Premium Associate Member Spotlight: Classy Llama
This article appeared in the June 2025 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.
“How do we improve workflow? How do we efficiently move information from one place to another? How do we improve the speed at which our salespeople place orders, build out quotes and retrieve information about past quotes or policies? How can our partnering businesses access the information they need? How do we ensure safety and security of people, processes and property in our workplace?”
Most manufacturers typically have these questions in mind, but the answers aren’t always clear.
In many cases, customized e-commerce solutions, business-to-business portals and data analytics platforms can provide solutions to these challenges and many others. Businesses can save time, save money, enhance efficiency and solve hard problems with software, says Paul Ebisch, President of Classy Llama in Springfield, Missouri.
“The solutions don’t look like the problems in a lot of cases,” adds Jonathan Hodges, Vice President of Technology for Classy Llama, which customizes solutions for businesses’ challenges in operational efficiency, sales optimization and labor issues through AI applications, workflow automation and data management.
For example, a manufacturer may believe that an e-commerce platform isn’t driving revenue because marketing strategies are ineffective but it could be attributed to something simpler, such as product descriptions being mis-labeled in their digital storefront, Hodges says.
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In addition to the above, common challenges manufacturers experience include how to monitor costs, develop consistent quotes and invoices, prevent workplace accidents, enhance training, nurture new lead opportunities, organize parts and specs catalogs, enhance data security and improve workforce development and hiring processes. Many of these challenges can be resolved with the development of AI-driven automation, data management and retrieval analysis technologies, says Greg Tull, Director of Marketing for Classy Llama.
“People have lots of documentation — orders, invoices, etc. — and tooling options can help set that up in a way where you can run a search across all of these different forms of documentation,” Tull says. “Imagine an employee who knew everything there was ever to know about your business, had perfect recall, was available 24/7 and could provide answers within seconds or minutes. We’re talking about that kind of capability.”
For most businesses, people must manually search digital platforms such as their ERPs and inventory management systems for information, Ebisch adds. However, by using AI to augment that search and retrieval process, users can simply ask the system a question and receive an answer.
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Updating technology systems can also address the issue around the loss of expertise when long-time employees leave a business, Tull says.
“They know a lot about the processes and the machinery they’ve worked on,” he says. “Automated standard operating procedure creation would allow other people to search for information and learn everything there is to know about what happens on that floor before that tribal knowledge walks out the door.”
In addition to implementing these solutions, it’s important to be able to integrate them into existing systems for organizational purposes, easier accessibility and enhanced efficiency, Ebisch adds.
Businesses that are able to consolidate, streamline and enhance access to their workflow systems can support employees, increase their ability to attract new customers and enhance their B2B solutions with other companies.
Classy Llama is an MMA Premium Associate Member and has been an MMA member company since July 2023. Visit online: classyllama.com.