900% Price Hike Prompts Medical Device Manufacturer to Switch ERPs

When KCL Manufacturing’s ERP provider hiked prices by 900%, they decided to find a more reliable software partner. “Essential features got turned into paid add-ons, which raised our costs by 900%. It felt like a bait and switch,” says Jonathan Greenwald, VP of Operations and Manufacturing.

High-stakes manufacturing, lean operations

KCL Manufacturing, based in Florida, is a contract manufacturer focused on complex electromechanical assemblies for medical devices. Founded in late 2023 as a sister company to design consultancy KCL Robotics, the firm operates independently and has quickly carved out a niche in the highly regulated medical manufacturing industry. “We’re integrators,” says Jonathan Greenwald, VP of Operations and Manufacturing. “We take preassemblies from suppliers but also internally manufacture things and then assemble, test, and calibrate everything in-house to deliver complete, regulation-compliant products to our customers.”

While KCL Manufacturing runs lean with four core staff, it can rapidly scale its production using contractors or shared resources with KCL Robotics when necessary. The company’s clients are mostly startups, for whom time-to-market and compliance are critical. Despite its small footprint, KCL Manufacturing has made a big impression. It achieved ISO 13485:2016 certification in record time and was named a finalist for Manufacturer of the Year by the South Florida Manufacturers Association—all within its first year of operation.

Efficient manufacturing planning software was an early goal

With extensive experience in both large-scale medical device manufacturing and fast-moving startups, Jonathan knew that relying on spreadsheets or basic productivity tools wouldn’t cut it. “Poor ERP implementations look like spreadsheets to me. They get out of date fast, and there’s always a cycle count nightmare which inevitably leads to late and missing orders,” he explains. Having seen this play out before, he took a proactive approach and made it a top priority to equip KCL Manufacturing with a proper manufacturing software solution from the outset.

In a field where compliance is non-negotiable and even slight delays often mean lost clients, KCL’s decision to invest in manufacturing software early created a solid foundation for scaling operations. “Implementing an ERP system on day one helped us prepare for audits, track inventory, and set us up for growth,” he says. “Being ISO audit-ready from the beginning was also a huge head start in our market.”

The first ERP system raised prices without warning

Initially, the company opted for a popular manufacturing software provider that seemed to meet its needs. “Our first pick mostly got the job done. But because our work can be unpredictable, we always put new systems through their paces to make sure they support everything we need, like serialization, stock control, and so on.” 

However, as their use case deepened, many essential features were suddenly locked behind a separate paywall. “These features were standard when we started the implementation, but then they turned them into paid add-ons, which raised our costs by 900%. It felt like a bait-and-switch, especially for features that were essential from the start.” 

Jonathan emphasizes that this wasn’t a case of overreaching expectations. “Because we stress-test all our systems, we already knew where the gaps were. When they started charging us extra for things we absolutely needed, we started looking elsewhere.”

A fast, affordable alternative that just worked

Faced with the abrupt price surge, Jonathan led a thorough evaluation of alternative ERP systems.  Their requirements were clear and non-negotiable: affordability, scalability, configurability, and no need for external consultants. In the end, the SME-oriented MRPeasy checked all the boxes.

“We were skeptical at first,” Jonathan admits. “But everything we were paying extra for previously came standard in MRPeasy. We did the cost-benefit analysis, and it was the clear winner.”

Implementation began in early 2024. To minimize disruption, the team ran both systems in parallel for two weeks before completely switching to MRPeasy. With some minor customizations—including importing old lot numbers and configuring expiry tracking—they were fully operational within only a fortnight.

“MRPeasy was so easy to set up, we didn’t need any handholding,” says Jonathan. “We’ve had maybe seven support tickets in the two years we’ve been using it.” 

Faster, smarter, and audit-ready

KCL Manufacturing’s transition to MRPeasy brought sweeping improvements to how the company runs its operations, tracks compliance, and serves its customers. “ERP has a reputation for slowing you down,” Jonathan says. “MRPeasy is the opposite—it made us faster and more organized.”

One of the most immediate changes was in the inventory control area. Before, keeping track of inventory required near-constant cycle counts. Now, a single count per year suffices because stock levels remain accurate and reliable. This has not only saved time but also improved KCL’s order accuracy and overall production flow.

Forecasting and quoting processes have also been transformed. Thanks to MRPeasy’s flexible cost of goods calculations, Jonathan can now generate accurate quotes for batches of any size within minutes. This agility has proven especially valuable when responding to fast-moving clients like tech start-ups.

Procurement is another area where MRPeasy excels. From the system’s automated purchase order emails to a central hub for vendor data, complete with custom categories, MRPeasy has helped accelerate communication and improve oversight across KCL Manufacturing’s network of 100+ suppliers.

Finally, Jonathan reports that MRPeasy is also playing a central role in KCL’s rigorous compliance efforts. “We use MRPeasy in some unique ways,” he says. “The software’s lot tracking capabilities tie seamlessly into our homegrown systems. It forms the foundation of our device history records, tying together inspection data, non-conformance reports, and floor documentation. That’s huge for our audits.”

Built for growth, MRPeasy is here to stay

What started as a cost-effective replacement for an overpriced alternative has become an indispensable tool for KCL Manufacturing’s day-to-day operations. The firm continues to integrate MRPeasy more deeply, with plans to use it to track overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and expand the use of the built-in CRM in the near future.

For KCL Manufacturing, MRPeasy is more than productivity software – it’s a strategic asset for building high-quality, regulation-compliant products for one of the most demanding industries. “MRPeasy delivers the kind of robust, value-driven ERP capabilities typically reserved for larger enterprises – making it a perfect fit for high-growth manufacturers like us,” Jonathan concludes. “It’s a tool that needs to be set up and used correctly, but when it is, the value is exceptional.”

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