Challenge
Established in 1915, Glines & Rhodes, Inc. is one of the most tenured precious metals refiners in North America. The company operates a state-of-the-art refining facility in Attleboro, Massachusetts that recovers value from materials containing gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium and ruthenium. As demand for its precious metal refining services expanded from jewelry into medical, industrial, and gold buying markets, Glines & Rhodes became a one-stop refiner, delivering fast, accurate and reliable returns.
However, the company faced significant operational challenges with its legacy software infrastructure. The highly customized but extremely antiquated system lacked functionality in key areas and was becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. The slow settlement process left customers waiting for their precious metals returns, and the company had limited visibility into critical business operations. Staff struggled to connect and share financial, technical, and operational data, making rapid decision-making difficult. The aging system could not efficiently handle the complexity of modern precious metals refining operations.
Solution
Glines & Rhodes implemented CAI DataVue Precious Metals (formerly PM Refining), built on the user-friendly Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central platform. The system streamlines all aspects of refining services including lot control, settlements, payments, and other critical processes. The company can now create production orders and track the movement of materials through the entire refining process—receiving, vault, fire assay, wet chemical analysis, and other work centers—with complete visibility at each stage.
DataVue Precious Metals enables sophisticated settlement capabilities with multiple pricing options: current metals pricing or agreed-upon fixed prices. The system factors in gross and refined weight, refining charges, assay fees, advances, freight, and other charges automatically. Additionally, the software provides hedging capabilities to help the company manage and control variable metal costs by covering metals exposure within each transaction. The intuitive user interface makes navigation and data entry straightforward for all staff members.
Results
- Settlement process time cut by more than 50 percent
- Quick and easy settlement processing
- Company-wide real-time data visibility across all operations
- Improved staff productivity and efficiency
- Real-time visibility into metals position and location at all times
- More efficient and profitable customer settlements
- Ability to share financial, technical, and operational data
- Sound, rapid decision-making and quick response to changes
- Complete lot tracking and material movement visibility
- Automated settlement calculations with multiple pricing options
- Hedging capabilities for metals cost control
The Impact
Key Features Used
- DataVue Precious Metals ERP built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Production order creation and tracking
- Material movement tracking through refining process stages
- Receiving, vault, fire assay, and wet chemical analysis integration
- Multiple settlement pricing options
- Automated settlement calculations with gross/refined weight
- Refining charges, assay fees, advances, and freight management
- Hedging capabilities for metals exposure management
- Real-time metals position and location visibility
- Lot control and traceability
- Intuitive user-friendly interface
- Enterprise-wide data sharing and visibility
