Michigan Business Beat | George Cook, TARUS – Mfg. Innovation, Vertical Integration & VERAX ERP

Chris Holman welcomes George Cook, VP of Sales and Marketing for TARUS, Sterling Heights, MI. Welcome George, please tell us about TARUS? As a finalist for the 2025 Manufacturing Innovation Excellence Award, from the MMA, what does this recognition say about the future role of vertically integrated technology companies like TARUS in shaping the next generation of manufacturing operations? From a business strategy standpoint, what drove the decision to apply an innovation mindset to developing an in-house ERP platform like VERAX? VERAX is described as “created by manufacturers for manufacturers.” How does that translate into measurable business outcomes—such as cost control, throughput, or decision-making—compared to traditional, off-the-shelf ERP systems? Industry 4.0 capabilities like real-time machine monitoring, biometrics, and geolocation are built into VERAX. How are manufacturers using these tools today to improve productivity and competitiveness in an increasingly data-driven environment? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/ Sterling Heights based VERAX ERP Selected as Finalist for Manufacturing Excellence Award STERLING HEIGHTS — Sterling Heights’ own VERAX ERP is receiving statewide recognition as a finalist for the 2025 Innovation Excellence Award. The honor is part of the Manufacturing Excellence Awards, presented annually by the Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA). MMA will reveal and honor the winners of the 2025 Manufacturing Excellence Awards during a celebration on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Lansing. VERAX ERP was selected as a finalist for the 2025 Innovation Excellence Award due to its dedication and expertise in the industry. VERAX ERP is one of the very few pure-play software products wholly produced in the State of Michigan that services the complex needs of manufacturing companies statewide. The Manufacturing Excellence Awards is the annual statewide celebration of the exceptional contributions that Michigan manufacturers make to their workforce, their communities, the economy and the industry. The program promotes the inspiring stories of Michigan’s manufacturing industry, the thousands of unique manufacturing companies across the state, the hundreds of thousands of Michiganders employed in the industry and the local communities that support it. Starting out of a garage in Warren, Michigan in 1969, TARUS manufactures a variety of machine tools for heavy industry, including large volume, high-precision 5-axis CNC machines, gundrill and deephole drilling machines for nuclear power, coordinate measuring machines, and was the inventor of the Claymill. The Claymill revolutionized car and transportation design worldwide and TARUS remains the preeminent global leader. Key to TARUS' success since its founding is its belief in total vertical integration. In the late 1970s, this philosophy meant TARUS created its own CNC control for the machines it built. It laid the foundation of software development dating back almost 50 years. For more than 120 years, MMA has served as a unifying champion of an industry that is in constant evolution and growth. They represent the most diverse manufacturing center in perhaps the entire world and, just as they have since the industrial revolution, Michigan will continue to be the cradle of innovation and invention for generations to come. MMA’s sole purpose is to advocate for, support, train and grow the manufacturing industry in Michigan. Learn more about MMA and the 2025 Manufacturing Excellence Awards at mimfg.org/excellence.