Customer Case Study

Ultratec

The Company:

INSIDE ULTRATEC’S PEOPLE-FIRST APPROACH TO UPGRADING QAD ERP

Ultratec is a leading manufacturer of assistive communication technology for the deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Ultratec is best known for its proprietary captioned telephones, which use advanced voice recognition technology to provide real-time captions of phone conversations. The company’s products are widely recognized as the standard in text telecommunications and are used across the U.S. and internationally.

In addition to its flagship products, Ultratec operates a contract electronics manufacturing division, Advanced Assembly, which supports both internal product lines and external customers. This dual role gives Ultratec deep expertise in product development, operational efficiency, and customer responsiveness.

Ultratec’s mission extends beyond innovation and engineering. The company works closely with 911 systems, emergency services, public agencies, and advocacy organizations to improve accessibility nationwide. 

The company is a longtime QAD ERP customer and is using QAD Digital Learning to prepare its team for an upcoming system upgrade.
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
Company
Ultratec
Headquarters
Madison, Wisconsin
Industry
High Tech
Products
Proprietary captioning telephones; contract manufacturer for electronic products; advanced assembly services for internal and external customers
Solutions Utilized
QAD Digital Learning
QAD Adaptive ERP

 



The Challenge:

GETTING ULTRATEC’S CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM READY FOR AN ERP UPGRADE

Ultratec is preparing for a significant upgrade to its QAD ERP system. With proprietary products and contract manufacturing operations to support, the team recognized the project as more than a technical transition – it also presented an opportunity to reevaluate how the system was being used and ensure every user was prepared to work efficiently in the new version.

“I’m a big out-of-the-box solution person,” said Jeffrey Ocker, Director of Manufacturing Operations at Ultratec. “I’ve been through a number of ERP implementations in my career, and they want to drag the old stuff in. It’s very costly, hard to support and limits your ability to upgrade.”

“What can we change in our process to better fit the tool? We need the ERP system to help us do our job efficiently and effectively,” said Ocker.

Ultratec prioritized reducing non-standard configurations and aligning its internal processes with the system’s native capabilities. However, with users spread across functions like planning, purchasing, and program management—each with different workflows and expectations—it quickly became clear that training would be a significant undertaking.

Some users relied heavily on manual workarounds, exporting data to spreadsheets and stitching together reports outside the system. Others were unsure what the ERP was fully capable of or how their current practices might need to change. At the same time, the company was trying to balance the depth of training with people’s time and roles. 

The team needed a way to prepare users at all levels efficiently, consistently and with a focus on the future. Without that, the upgrade risked becoming just another version change rather than a chance to strengthen how work got done.


“Come the ERP upgrade, we’re ready and willing to make the transition with the support of QAD Digital Learning.”

Tim Kreeger, Materials Manager, Ultratec



The Solution:

ULTRATEC USES QAD DIGITAL LEARNING TO EMPOWER ERP UPGRADE SUCCESS THROUGH ROLE-BASED TRAINING

To prepare for the ERP upgrade, Ultratec implemented QAD Digital Learning as a structured, role-based training platform to support its core users. The goal was to give each team member access to the right learning paths before the transition without disrupting their day-to-day work.

Ultratec used the Learning Manager tools in QAD Digital Learning to assign, monitor and manage coursework. “We’ve been looking at how they’re proceeding through the assigned work instructions and just making sure that we’re progressing,” said Tim Kreeger, Materials Manager at Ultratec. “Come the ERP upgrade, we’re ready and willing to make the transition with the support of QAD Digital Learning.”

Across the organization, users took advantage of QAD Digital Learning’s flexibility to engage with training when it made sense for their schedules. “The flexible nature of QAD Digital Learning means you can pause for three hours if you get interrupted and return to it later,” said Kevin Groskopf, Program Manager at Ultratec.

The structure and clarity of content found within QAD Digital Learning also made it easy for users to navigate what mattered most. “In the planning and scheduling learning paths, I have spent quite a bit of time,” said Lisa LaBelle, Production Planner and Scheduler at Ultratec. “From my perspective, it is laid out very well. I like the learning objectives at the beginning of each, so you know what you’re looking for and what you’ll be covering.”

Some users also explored the practice environment to reinforce what they learned. “It was a great overview of what the system is going to do,” said Jeff Papich, Buyer at Ultratec. “QAD Digital Learning has helped us ease into what we’re going to do and will make the transition a little simpler because we’ve had this training.”

By integrating training into daily routines and tailoring it by role, Ultratec used QAD Digital Learning to prepare its workforce for the system change ahead.




The Benefits:

QAD DIGITAL LEARNING HELPS ULTRATEC BUILD CONFIDENCE AND REDUCE RISK

QAD Digital Learning gave Ultratec a structured and scalable path forward to prepare its workforce for a critical ERP upgrade without overwhelming internal resources or disrupting daily work. Users could access training at their own pace, focus on the content most relevant to their roles and return to modules as needed to reinforce key concepts.

“The content has been good,” said Groskopf. “The courses are relevant to the topics that QAD has them categorized as.”

The solution also improved visibility into how the upgraded system will function before changes go live. “It’s helped us get a clear vision of what other options are available in our current system and how they’re going to change,” shared LaBelle.

Behind the scenes, QAD Digital Learning is helping Ultratec prepare its data for the upgrade. “We’ve been doing some house cleaning before we do the transition so that when we do the transition, we’re only moving over good data,” added Kreeger.

The solution also reduces the need for additional consulting time, increases accountability among Ultratec’s team and helps minimize customizations by aligning users with out-of-the-box functionality. “We own this – 80 percent of this application is ours. There’s no one but us to blame if we’re not proficient using the tool going forward,” explained Ocker. “We have a very vested interest in making sure we’re ready.”

For other companies preparing for similar projects, the Ultratec team recommends starting early. “It’s important to do the training as early as possible so that you know what questions to ask,” concluded Kreeger.


“QAD Digital Learning has helped us ease into what we’re going to do and will make the transition a little simpler because we’ve had this training.”

Jeff Papich, Buyer, Ultratec

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