Case Study

Solero Technologies

Solero Technologies, LLC. is an automotive technology manufacturer headquartered in Michigan with additional facilities in Mississippi. Since 1972, they have developed and delivered quality solenoid and controls products to automotive OEMs, the aftermarket, and other industrial sectors. From advanced design through manufacturing, they provide customers with products and processes personalized to their business needs.

Solero Finds Plex Is the Right Fit for Their Next Chapter

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Achieved rapid launch in partnership with Plex Professional Services

close-up photo of automotive solenoid components with blue caps and purple plastic parts

Sale Speeds Requirement to Shift to a New Solution

With over 50 years of experience, Solero Technologies, LLC. has made a name for itself as an automotive industry leader. Solero has been developing and manufacturing solenoids, stop-start accumulators, and hydraulic control modules for decades. Headquartered in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Solero also operates a manufacturing and fully integrated test development lab facility in Water Valley, Mississippi. Both facilities test, develop, and manufacture their wide range of products. Solero’s products deliver solutions that help transmissions run smoother, engines work more efficiently, and support the electric vehicle transformation by optimizing various electric motor and battery control functionalities.

Solero was formerly part of BorgWarner’s North American Controls business and began as a new company in December of 2021. The terms of the sale required a quick transition to its own business management and manufacturing operating system. With a tight timeline in front of them, the team was cognizant of the many hurdles with implementing expansive traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

A cloud-based system was desirable for a more expedient launch versus the investment needed for an on-premises solution. They also required scalability to accommodate their growing business, preferably in one solution that could run their entire manufacturing facility while connecting with partners, customers, and suppliers. Solero’s rapid implementation schedule meant it would need to be easy to adopt and use, so employees could be trained quickly and ensure workflow was not interrupted.

When evaluating solutions, Dr. Donald R. James, Solero’s Chief Executive Officer, described how Plex testimonials helped him to visualize the possibilities in terms of the real impact of Plex’s offering. The ability to speak with other users showed how Plex could provide full visibility and control of the business, from planning and finance through production and quality management. It was also clear that Plex’s friendly and modern user interface would help get employees up to speed fast. Scalability, flexibility, and Plex’s cloud-based nature that was born out of the automotive industry and purpose-built for manufacturers all factored into Solero’s decision to ultimately move forward with Plex.

Teaming Together for Rapid Implementation

The Plex Professional Services team was committed up front to Solero’s rapid launch goal. Plex brought expertise in the ability to prioritize and guide a series of phases based on their contractual obligations. With the benefit of being local to Solero, the Plex team was a fixture at their facility. “Together, the teams were really focused on what was needed for us to launch and be successful as a first step versus learning the entire universe within Plex. It was quite phenomenal in terms of speed,” said Dr. James.

Employees were engaged from day one alongside Solero leadership with a shared motivation to become a successful standalone company. The visibility across the business made the transition an exciting process for shop floor and top floor employees alike. Everyone understood that they were setting the foundation for the system that would run their manufacturing and business operations and give them real-time data and insights every day.

“I don’t know one person I’ve talked to in business that isn’t excited about seeing the fruits of their labor in short order after project launch,” said Dr. James. “It wasn’t hard to get the team motivated behind Plex.”

Two workers in a manufacturing facility, one using a laptop and the other holding a clipboard

The first phases of launch have already reinforced Solero’s choice regarding Plex, including the flexibility in configuration and the system’s ease of use. “The immediate feedback I got from a lot of my employees on the shop floor is that things are much easier to follow and understand in terms of step-by-step processes,” commented Dr. James.

Narrowing in on what was required for day one of implementation was a key aspect of the early success. “Plex Professional Services brought a lot of value helping us define and streamline what was important to transition seamlessly out of our legacy ERP system with no customer interruptions,” said Dr. Donald James. “The speed at which we had to move was impressive and the good dynamic between both of our working teams was a big factor.”

Dr. James offers words of advice for others making the transition, with focus on being realistic about what is needed to launch. He stated,

“Plex has so much capability, you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew. Stay focused on what is needed to operate the business and launch and then build on from there.”

Continuing to implement their phased plan and manufacturing optimization is the next step of Solero’s future with Plex, along with a focus on continuously learning how to best utilize their powerful new tool. Now that they have a solution in place that can scale with them, they can focus on executing their growth plans as a standalone organization and improving efficiency, performance, and profitability.

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