McNICHOLS (mcnichols.com/) is a worldwide leader in the cus-
tom fabrication of a wide variety of perforated and mesh metal
products. (Visit the Web site to better understand the busi-
ness.) Its customers are universities, government agencies,
municipalities, commercial construction, manufacturers, whole-
salers, and retailers. Dino DePaolis, finance director at
McNICHOLS, described the pressures the company was under
by stating: “Customers want everything right now or they need
things yesterday, and we have to ensure that we have the right
inventory at the right time.” Real-time metrics showing
profitability, sales success, and inventory availability are criti-
cal to success because McNICHOLS guarantees 24-hour turn-
around time.