CUSTOMER STORIES: GMD Surfaces
How GMD Surfaces Modernized for Growth
Omar Chahin, owner of GMD Surfaces in the Chicago and Northern Indiana region, always knew he wanted his business to grow. What started as a small shop has now evolved into a business known for its craftsmanship and dedication to quality.
Investing in technology has been a big part of GMD Surfaces’ growth and key to becoming a successful, high-volume fabricator.
Summary
- Streamlined Quoting: GMD surfaces has tailored CounterGo and Systemize to create a seamless customer experience in real time. This has increased lead conversion and has minimized job initiation delays.
- Rework Visibility: Enhanced reporting capabilities and workflows in Systemize provide visibility into rework causes and costs, enabling continuous process improvements.
- Reduced Waste: The Inventory module, standardized data entry, and detailed reporting support inventory management and stocking decisions based on actual sales data.
See how thousands of fabricators like GMD Surfaces save hours every week with Moraware
The Challenges
To transition from a startup to a high-volume fabricator, the GMD Surfaces team had to address several challenges:
- Scheduling and Operational Inefficiencies: GMD initially relied on Outlook for all business functions including emails, notes, and scheduling, but quickly outgrew it as they expanded.
- Data Accuracy and Reporting Issues: The shop wanted to avoid manual data entry to minimize errors and inconsistencies in reporting, particularly with material tracking where manual data entry made accurate inventory and sales analysis difficult.
- Lead Management and Follow-up: GMD needed better systems for capturing customer information quickly and accurately to avoid errors and rework.
The Solution: Digitizing Operations from Quote to Install With the Moraware Suite
GMD Surfaces discovered Moraware’s solutions when a new employee recommended the software to address scheduling challenges. They implemented the full Moraware suite: CounterGo, Systemize, and Inventory.
GMD Surfaces Operational Transformation
- Streamlined operations: GMD Surfaces has digitized their entire process from lead to install. They transitioned from Outlook to Moraware’s CounterGo for quoting, Systemize for scheduling, and the Inventory module for inventory management as their core systems.
- Mobile Quoting: The customer fills out the lead form on an iPad and is sent a quote and drawing in minutes based on a standardized price list. The customer can review the quote and sign digitally with Job Well Done, preventing any delays to job starts. By having the customer input their information, GMD also prevents any mistakes related to contact information or other details that could hold up a job.
- Standardized data entry: Eliminated manual typing by creating click-and-select dropdown options for all data entry related to slab materials and colors in the price list in both CounterGo and Inventory. Dropdown menus were also implemented for job forms. This ensures consistency across all reporting and material tracking.
- Rework visibility: GMD Surfaces implemented a color-coded job form in Systemize specific to reworks that needed to be approved by a manager before moving forward. The color coding provided extra visibility and captured the category of work, reason (measurement error, cutting error, customer service issue), and the related cost which helped provide key insights for ongoing improvements.
- Inventory management: The Inventory module, integrated with Systemize, was added to help manage their materials, leading to further operational efficiency.
The Results
The Moraware technology investments have delivered significant time savings, increased efficiency, and improved business decision making.
- Improved reporting and decision making: Standardized data entry enable better inventory management and stocking decisions based on actual sales data.
- Faster quote to close: Better lead capture and follow-up processes result in improved conversion rates, reduced delays in job initiation, and drive strong customer satisfaction.
- Fewer reworks: The additional job form system provides visibility into rework costs and root causes, enabling targeted improvements to further reduce waste and errors.
- Sustainable growth: Over time, the supporting processes and tech stack has helped GMD grow to 42 employees producing 750 square feet per day.
About GMD Surfaces
GMD Surfaces in the Chicago and Northern Indiana region, started as a small shop. They have now grown into a business known for its craftsmanship and dedication to quality. The company uses top-of-the-line equipment like CNC water jets, dual-bed saws, and water filtration systems that recycle 95% of the water they use, a testament to GMD’s commitment to sustainability.
GMD Surfaces has been using Moraware since 2015 and has now grown to 42 employees producing 750 square feet per day.
GMD Surfaces Snapshot
Location
Serve the Chicago and Northern Indiana area
Job Types
Residential, new construction, and commercial
Output
Shop produces 750 square feet daily
Employees
42 employees
Moraware Products
CounterGo (quoting)
Systemize (scheduling)
Inventory (inventory management)
Awards
Stone World Fabricator of the Year Finalist (2023)