From operations management to scalability, hear how Tensoft SemiOps helped Efficient Power Conversion, a GaN semiconductor company based in California. Massimo Marabotti, the CFO of EPC, recently joined us for video interview to share how Tensoft SemiOps fits their business model well.
Watch the case study video or read the transcript below:
“My name is Massimo Marabotti and I am the CFO of Efficient Power Conversion. EPC is a GaN Semiconductor Company. It was founded in 2007 and it’s located in El Segundo, California, also known as GaN Beach.
EPC is the leading provider in gallium nitride-based power management technology. Silicon has reached its limits and it can no longer keep up with more and more demand of efficient power. And we believe that GaN will replace silicon because it’s more efficient and because it costs less.
In 2016, EPC decided to implement its first MRP system, and we looked at many different options and alternatives, and at the end, we concluded that Tensoft had the best solution for us.
SemiOps is designed specifically for semiconductor manufacturing and operations management. It works very well for fabless semiconductor operations.
Implementing an MRP system for the first time at a company could be overwhelming. It takes a lot of time and resources. There’s a lot of opinions in the company and conversations on how to go about things, how to design the flow. So that is the moment when it’s very helpful to have access to best practices, and that is what the Tensoft team brought to EPC.
It deployed a team of professionals who are really expert in the semiconductor business, who really sat with us and specked out the steps of our process flow in details, and then came up with alternative options, solutions, and many recommendations. And the end result was excellent. We ended up with a very streamlined process that was actually much better than the one that we had initially drawn. The project was a success, and it was done on time and within budget.
SemiOps has everything that we were looking for. It’s a system that allows to manage orders, orders to vendors and orders from customers. It allows to manage inventory and to track it accurately. It allows to do the three-way match, which is very important for finance and accounting. It also allows to implement a standard cost system, which is something we were looking for.
One module that we liked very much was the shipper portal. It’s a module that allows a third-party logistic provider to log into our system and manage the last steps of the fulfillment process, all the shipments and all the documentation that goes with it.
One important milestone for EPC was the implementation of the EDI system, Electronic Data Interface, which is a requirement from many of our customers. Tensoft helped us by first identifying the right solution for us and then by implementing it by working directly with our customers, and again, minimizing the efforts on EPC.
It was also very important for EPC to implement appropriate and adequate internal controls. Having the approval workflow embedded in the procurement process is really the best way to make sure that all the commitments that the company takes are in compliance with the company policies, with the delegation of authority, and that makes me sleep better.
One other advantage of Tensoft products is definitely scalability. EPC grew a lot since 2016. The number of customers increased, the number of SKUs exploded, as well as the number of bill of materials, and there was never a problem with scalability. And we still now use SemiOps as it was implemented in the first place.
Over time, Tensoft has become an important business partner for EPC and Tensoft always supported us and helped us on many different projects, and we will continue to work with Tensoft in the future for sure.”