Steelhead Reviews

Summary: Incredible people. Incredible product. It does what they say and more. We are very excited to be taking advantage of this solution.

Positive: Steelhead tackles the finishing job shop challenge with an easy to navigate and easy to configure program designed to make workflow make sense. Our operators quickly adapted to the program and began working with it immediately. Managers have full visibility and are able to foresee challenges before they occur.

Negative: We have not found a con yet. It is better than expected.

Summary: The implementation of Steelhead has been amazing. We took just a few weeks to get things set up with Paul and then we started using the system on our production floor. We ran our old system side by side for 1 week before we committed, and the only reason we took that long was to get parts through the entire system and make sure that our team was comfortable.

After the initial implementation we have been steadily using and learning new functions of the system and it has been wonderful how much information is there and how much they are improving on a regular basis.

Positive: Fast Implementation.
Easy to work with the Steelhead Team.
Very Intuitive Interface.
Customization to work with our production line.
Almost perfectly aligned with what I had been wanting in an ERP.
Easy to use. Most of my team were figuring it out within a day.

Negative: Scheduling, or sorting of jobs does not function as I would like, but I believe we will find a way to make it work as we learn more.
Some of the search functions are difficult to figure out.

Summary: It has changed the way we do business and makes us more efficient. No more losing papers because everything is right there. A huge time saver and easy to use. I am extremely happy with Steelhead in its factuality for our business and the time it saves us.

Positive: Able to include all details on an order including prints, directions, and due dates. Easily make invoices from completed work orders and they transfer automatically to our accounting program.

Negative: I didn't like that invoices couldn't be edited but I heard soon that they will be able to be.

Summary: Overall we thoroughly enjoy Steelhead. We started with a rather antiquated system and it has been nice to join back in with the current times of technology. There is no doubt this system has helped us better allocate our work flow as our time spent inputting orders and searching for information has decreased.
Everything is tied together. If a user has issues concerning pricing of a part they can go directly to the part number and can decide if they want to research based on RO's/PO's or via invoicing. This is done frequently in the office as we get a lot of repeat parts and we want to ensure we hold agreed pricing and do not accidentally requote a part. This saves the office time as sometimes our accounting software times out and takes a minute to load whereas with steelhead it is all there.
Even the shop floor has benefited as they can see visuals of the parts whether it be a print provided or a raw unprocessed part. This helps with confusion out on the floor as parts go through many hands and there is no question about what part is sitting on a table and what container it goes it. The linemen can scan the barcode and all the information needed pops up.

I cannot speak on pricing as I do not handing that side of Administration.

Positive: Easy to learn operating system. We were able to effectively train our entire staff on this system with little to no issues. This is major as we have age ranges of 20-67 here in this shop.
When we have an issue or a quick question we can easily call or send an email with a screen shot of what we need addressed and we get a speedy solution.
We use a QR Code with a scan gun at our shop so the linesmen do not have to memorize processing nodes for every order, nor do they have to carry an iPad near all the chemical tanks. This has helped with processing, especially with customized orders (ie we have specialty etches for some parts) and the scan gun will alert a lineman if they are scanning a tank the order should not go into. This feature is also great for our QC team as it tracks processing time for reports. As we are NADCAP certified we can pull a random part processing report for our audit and it will showcase what tank the parts were in and for how long. This feature can also be used in real time allowing the office staff to know exactly where a part is in processing in case a customer were to call and wonder the status of an order. Expedited or not.
The shop floor makes use of the DASHBOARDS tab. We got a large TV and it display the dashboard for all to see at a quick glance. We customized a dashboard for our RACKING area where they can see what orders have arrived and are waiting to get to racking, what orders are ready to be racked, which orders are processing and which orders are needing post processing inspection. These are ordered from oldest to newest to assist the team in staying on schedule.
The shop as a whole very much enjoys the tags section for WO's. We utilize the Expedite and Quality Critical tabs frequently and they get pulled over with our customized Dashboard. Really any area where a user is seeing WO's. But it is the extra 'eye-candy' for anyone around the shop to understand which orders have a higher priority or care instructions.

Negative: Some features are not fully built out / not the easiest to use. Ie in quality management, NCR's / CARS.
We do not have a grand need for them as we don't have frequently NCR's / CARS however when they do arise it is almost like we have to retrain ourselves.
Also there is not a place to manually input quick comments for NCR's. We can upload a report yes but sometimes it is nice to see at a glance if the issue was a plating issue or a machining issue.
Also, is there a way to tie a part number to the NCR / CAR ? We can tie a company to the report but generally these reports are part specific and it would be nice to easily determine if the issue is truly a part issue for example and a new racking layout might be the solution.

From a user design standpoint there are some features that confuse me, but they aren't decremental. For example, if a user is putting in a received order and they accidentally input the wrong quantity, i've been here. To edit that quantity there is a specific button just for that, and it is next to a pencil edit button for the part on the RO which gives edit functions for the part that seem out of place.

Summary: To be able to use a program that is much more user friendly and can be updated in real time (not needed add-ons) has been a huge time saver for our company.

Positive: Instead of using a handful of programs to get jobs entered, tickets printed, certifications put together - it is all in one now, saving tons of office time.
Also, it is a huge plus for ISO accreditation as all the job documentation and part info can be found in one place.

Negative: Takes a bit to get all the routing entered but its worth it.

Summary: Been a great experience overall with Steelhead. When problems arise, they get taken care of quickly. They have an amazing team and have always been helpful.

Positive: Customer service is top notch. User friendly. Good visibility on jobs and what is being worked on.

Negative: Few bugs here and there but always get taken care of when I call in. PO system could use some features added to it. Would be nice to have a spot to enter in shipping cost on items bought.

Summary: Steelhead is an amazing company to work with. They go above & beyond to accommodate all customers & take all recommendations to improve.

Positive: Everything is located all in one software. You can attach prints to each part, masking instructions, price, color & etc. It's easy to locate all work orders, packing slips & invoices. Our customers have enjoyed receiving their quotes along with their digitally signed packing slip the second it's dropped off or picked up. It creates a better work flow in our shop.

Negative: The only thing we had issues with was transferring of invoices to our accounting software. Other than that, everything runs fantastically.

Summary: We are doing better with this new system lets everyone track where parts are. Its a great product easy to use and easy to understand.

Positive: The system is good I do like it. We use it on a daily basis. The tablets work great and i use a lot less paper.

Negative: That we originally asked to have picture assigned to the parts and we don't have the area on the system that makes you have to take the pictures, but it still asked if you took a picture. Please can we fix this. Also, if there is and input of putting a part in it glitches. if someone else is using the system and changing something.

Summary: Steelhead's jobshop system presents a valuable solution for our metal plating business, streamlining quoting processes and offering remote accessibility to the production floor. Its user-friendly interface makes it accessible to staff, albeit occasional bugs and the potential for confusion due to multiple workflow paths. Despite these drawbacks, the system's short-term benefits are evident, indicating promising potential for long-term improvements in efficiency and productivity. With ongoing refinements and adjustments, Steelhead has the opportunity to become an indispensable tool in our operations

Positive: Streamlined Quoting Process: Steelhead simplifies the quoting process, allowing quoting agents like myself to focus on other aspects of the job. It handles routine tasks efficiently, saving time and effort.

User-Friendly Interface: The system is generally easy to use, making it accessible to staff with varying levels of technical expertise. Its intuitive design reduces the learning curve, enabling quick adoption.

Remote Accessibility: One of Steelhead's standout features is its ability to provide visibility into the production floor from anywhere in the world. This remote accessibility enhances flexibility and facilitates efficient management, especially for those overseeing operations from different locations.

Short-Term Benefits: Despite our relatively brief experience with Steelhead, we've already begun to realize tangible benefits. Its functionalities have contributed to smoother operations and improved productivity within our metal plating jobshop.

Negative: Buggy Performance: While Steelhead offers significant advantages, it's not without its flaws. Users have encountered occasional bugs and glitches, which can disrupt workflow and undermine confidence in the system's reliability.

Multiple Workflow Paths: The system's flexibility can sometimes be a double-edged sword. While it offers multiple ways to accomplish tasks, this can lead to confusion among staff and potential miscommunication. Standardizing processes could mitigate this issue.

Summary: Fantastic product by a great team. Strong foundation that allows for software that fits YOUR PROCESS.

Positive: Cloud based - can access data from any web connected device.
Data collection and reporting.
User friendly. (quick to train).

Negative: Montly expense.
Some items are still "work in progress".