Day in the Life - Hofmann Fluid Power
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- A Legacy of Quality and Growth
- Finding the Right Fit with Luminous
- Streamlining Warehouse Operations
- Going Live with Success
- Ready to Scale Without the Chaos?
Welcome to a "day in the life" of a Luminous on-site implementation! Join Josh and the Luminous team as they head to Hofmann Fluid Power (HFP) in historic Yorkville, Illinois, to help automate their operations and streamline inventory management.
A Legacy of Quality and Growth
Founded in 1950 by John Hofmann’s grandfather and his brother, HFP started with a single product line and evolved into a specialized manufacturer and distributor of quick disconnect couplings and fittings. Their components play a critical role in various industrial and food-service applications—including some of the very ice cream machines you see at McDonald's!
After John and his brother took over leadership, HFP expanded their product lines, increased inventory, and enlarged their facilities. To support this rapid growth, they realized they needed to move beyond their outdated 25-year-old system and transition to a more efficient, automated solution.
Finding the Right Fit with Luminous
HFP explored several large-scale Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, but many were too expensive and overly complicated for their specific needs. They were looking for a solution that was manageable and effective. Luminous stood out for its:
- Efficiency and Automation: Helping to automate internal processes and get products out the door faster.
- Personalized Implementation: The Luminous team doesn’t just provide software; they come out in person to work directly with the HFP team and ensure the system is up and running in just a few days.
- User-Friendly Interface: Avoiding the "too much and too complicated" feel of traditional enterprise systems.
Streamlining Warehouse Operations
Before Luminous, HFP relied on manual, handwritten processes that slowed down their fulfillment. By integrating Luminous into their warehouse, the team can now:
- Automate Order Details: Automatically include critical customer part numbers directly on packing slips.
- Optimize Pick and Pack: Designate specific locations for items, making it far more efficient for employees to pick, pack, and ship orders.
- Manage Inventory Seamlessly: Organize shelves and manage complex product inventories with greater ease.
Going Live with Success
Going live with a new inventory and operations system can be a major transition, often coming with a learning curve. However, the Luminous team remained on-site for several days to guide HFP through the process, rollout new procedures, and troubleshoot any initial hurdles. Despite the typical "turbulence" of a soft launch, the implementation at Hofmann Fluid Power was a resounding success!
Ready to Scale Without the Chaos?
If you’re outgrowing your spreadsheets, feeling buried by a clunky ERP, or tired of manual workarounds that slow your team down—it’s time for a change.
Book a demo today and discover why the most innovative, fast-growing ecommerce brands are switching to Luminous to automate their operations.
Video transcript
Welcome to an on-site Luminous implementation. Hey, what's up, guys? This is Josh, with a day in the life, and we're here implementing Hofmann Fluid Power. We're here with John.
Meet Hofmann Fluid Power
"Hello, I'm John Hofmann, president of Hofmann Fluid Power. We're in Yorkville, Illinois. The company was started in 1950 by my grandfather and his brother. They started very small, with a single product line, and eventually evolved into a manufacturer and distributor of quick disconnect couplings and fittings, primarily for the industrial and food and dairy industries. A few of the ice cream machines at McDonald's have our fittings in them."
"So if they're broken, don't call us."
"We actually just moved here. Once my brother and I took over, we expanded the product line and increased our inventories, and decided we needed the room. With Luminous as our new inventory ERP system, I think it'll help us automate our processes and hopefully get product out the door quicker."
Why they switched to Luminous
John, what were some of the issues you were looking to solve by coming over to Luminous?
"Our old system had been around for 25 years. We knew we needed to change, but we didn't know where to go or how to do it. We did a lot of research and found several different ERP systems. Most of them were too much for us. They were too complicated and cost a lot of money.
"We found an ERP system that we thought would work, but found that its users hated it, and some of them started to recommend Luminous. So I contacted the owner of one of the companies that was implementing Luminous. He gave us a lot of good information and told us how much they like the system. And the fact that you guys actually come out, work with us, and get our program up and running in three days was fantastic, because we couldn't have done this ourselves."
Behind the scenes of the go-live
So, a little behind the scenes with John and his team. We've been implementing over the last couple of months. We did an initial visit, and now we're here again for a couple of days to go live. Going live with a new system like Luminous, in an operation like the one you've seen, can be difficult. There can be a learning curve, so we're here to help the team make sure it goes smoothly and to roll out some new procedures and processes with them.
John's the man. We've got to build some templates and some automations, and then we're rocking and rolling. We're good to go.
From handwritten notes to smarter packing slips
"Hello, I'm Bryan, a CSM and account manager at Luminous, and here we are at Hofmann Fluid Power."
The warehouse is gorgeous. We spent a lot of time with John last time, figuring out every detail. We came maybe two or three months ago and went through their whole operation. They used to have to handwrite a bunch of information on their paperwork.
Luminous now lets them put the customer part number on the packing slip, along with the location where they need to go pick the items, which should make things a lot more efficient. You can imagine their employees spend most of their time picking and packing from here: they print a packing slip, grab the items and put them on a cart, then push the cart over to this corner, where they fulfill the order and ship it out.
"How's it going? What are you doing right now?" "Just rearranging product so I can make it all fit on the shelf."
A little turbulence, a good pilot
I've done enough of these. Everything turns out okay. It's all going to be all right. There's always a little bit of turbulence early on, but luckily you've got a good pilot.
Are you nervous about this soft launch? "No, it's going to be great."