system, Quantumlytix orchestrates the change management and communication, manages aspects of the implementation including video and classroom training, drills, and live tests, ensuring that users get adequate ability to provide feedback. The company embeds its team and becomes seamless with its clients throughout the process. This helps them to quickly incorporate the feedback and changes into the solution.
This method allows the customer to accept, adopt, and institutionalize the new system, reiterating Quantumlytix’s philosophy of the ‘pull’ approach, as opposed to the ‘push’ method which force-fits systems into an organization. The customer is allowed to transition to a new workflow, culture, and organizational structure according to their end goals in the natural course of human acceptance. In one instance, Quantumlytix enabled a quantum shift in new product launch fill rate performance improvement for one of the largest manufacturers and aftermarket parts suppliers of agricultural and construction equipment. Simplifying sixteen different corporate systems, databases and spreadsheets for forecasting, purchasing, part-tracking, and other logistical operations for new product launches, Singularity was implemented to create a seamless process targeting 80 percent of the root causes of back orders and non-value added time, develop autonomous alerts and predictive analytics to prevent stock-outs, as well as provide advanced analytics and monitoring KPI by each work group and management level to monitor productivity and quality of work. Post implementation the New Product Launch Fill Rate performance improved from 87.5 percent at the start to 95 percent in Agriculture equipment and 98 percent in Construction equipment, becoming one of the highest NPL Fill Rate performances in the industry. The implementation was done under 6 months from requirements gathering to launch and adoption. Performance improvement took hold during the following months.
Solving Problems at Their Core
Quantumlytix team members share a passion for solving complex problems and building solutions. Hailing from different backgrounds including military and commercial logistics, IT, and industrial engineering, the team excels at specialized technical skills to build systems, facilities, and to improve financial and operational performance of companies. The same responsiveness is extended to the company’s technology, the concept behind Singularity—an ability to quickly and intuitively develop customized solutions for a given set of requirements.
Since 2010, the world has increasingly become more networked and focused on optimizing business through data. The company’s leaders believe it is uniquely positioned to support global clients in improving production, distribution, workflow, systems, and culture to survive in the highly competitive global market place. Quantumlytix aims to help private equity firms and portfolio companies improve EBITDA of acquisition streaming and integrating systems, launching new facilities to accelerate growth, optimizing throughput and driving productive culture change. The company also brings their approach to the healthcare sector, helping providers re-engineer medical supply chain systems and optimize hospital networks. This will further solidify Quantumlytix’s position as the pioneer of re-versed engineered systems implementation.
Enterprise-Wide Acceptance and Adoption
In order to facilitate a seamless adoption of the new system, Quantumlytix orchestrates the change management and communication, manages aspects of the implementation including video and classroom training, drills, and live tests, ensuring that users get adequate ability to provide feedback. The company embeds its team and becomes seamless with its clients throughout the process. This helps them to quickly incorporate the feedback and changes into the solution.
This method allows the customer to accept, adopt, and institutionalize the new system, reiterating Quantumlytix’s philosophy of the ‘pull’ approach, as opposed to the ‘push’ method which force-fits systems into an organization. The customer is allowed to transition to a new workflow, culture, and organizational structure according to their end goals in the natural course of human acceptance. In one instance, Quantumlytix enabled a quantum shift in new product launch fill rate performance improvement for one of the largest manufacturers and aftermarket parts suppliers of agricultural and construction equipment. Simplifying sixteen different corporate systems, databases and spreadsheets for forecasting, purchasing, part-tracking, and other logistical operations for new product launches, Singularity was implemented to create a seamless process targeting 80 percent of the root causes of back orders and non-value added time, develop autonomous alerts and predictive analytics to prevent stock-outs, as well as provide advanced analytics and monitoring KPI by each work group and management level to monitor productivity and quality of work. Post implementation the New Product Launch Fill Rate performance improved from 87.5 percent at the start to 95 percent in Agriculture equipment and 98 percent in Construction equipment, becoming one of the highest NPL Fill Rate performances in the industry. The implementation was done under 6 months from requirements gathering to launch and adoption. Performance improvement took hold during the following months.
Solving Problems at Their Core
Quantumlytix team members share a passion for solving complex problems and building solutions. Hailing from different backgrounds including military and commercial logistics, IT, and industrial engineering, the team excels at specialized technical skills to build systems, facilities, and to improve financial and operational performance of companies. The same responsiveness is extended to the company’s technology, the concept behind Singularity—an ability to quickly and intuitively develop customized solutions for a given set of requirements.
Since 2010, the world has increasingly become more networked and focused on optimizing business through data. The company’s leaders believe it is uniquely positioned to support global clients in improving production, distribution, workflow, systems, and culture to survive in the highly competitive global market place. Quantumlytix aims to help private equity firms and portfolio companies improve EBITDA of acquisition streaming and integrating systems, launching new facilities to accelerate growth, optimizing throughput and driving productive culture change. The company also brings their approach to the healthcare sector, helping providers re-engineer medical supply chain systems and optimize hospital networks. This will further solidify Quantumlytix’s position as the pioneer of re-versed engineered systems implementation.
Company
Quantumlytix
Headquarters
Indianapolis, IN
Management
Jack Mensch, President
Description
A data-driven system implementer who uses an application-building and simulation software to create systems that outline efficiency
