How TR Savage & Son Cut Scheduling from 2.5 to 1.5 People with Odoo MRP

For a fourth-generation precision manufacturer with a century of hard-won know-how, the biggest challenge wasn’t competition or quality; it was that all that knowledge lived in people’s heads and spreadsheets, not in a system. As the customer base grew, the cracks started to show. Keeping tabs on costs, production bottlenecks and capacity had become a full-time job.

Working with Havi Technology, TR Savage & Son built a tailored MRP on Odoo, one system connecting production, sales, quality and finance, live in two months.

Project overview

About the Client: 100+ Year-Old Sydney Precision Manufacturer

Founded in the early 1900s and now spanning four generations, TR Savage & Son is one of Australia’s most innovative and technologically advanced 3D printing, CNC and general machining and manufacturing leaders. More than 100 years after it was founded, the Sydney manufacturing and design company is still growing (and innovating) to this day.

For many decades, TR Savage & Son’s component tools have been relied upon for rail, gas, mining and architecture across Australia and beyond. Since 2012, Savage Design has also showcased a range of furniture, lighting, hardware and homewares. And in 2019, Savage Design’s Surry Hills showroom further extended the company’s client base and capability.

Awarded WSABE’s 2021 Excellence in Manufacturing, TR Savage & Son has built a century-long legacy of precision, craftsmanship and forward-thinking engineering.

The Challenge: Manufacturing Excellence That Outgrew Its Systems

For years, TR Savage & Son had managed production the way it always had, with experienced people, spreadsheets and a basic MRP. It worked, until the customer base grew and diversified beyond what those tools could handle. A century of hard-won know-how sat in individual heads and paperwork rather than in a system, and the day-to-day work of running the shop was becoming a full-time job in itself.

Key challenges included:

• Managing complex, high-precision manufacturing for a diverse and expanding customer base
• Difficult to consolidate knowledge into repeatable, usable processes
• Scheduling required 2.5 people working around the clock
• Limited visibility to track production costs, bottlenecks and shop capacity
• Staying committed to high-quality manufacturing, design and customer service while scaling the business

Their goal:

To move production onto one system that tracks every job from quotation through to delivery, gives the team real-time visibility of costs, bottlenecks and capacity, turns shop-floor knowledge into repeatable processes, and supports both contract manufacturing and Savage Design as the business continues to grow.

The Solution: A Tailored MRP Built on Odoo

Since 1910, TR Savage & Son has built its reputation on quality manufacturing, engineering and design – as well as exceptional customer service. Those values remain all important today as the company grows, expands and diversifies its customer base. So in late 2019, the Savage team asked Havi Technology to develop an Odoo material requirements planning (MRP) solution to better track production performance and enhance customer relationships.

Fourth-generation business owner and director, Joel Savage, says Havi’s experts began by understanding the end-to-end process that enables TR Savage & Son to achieve excellence: 

"Havi recognised the complexity of how we run the business and identified exactly where we needed to customise the software to meet our requirements." - Joel Savage, Director

Enabling continuous improvement

Previously, TR Savage & Son found it hard to consolidate knowledge in a way that was usable and repeatable. So, Havi customised the MRP to allow the Savage team to set better processes, procedures and production goals while giving the company the flexibility to make changes on the run and share the outcome for future manufacturing orders.

The MRP also allows the Savage team to put quality checks in place and monitor and compare any changes made so that they can optimise a system that works for them.

After starting the Odoo implementation in January 2020, Havi provided the Savage team with detailed user training and officially launched the new MRP system two months later (connected with other modules including Odoo CRM, Purchase, Sales, Quality, Inventory, Maintenance and Accounting).

Reflecting on the experience, Joel says:

"The best thing about working with Havi is that they kept the process simple. The team is very easy to deal with, and issues discovered in the afternoon are often fixed by the morning. Their technical knowledge combined with their ability to find creative solutions was outstanding." - Joel Savage.

For the full story in Joel’s own words, watch his interview with Havi:

The Result: Visibility, Speed and A System Built to Grow

Within two months of go-live, Odoo had already changed how the shop runs, from scheduling and cost tracking through to how the sales team spends its day.

"The Odoo manufacturing module is a very powerful tool." - Joel Savage

• Reduced scheduling time and identifying new opportunities: Within two months, Odoo reduced “2.5 people scheduling around the clock” to 1.5 employees. Faster scheduling times now allow the Savage team to quickly confirm delivery dates for customers and devote more time to negotiating with suppliers
• Track production costs (and much more): Unlike the Savage team’s previous MRP, Joel says that Odoo allows the company to “easily track production costs, compare changes to manufacturing techniques, set workable goals with production, discover bottlenecks and find where there is capacity in the shop.”
• Strengthen customer relationships: Odoo has given the TR Savage & Son sales staff a CRM that helps plan and track their days, which means less time searching and recording – and more time interacting with customers.

For a precision manufacturer, an MRP is only as good as its ability to grow with the business. Havi designed the Odoo solution around how TR Savage & Son actually runs, so as the customer base grows and product lines diversify, the system evolves with it, rather than becoming the next thing to replace.

A century of manufacturing knowledge deserves a system that captures it. Tell us about your shop floor, and we will show you what is possible.