PBC LINEAR: $1M+ IN ANNUAL SAVINGS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Learn more about our longstanding partnership with Infor here.
ARE YOU LEAVING MILLIONS ON THE TABLE?
MEET PBC LINEAR
PBC Linear is a leading global specialty manufacturer of bearings and linear motion systems. They provide diverse applications ranging from submersibles exploring the depths of the ocean to components destined for outer space.
THE CHALLENGE
For over two decades, PBC Linear pursued an ambitious vision of complete automation. Jonathan Schroeder, Executive Vice President, explained their goal:
20 years ago, I had a dream where customers would come to our website, be able to enter their application parameters. They could choose to order the product right then and there, and then a few minutes later, a job packet would print on the shop floor.
Jonathan Schroeder
EVP
While PBC Linear excelled at helping customers select the right products and manufacturing those products, a critical gap existed in their process.
We had value-added processes of helping a customer select the right product for their application, and we had value-added at the back end of actually building the product. But in between that, there was a big gap. And without a product to solve and to fill that gap, we couldn't achieve our dream of full automation
jONATHAN sCHROEDER
EVP
The company needed a way to automatically transfer their CAD model data, their single source of truth, into Infor Syteline without manual intervention.
THE SOLUTION
PBC Linear had already implemented Infor's CPQ (Configure Price Quote) software and established their CAD models as the foundation of their business model. Ethan Kinney, Software Engineering Manager, described their approach:
Our goal as a company is to be a model-based enterprise. You don't have multiple sources of truth. You have one source of truth and that's your CAD model.
eTHAN kINNEY
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING MANAGER
Just when they needed a solution to bridge CAD and ERP, CADTALK appeared.
Right about that time, our owner had gotten an email from a company called CADTALK. This company was capable of taking your SolidWorks model and pushing that into your ERP system. Well, I admit that was pretty much a godsend at that point
ETHAN KINNEY
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING MANAGER
CADTALK seamlessly integrated with their existing Infor CPQ system, automatically pushing manufacturing information from CAD models directly into Syteline, then generating job packets for the shop floor. No human intervention necessary.
THE RESULTS
The implementation delivered extraordinary returns across multiple dimensions:
Dramatic Time Savings: The integration compressed their entire process from weeks to minutes.
Massive Cost Reduction: PBC Linear now saves more than $1 million annually through complete front-end automation, allowing smaller teams to maintain core product lines while expanding into new markets.
Unprecedented Agility: Recent engineering changes demonstrated the system's power. When PBC Linear purchased new factory equipment requiring updates to 15,000 SKUs, a process that would have taken weeks or months was completed in under 24 hours.
Ethan Kinney
Software Manager
With CADTALK in place, with all the other automations in place, now we've taken a two to three week process and narrowed it down to maybe 10 minutes.
Jonathan Schroeder
EVP
I don't even want to think about how long it would have taken before. An ECN for 10,000 plus SKUs in under 24 hours. Right there alone, you're talking $100,000 plus in savings because of CADTALK.
Today, customers can configure products on PBC Linear's website and have complete manufacturing packets automatically generated and sent to the shop floor within minutes. With CADTALK's help, PBC Linear has turned a 20-year automation dream into reality.
