Lilly Launches VISUAL Jobshop For Small, Growing Manufacturers

ByDoug Bartholomew Small, growing manufacturers looking to reduce paperwork and streamline their processes may want to take a look at a new software package from Lilly Software Associates. Lilly's new VISUAL Jobshop, billed as an integrated manufacturing system aimed at companies with fewer than 20 employees, promises do-it-yourself implementation in an easy-to-learn Microsoft Windows format. "VISUAL Jobshop offers a high functionality-to-price ratio," says Samuel Pollard, manager of the new Small Manufacturing Division at Lilly Software in Hampton, N.H. "Small manufacturers want a solution that fits their specific requirements and allows them to integrate quoting, order entry, inventory control, production, shipping, and invoicing." One manufacturer already trying out an early version of VISUAL Jobshop is Vforge Inc., a maker of precision aluminum parts. "We wanted a system to manage our materials that would grow with us," explains Jon Young, vice president at the Denver manufacturing company. "We couldn't spend a lot of money, but we wanted to be affiliated with a software vendor that had expertise in the manufacturing field."