Operational example: This is an illustrative scenario, not a named customer engagement or a measured case study. It also reflects a Power BI-based reporting setup; Vysix delivers this kind of reporting today through Vysix BI — see Vysix BI for the current product.
A mid-size metal fabrication shop faced a common challenge: data everywhere, insights nowhere. Their ERP tracked purchasing and financials. AutoCrib managed shop floor dispensing. The two systems didn't share data, and leadership had no unified view of inventory performance.
Without integrated data, the shop couldn't easily answer basic questions: which consumables drive the most cost, where stockouts were happening, or which departments were over-ordering.
The Challenge
1. Disconnected Systems
- An ERP system managing purchasing, vendors, and GL codes
- AutoCrib vending machines tracking consumable dispensing
- Spreadsheets used for manual reconciliation
- No single source of truth for inventory data
2. Manual Data Reconciliation
Each week, the operations team spent hours exporting data from both systems, cleaning it up, and combining it manually. By the time reports were ready, the data was already outdated.
3. Limited Visibility
Leadership couldn't easily see consumption trends by department or job, which items needed better stocking strategies, or true inventory carrying costs.
4. Inconsistent Reporting
Because ERP and vending data were out of sync, dashboards showed conflicting numbers, and decision-makers lost confidence in the reports.
The Approach
Vysix connected the ERP and AutoCrib to a shared, Vysix-hosted data foundation, so reporting drew from one consistent set of numbers instead of recombined exports. Only the AutoCrib-to-ERP connection is verified today; other vending platforms or ERPs require integration discovery.
1. Data flowing from ERP and AutoCrib on a defined schedule
The Vysix Integration Engine connected the ERP and AutoCrib to a centralized data platform. This reduced manual exports and kept downstream reporting closer to current activity, learn more through our Integration Services.
2. Unified item master
Vysix harmonized item numbers, descriptions, units of measure, and supplier codes across both systems, so reporting could aggregate consumption regardless of source.
3. Reporting on the unified data
With clean, unified data available, the shop built dashboards on top of it. Vysix delivers this kind of reporting today through Vysix BI.
4. Standard reports
Vysix delivered pre-configured reports through the Analytics & Insights platform, including high-usage consumables by cost and frequency, department-level consumption breakdowns, stockout frequency, and supplier performance.
What Changed
After the integration went live, the shop reported qualitative improvements. Treat the following as directional, not measured, outcomes — actual results depend on data quality and process discipline going in:
- Less time spent on manual data reconciliation each week
- Dashboards leadership trusted because ERP and vending data agreed
- Fewer instances of excess inventory as visibility improved
- Purchasing conversations grounded in actual usage data rather than estimates
For the first time, finance, operations, and leadership worked from the same numbers.
Key Takeaways
- A unified data foundation reduces manual reconciliation and improves consistency
- Reporting is only as good as the data behind it — integration is the foundation
- Vysix delivers this kind of reporting today through Vysix BI, not legacy Power BI dashboards
- Only the AutoCrib/ERP connection is verified today; other pairings require integration discovery
- Clean item masters are critical for accurate cross-system reporting
FAQ
Does Vysix replace Power BI or other BI tools?
No. Vysix's role is the unified data foundation. Historically that fed Power BI; today Vysix delivers this reporting natively through Vysix BI.
How long does an integration like this take?
It depends on data complexity and the scope of integration discovery for your systems. We don't publish a fixed timeline.
What if we use CribMaster instead of AutoCrib?
AutoCrib is the vending connectivity Vysix has verified today. Other platforms would require integration discovery before a connection could be confirmed.
Does the integration support multiple facilities?
Multi-site reporting is possible once each site's data connections are verified individually.
