How PerciScan Closed the Visibility Gap for OS Doors
For private equity-backed manufacturers, operational visibility is the primary mechanism for EBITDA protection. For a leading Irish door manufacturer producing 40,000 custom doors weekly, the challenge was a profound disconnect between high-velocity production and a fragmented distribution network. While the factory was highly automated, the regional trade counters operated with manual discretionary processes leading to untracked inventory and significant margin erosion.
By implementing PerciScan, the manufacturer transformed its logistics from a series of manual, unstructured movements into a coordinated ecosystem. It did more than track boxes; it established a “single source of truth” moving the business from reactive chaos to proactive control.
At a Glance
The Context: Complexity at Scale
The client operates a 100,000-square-foot facility in Northern Ireland, managing a catalogue of nearly one million unique SKUs. Backed by a private equity group, the company runs two divergent business models:
- “Make-to-Measure” (high-volume custom builds for contractors) and
- “Make-to-Stock” (premium Italian imports).
The manufacturing floor is controlled by a bespoke Manufacturing Execution System (MES) comprising 40+ Python programs. However, once products reached the regional trade counters, they entered a landscape of paper-based records and informal workflows. The scale of the operation had reached a point where manual processes were no longer just slow — they posed challenges to financial planning and control.
The Challenge
In distributed manufacturing, the highest cost of chaos is difficult to quantify. At the client site, the lack of a structured scanning solution created a bifurcated challenge:
- At the factory, the legacy scanning tool lacked rule-based logic. It functioned as a system of record rather than a system of control, allowing operators to pick any item from any location without digital enforcement.
- At the trade counters, the situation was more urgent. With no scanning solution in place, doors were frequently stored in undesignated areas and difficult to retrieve.
The financial consequences were measurable:
- Redundant Logistics Costs: Trade counters frequently reported stock-outs for items that were physically present but systemically lost, triggering unplanned, expensive replenishment runs from the factory for stock the company already owned.
- Elevated Carrying Costs: Capital was tied up in excess inventory sitting undetected on regional shelves.
- Audit and Closing Friction: The CFO’s mandate for granular margin data was impossible to fulfil when month-end closing relied on manual guesswork.
The PerciScan Solution: Connecting the Shop Floor to the Warehouse
The strategic value of PerciScan lies in its ability to make machine-level data actionable for warehouse execution. The implementation was architected as a three-pillar intervention.
- Machine-to-Scan Integration — Because Percipere owned both the MES code and the PerciScan deployment, they retrofitted PerciScan’s logic to match the machine’s individual-door-per-barcode cadence. As automated machines release a door, PerciScan captures the record and directs it to the correct shipping trolley, ensuring custom units are tracked with 100% accuracy from the moment of manufacture to the loading bay.
- Greenfield Trade Counter Transformation — PerciScan introduced an entirely new operating model with a rigorous bin-structuring strategy, assigning specific door types to designated racks and zones. Guided scanning directs operators to the exact location of a product, while digital guardrails ensure a product is not recognised until scanned into its correct bin.
- Neutralising Change Resistance — The application was designed for minimal to no training, allowing staff to become proficient within a single shift and achieving high adoption rates even as it removed individual user discretion.
Impact: Quantifiable Control and Margin Preservation
- Processing Efficiency and Labour Optimisation — A 25% reduction in inventory processing time allowed labour to be redirected from stock-searching to customer-facing roles that drive revenue.
- Financial Clarity for Private Equity — By synchronising every physical movement with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud in real time, the business achieved the granular data required for accurate margin reporting, transforming month-end closing from a manual struggle into a data-driven routine.
- Logistics and Capital Efficiency — Eliminating blind over-ordering removed the redundant truck runs that previously drained the logistics budget, directly protecting EBITDA and reducing capital tied up in excess stock.
The Blueprint for Scalable Manufacturing
The OS Doors engagement serves as a masterclass in bridging the gap between legacy manufacturing complexity and modern scanning agility. PerciScan succeeded because it addressed both the high-volume automated shop floor and the “last mile” trade counter environment simultaneously.
Key PerciScan Differentiators
- Dual-Environment Capability: Seamless operation across both high-velocity automated production and traditional warehousing.
- Proprietary Integration: Technical alignment with 40+ MES programs, creating a closed loop between machinery and the ERP.
- Rapid Adoption: An intuitive UI that transforms an unstructured workforce into a disciplined, system-driven team with zero formal training.
“Month-end has shifted from a manual struggle to a predictable, data-driven routine. We no longer have to guess our inventory values: we can see them in real time.”
– CFO, OS Doors
Strategic Takeaway
In the modern manufacturing landscape, a specialised scanning layer is no longer a luxury — it is a requirement for maintaining competitive margins. PerciScan provides the architectural discipline necessary to ensure that as a business scales, its visibility does not diminish. For this client, PerciScan didn’t just track inventory; it secured the business’s ability to grow with precision.
About PerciScan by Percipere – PerciScan is a mobile scanning application that enforces rule-based discipline across warehouse and production floors. More than a tracking tool, it guides process to eliminate manual error. It integrates with SAP and requires minimal training, enabling instant digitization, fast workforce adoption and margin protection.
About OS Doors – OS Doors is a top-tier manufacturer producing 40,000 custom doors weekly. Managing 1 million unique SKUs across a 100,000-square-foot facility, the company is a leader in automated manufacturing. OS Doors uses integrated digital architecture to secure total visibility and financial control across its regional distribution network.
About Percipere – Percipere is an SAP Gold Partner specializing in business transformation for high-complexity manufacturing. They bridge the gap between shop-floor activity and financial performance, using deep ERP expertise and tools like PerciScan to deliver the operational discipline required to protect EBITDA.
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