Turning Sawdust into Gold
How RCS Boosted Profitability by 900%
In today’s day and age, steady revenue growth doesn’t always equate to high profit margins. This is especially true in the woodworking industry.
Maybe you’re like Joe Keller, with RCS (formerly Ray’s Cabinet Shop), who found themselves stuck in a cycle of overworking and under-providing.
How Did They Do It?
Like many millworkers, Joe Keller grew up in a cabinet shop owned and operated by his father. Founded in 1997 in Ankeny, Iowa, RCS’s beginnings were humble. Joe’s father bought the business in hopes of creating a legacy for his family and installed a “hard work above all” ethos.
Joe quickly began to notice that their growth had slowed to a crawl. In fact, the culprits were the same tools that had originally helped them scale. Operating with no system to manage costs, having limited ability to track production, and inefficient workflows were the key roadblocks.
So, how did they finally automate their tedious manual processes and become a high-profit leader in custom architectural millwork? The answer was a modern and comprehensive ERP solution dedicated to the woodworking industry: INNERGY.
Key Results
Joe first heard about INNERGY through an industry event and he was honestly skeptical that a software could solve their problems. It wasn’t until attending a demonstration and seeing the software in action that he truly grasped how transformative it could be for RCS.
With INNERGY’s help, RCS made substantial operational improvements which included a 900% jump in profitability, improved production planning, and more. Instead of spreadsheets, Joe began working with streamlined workflows and started to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
INNERGY’s software not only provided a solution to track, manage, and optimize operations but there was a unique education component he couldn’t find anywhere else. That’s because INNERGY prides themselves on their continuous learning opportunities and offers everything from mentorship programs to how-to webinars.
But that wasn’t all, INNERGY’s events also allowed Joe to gain connections with other peers navigating similar challenges in the industry.
Embracing a New Standard
Today, Joe Keller looks back on his journey fondly, knowing he was lucky enough to be mentored by INNERGY’s own CEO, Marc Sanderson. Joe recalled a key insight that brought about the increase in profitability:
“You’re making plenty of sawdust, but you’re missing the data. Data is what’s going to pay the bills in the end.” - Marc Sanderson
Joe describes the impact: “Before INNERGY, we had all these siloed metrics. Now, with INNERGY’s support, we know where we’re making or losing money on each job, and everyone from the shop floor to the executive team understands their role in that.”