Loos Machine & Automation designs and manufactures custom automated stainless steel equipment for the food and beverage industry. Based in Colby, Wisconsin, the company serves a wide range of food production environments, with a strong focus on dairy and cheese, along with meat and poultry, pizza and bakery, and fruit and vegetable processing.
As a highly engineered, project-based manufacturer, Loos manages complex orders with long lead items and tight coordination across engineering, purchasing, production, project management, and finance. As the company grew, it became clear that their existing ERP and manual processes were no longer keeping up.
Loos Machine & Automation outgrew their legacy ERP and used Genius ERP to streamline estimating, improve project visibility, and gain more accurate, real-time financial visibility.
“We initially started looking for a new ERP as our company started to grow,” explains Jenna Jakel, Controller at Loos Machine & Automation. “We realized quickly that we were outgrowing our former ERP.”
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Loos had also implemented SolidWorks in their engineering department. While the CAD system improved design workflows, the downstream processes were still manual. Bills of materials had to be recreated by hand for manufacturing and purchasing, and purchase orders were generated through manual data entry.
“An immediate difference that we noticed was the software’s ability to convert our CAD data into accurate bills of materials within our system,” says Jakel. Before Genius, that information had to be entered manually for both manufacturing and purchasing.
Estimating presented similar challenges. Quotes were built using self-generated Excel spreadsheets that required ongoing maintenance and review. As sales team member Troy Kilty explains, “Our quotation process prior to using Excel Estimator with Genius was done by hand,” relying on Excel spreadsheets that employees had to update over time.
On the project side, tracking was fragmented and highly manual. “Before Genius, it was very manual,” says Brady Hoes, VP at Loos. “Project managers individually used Microsoft Excel to keep their individual timelines in check.” At the same time, long lead, project-based work added financial complexity, with revenue recognition relying on multiple reports and spreadsheets that limited visibility and slowed decision-making.
As quoting improved, Loos also needed better control once projects moved into execution.
Loos needed an ERP that could bring project and financial information together — without forcing the business into rigid processes that didn’t reflect how they actually operate.
After evaluating several options, Loos chose Genius ERP for its manufacturing-first design and its flexibility.
“Ultimately, it came down to their ability to custom integrate within our overall processes,” says Eric Mertens, President of Loos Machine & Automation. “Genius really was a step above the rest.”
What stood out early was Genius’s approach. “What led us to decide on Genius was their approach at getting to know us and understand our company on a more personal level,” Jakel explains. “They tailored the demonstrations so we could truly understand what implementing Genius would mean for Loos.”
One of the first areas where Loos saw improvements was in engineering and purchasing. With CAD2BOM, engineering data now flows directly from SolidWorks into Genius ERP, automatically generating accurate bills of materials.
“Since implementing Genius, we’ve been able to decrease a significant amount of time in data entry,” says Jakel. “We no longer have to manually enter BOMs for manufacturing. That also integrates with purchasing and has saved us a lot of time.”
Purchase orders can now be generated automatically using CAD-driven data, improving accuracy and reducing manual effort across teams.
Estimating was another major focus area. With Genius Excel Estimator, Loos moved away from manually maintained spreadsheets and toward estimates built on real historical costs and live ERP data.
“Excel Estimator really saved us time,” says Kilty. Instead of searching through archived documentation or reaching out to vendors for pricing, the team can now rely on data already available in the system.
The impact went beyond efficiency. “Excel Estimator has improved not only the accuracy, but it’s also helped our win and conversion rates,” Kilty adds. As a result, estimates are trusted at a higher level, reducing the need for internal reviews.
Mertens echoes that sentiment: “Our quote turnaround time decreased, and our accuracy increased.” He adds that the estimator has also helped Loos improve overall win rates through greater accuracy, speed, and consistency.
With Genius ERP, project managers now have better visibility into complex, long-lead projects. “We’re using one project management module, which has helped standardize expectations, visibility, milestones, and budgets,” says Hoes.
Project teams can view multiple projects at once, track labor hours and budgets, and identify at-risk jobs earlier. Information from estimating flows directly into project execution, reducing rework and improving continuity.
On the financial side, built-in revenue recognition has made a meaningful difference. “In the past, we used multiple reports and manual entry in a spreadsheet,” says Jakel. “Now, through Genius, it’s done in one module, on one screen.”
Loos can track revenue throughout the life of a project rather than waiting until period-end. “This allows our finance team to have real-time financial data,” Jakel explains. “It saves time and improves accuracy.”
Reporting and analytics have also improved. “Genius provides us with a lot of dashboards and reports that are readily available,” says Jakel. “We’re highly confident in the data because it is being generated through the centralized system.”
That confidence has helped support growth. Over the past five years, Loos has expanded into new markets and seen strong growth, including growth in vegetable processing applications.
“Genius was very valuable as it related to understanding inventory costs, labor capabilities, and overall profitability,” says Mertens.
With better visibility into costs, capacity, and performance, Loos is well-positioned to continue innovating and supporting their customers as they grow.
To learn more about how Genius ERP supports manufacturers like Loos Machine & Automation, read the full case study here: https://www.geniuserp.com/case-studies/loos/
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