TM ERP supplement 2014 by Optic Juice

2014

6ST

Simplify your strategic investment decisions

What’s in this report? P03 A numbers game

Using Oracle’s JD Edwards system to match cross-national finance systems

P06 Fit for purpose

Malcolm Wheatley catches up with IFS global manufacturing industry director Antony Bourne to discuss the benefits of tailored, project-based ERP systems

P09 6 steps to a fulfilling relationship

Steve Winder, vice-president UK & Eire, Epicor Software Corporation gives his relationship advice on making sure you’re engaged with the right ERP system

P12 Perfect pair

KCS Datawright shows how to take an aging ERP system and make it work for you again

P14 A cut above

Using ERP systems to fall in line with international demands and parent company standards

P16 Brushing up on ERP

Find out how Exel helped take one of Britain’s oldest companies into the digital age of manufacturing

P18 Cloud ERP

Using cloud-based ERP systems to move your business forward

P20 Ready? Set...

Ross Soady from eBECS talks to Malcolm Wheatley about the crucial stages leading up to a full ERP implementation.

P22 Substance matters

It’s easy to get distracted by all the bells and whistles with modern technology. Malcolm Wheatley explains it’s the substance that matters.

P24 Form and flexibility

How to successfully merge two separate accounting systems into one, flexible ERP system

P26 Adapt it

How crucial is the power to adapt to changing business trends to your business?

P28 Moving with the times

Phil Lewis, solution consultant director at Infor explains why ERP providers must stay ahead of the techno curve in order to make sure their customers can too

P31 Connect with knowledge

ERP Connect, the event bringing together the world’s leading implementation specialists arrives in London this May.

Editorial

This report was compiled for The Manufacturer magazine by: Malcolm Wheatley, IT Editor malcolm@malcolmwheatley.co.uk Callum Bentley, Deputy Editor c.bentley@sayonemedia.com

Design

Optic Juice Ltd, Art Editor design@opticjuice.co.uk

Sales

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ERP 2014 Introduction

INTRODUCTION ERP: A journey towards business excellence As the thought-provoking articles and case studies on the following pages demonstrate, selecting and implementing an ERP system is no light matter. Malcolm Wheatley explains

ake the wrong decision, and it can blow up in your face. You’ll pay too much. It won’t be the right system for your business or the right system for your industry. Or you’ll outgrow it. Maybe you’ll experience all of these issues – maybe even more. Make the right decision though, and ERP can be truly transformative. Especially for smaller and midmarket manufacturers where ERP usually replaces a hotchpotch of spreadsheets, accounting and invoicing systems, and basic sales and works order systems. Processes are streamlined, errors reduced and productivity soars. Order-to-cash cycles also accelerate. Plus manufacturers move significantly closer to that fabled ‘one version of the truth’ thanks to everything being handled by a single system. No wonder that manufacturers increasingly see ERP as a way of delivering for the back office what lean manufacturing and similar initiatives have delivered for the factory floor. But that vision won’t arrive automatically. Even if the right system is chosen, it’s possible to choose the wrong partner to implement it - a partner without experience of your industry or a partner who lacks the implementation templates and methodologies to reduce risk and enhance the system’s ROI. Culture matters too, more so than many manufacturers realise. Implementing an ERP system is difficult enough without clashes between parties over timescales, mutual responsibilities or objectives. “Pick a partner you can work with” isn’t just sensible advice, it’s a policy that can make the difference between success and failure. But enough scare stories. The fact remains that for every manufacturer for whom an ERP implementation is a journey beset by headwinds, many more find the process to be smooth sailing. And at the end of that smooth sail, they arrive at a point where a major piece of business functionality is beddingin and delivering benefits - business functionality that will be vital to the next stage of their corporate evolution. ERP, in other words, is a journey. So on that journey, let the following pages serve as your guide.

ERP 2014 REDFAIRE

A numbers game N

etherlands-based DENSO Europe, a branch of DENSO Corporation, operates production plants and sales offices in 15 countries throughout Europe and North Africa. Its interconnected laboratories and testing centres in Germany, Sweden, Italy, and the United Kingdom develop automotive technologies that meet the requirements of European car manufacturers. DENSO Europe set out to find the right ERP system to help optimise its accounting performance, add technical functionality such as support for international financial reporting and cross-border payments, and ease regulatory compliance, according to Pim de Groot, director of finance and accounting at Denso Europe.

DENSO Europe shows how a company can use the right ERP system to improve and simplify its crossnational financial processes and compliance.

Challenges

standardisation across European offices and improved efficiency for key financial processes supporting the automotive aftermarket parts business—including e-invoicing in the SEPA region. He said accounts receivable was made 70% to 80% faster by using optical character recognition for matching incoming payments to issued invoices, reducing customer credits and optimising financial risk assessments as well as streamlining financial reporting across differing VAT regimes within DENSO Europe’s 32 countries of operation. The company can now create VAT reports in any desired format at the touch of a button. Simplified compliance with IFRS standards and SOX regulations—including the Japanese version, J-SOX— and enabled support of SEPA payments, has allowed the eliminating consultant costs while also achieving a return on investment within three years. “Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.0 provided all this with a user-friendly, intuitive interface,” de Groot said. The implementation has served as a pilot project within DENSO Corporation, and its continued success paves the way for further deployment throughout DENSO worldwide.”

Dealing with international tax borders in a truly international company will always cause logistical issues. DENSO Europe’s financial processes cover different financial and tax laws across the UK, Sweden, Morocco, and the Netherlands and standardising the processes in dealing with these differing laws to reduce administrative costs was only one of a number of challenges, including: Automating a large number of manual and timeconsuming activities, e.g. accounts receivables and financial reporting, to better support its cost-driven automotive business Supporting Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) transactions headquartered in to increase efficiency and speed of cross-border financial Kariya, Aichi prefecture, transactions in the 32 countries in Euro area. Japan, is a leading Increase staff productivity with a user-friendly system that global supplier of can be deployed in a Microsoft Windows environment automotive thermal, Expedite compliance with complex financial regulations, power train control, such as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) electric, electronics,

DENSO Corporation,

Solutions Mr de Groot said the final decision came down to Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.0 system which allowed the company to implement

vehicle information, and safety components to the world’s major carmakers.

Implementation DENSO completed the implementation process within the estimated time and on budget, from project start to going live across all seven European sales branches. “The implementation went very smoothly,” de Groot said. “We recognised that such an implementation represented a significant internal change so we devoted considerable attention to our staff by organising trainings and incentives centred on Oracle JD Edwards and using JD Edwards EnterpriseOne User Productivity Kit. As a result, we ensured that users understand, support and endorse new ways of working.”

ERP 2014 REDFAIRE

g M e g i n r with When two business units of Smilde Foods merged, it was crucial the right ERP system was implemented to ensure not only continuity, but improvement of the company’s financial administration and logistics models.

milde Foods specialises in developing a broad and innovative range of high-quality food products including margarines, oils, fats, salads, quiches, and sauces. These products find their way to customers in Europe and Africa such as retailers and food service companies, food producers, industrial bakeries, supermarkets, restaurants, and commercial kitchens. The company employs about 300 people. In addition to its headquarters in Heerenveen, it has two production sites in The Netherlands and a sales office in the UK.

The back-office organisational structure of Smilde Foods that resulted from the merger of two of its business units —Margarine Oils and Fats and Chilled Foods—had slowed down its business processes. To increase efficiency, the company sought to consolidate and harmonise its entire business software environment onto a single ERP platform. After evaluating the available market solutions, the company selected Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.0 to optimise manufacturing and distribution and to streamline ingredient purchasing for improved financial management.

Challenges Smilde Foods faced the familiar challenge of upgrading to a new ERP environment to support optimal business processes aimed at improving the overall organisational structure of the company. Richard Elsinga, information and communications technology manager at Smilde Foods said one of the major challenges was to find the right system that could be easily rolled out over multiple sites in different locations. The system had to be able to optimise the food-production, raw-material purchase process to reduce financial risks while optimising price quotation administration and standardising order processing.

Solutions After careful consideration to its needs, Smilde Foods decided to implement

Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.0 system. Mr Elsinga said the system helped optimise manufacturing and distribution activities—including the raw materials and packaging supply chain—across its two business locations while improving collaboration with external logistics providers and remote production sites. Smilde Foods was now also able to consolidate and optimise its purchasing processes for food product ingredients based on realtime information on commodity pricing on the exchange market. Improving its financial management using the system for hedging financial risk by gaining insight into the actual raw material requirements for informed purchasing decisions, thanks to Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition 11g was a huge benefit for Smilde Foods according to Elsinga. He went on to explain that by Implementing JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.0 for 100 users also significantly reduced maintenance efforts and costs by consolidating business processes onto one ERP system. “Implementing Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.0 helped increase our business process efficiency in financial administration, purchasing, production and logistics, while also reducing financial risks and optimising IT management and maintenance costs,” Elsinga said.

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ERP 2014 IFS

FIT FOR purpose Malcolm Wheatley catches up with IFS global manufacturing industry director Antony Bourne to discuss the benefits of tailored, project-based ERP systems. ithin the discrete manufacturing sector, a small but growing number of manufacturers differentiate themselves by offering product variants geared to the needs of individual customers. Such businesses have a core technology or capability, which they then adapt to individual customer requirements. But, says Antony Bourne, global manufacturing industry director at IFS, these businesses often find that conventional ERP systems fail to adequately cope with the complexities that this increasingly prevalent business model entails. From early outline discussion of customer requirements through to customer-specific design and manufacturing options, for instance, there’s a need to capture customerspecific data for design, quality assurance and aftersales support purposes. Accounting and finance can also be a challenge: which costs were incurred for which customers, and for which products? Without adequate cost capture, realistic pricing and invoicing can be impossible. Moreover, adds Bourne, there’s a need to not just capture data but also actually plan and schedule the fulfilment of these customer-specific requirements

A project based system should encompass engineering, resources — be they people, materials, facilities or cash — as well as risk management, time, skills management, and finance” Antony Bourne, IFS

and to look forward in time to ensure that the right levels of resources are in place to design, build and test the finished product. And to do so while also adequately serving the needs of the business’s other customers. In short, he sums up, manufacturing is becoming more project-based— raising a consequent need for ERP systems to also become more projectbased as well. “Until recently, project based business practices have been strictly the domain of industries with a long tradition of running highly complex engineered-to-order or make-toorder projects, such as those found in infrastructure construction, or aerospace manufacturing,” says Bourne. “That’s no longer the case— and the rate of business change means that traditional management methods using fixed product specifications and processes often become inappropriate for short product runs and engineered to contract orders.” The solution? A project-based ERP system, says Bourne, and a projectbased ERP system that has been designed from the ground up to be project driven rather than having some project functionality tacked on as an afterthought.

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ERP 2014 IFS

“A project based system should encompass engineering, resources — be they people, materials, facilities or cash — as well as risk management, time, skills management, and finance,” he explains. “It should then provide a forward looking view of actual versus required staffing levels, resources, skills, and equipment needs. And to do so, what’s more, right across all the projects within the business, not just within individual projects.” Clearly then, project-based ERP differs significantly from ordinary ERP, and also from project management software. And there are significant gains in embracing a single solution that does both, notes Bourne. “Too many businesses that have tried to embrace a project perspective have been put off by the added complexities and information roadblocks that occur when they have tried to amalgamate two separate IT technologies — ERP and project management software,” observes Bourne. No longer, it seems. With the emergence of true project-based ERP, a growing number of companies are committing a part or parts of their business to a project based approach, confident that contemporary IT technology provides a solution that can successfully integrate projects into their overall business. “Manufacturing is becoming more project-based, and ERP systems need to reflect this change,” he sums up. “And at IFS, we already have.”

Project-based manufacturing was not only central to our existing business, but also central to our expansion plans Glyn Booton, MacTaggart Scott

Projectbased ERP ith satisfied customers in 27 countries, the quality and reliability of its products make it a preferred solution for navies around the world. But, explains MacTaggart Scott finance director Glyn Booton, the nature of the products that the company designs and manufactures means that requirements differ from one customer to another. “Equipment such as aircraft elevators, arrester gear and helicopter handling for surface ships; periscope-raising equipment and hydroplane/rudder drives for submarines — a lot obviously depends on the requirements of the individual navy, and the vessel being constructed,” he explains. “Our previous ERP system was struggling to cope, so we began looking for an ERP system which could deal with the project-based nature of our business.” While the business’s existing system met MacTaggart Scott’s needs from a purely manufacturing perspective, in the other areas of the business, an extensive universe of add-on systems had evolved to attempt to supply the missing functionality — access databases, spreadsheets, document libraries and so on. Accordingly, relates Booton, in early 2005 MacTaggart Scott’s search for a replacement system began specifically targeting ERP solutions with a strong project-based capability. “We didn’t even consider anything that wasn’t project-based,” he sums up. “Project-based manufacturing was not only central to our existing business, but also central to our expansion plans.” Eventually, the search came down to a shortlist of four or five competing solutions, and then finally down to one solution: IFS. “It became clear that IFS was the best offering, and that in some of the other systems, the project-based side of things was more of an afterthought—there might be two databases, for instance, or the projectbased side of things didn’t extend much beyond finance and accounting.” The new system went live in June 2009, relates Booton, instantly delivering a huge leap forward in technology, from ‘green screens’ to the look and feel — and project-based capability — of a best-in-class modern system. “We can now look at a complete end-to-end project in one set of software,” he enthuses. “From costing to scheduling, it’s completely seamless. And it’s a single view of a project and a single view of the business. It’s not like looking at one project, and then another: we see them all, and we see their interactions with each other and with the business.”

Privately-owned Scottish engineering company MacTaggart Scott serves the naval defence and marine industries.

6STEPS

ERP 2014 EPICOR

to a fulfillling ERP relationship Steve Winder, vicepresident UK & Eire, Epicor Software Corporation gives his relationship advice on making sure you’re engaged with the right ERP system.

he process of selecting the best ERP system for your business goes deeper than criteria such as functionality, usability and an industry-specific offering. Much like a life partnership, the outward appearance and the exchange of pleasantries doesn’t always guarantee success. The intricacies of personality, different love languages and the passage of time put relationships to the test. Once you have made sure that an ERP system checks all the right boxes, your considerations should move from surface issues to a deeper, more meaningful review. This will ensure that you are choosing the right partner to take your business forward. Even the greatest love affairs have crashed and burned because what you think you see is not what you actually get. Here are the top six emotional considerations when choosing the best ERP Previous system and provider: relationships

Do they understand you and your pain areas? Having a deep and forever expanding understanding of customer industries and companies is a prerequisite to designing, developing and implementing a comprehensive technology solution. As a customer, you should be inspired by new technology as it is a vehicle of discovery when skillfully implemented. It should also help you to realise and visualize opportunities that can support the growth and expansion of your business. Many ERP providers do not have deep vertical expertise and cannot fully comprehend your business from end to end. Getting to the bottom of problem areas and helping you find solutions and identifying problems that you may not even have realised exist is a critical factor. It is the difference between mediocrity and excellence. After all, the biggest drivers for implementing an ERP system are improving efficiencies and supporting an expansion strategy.

What you put in is what you get out

As the world evolves, technology advances and business needs change and so should your ERP system. Progression is critical to the survival of any partnership. Changes in the economy, consumer preferences and needs, advancements in technology, improved ways of doing things - the list is endless. ERP providers must invest heavily in R&D to keep abreast of change. Some providers are reactive because they don’t have the expertise or customer experience to anticipate needs. But most of all, it’s very costly. Evaluation resources like the Gartner Magic Quadrant can help to position players within the ERP market to assist with the selection process. The annual report is a culmination of research in a specific market, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the market’s competitors. By applying a graphical treatment and a uniform set of evaluation criteria, a Gartner Magic Quadrant quickly helps you digest how well technology providers are executing against their stated vision.

It is important to look at the implementation track record of the provider and the level of expertise and experience of their team. Satisfied customers, time and time again, are the basis of a proven track record. They must deliver on time and on budget - if not, this could be disastrous to your business and bottom line. ERP providers with a global reach have multiple offices and a network of partners to support customers with offices in multiple geographical locations. This is critical to ensure a consolidated approach to a global implementation.

6STEPS ERP 2014 EPICOR

Stability and financial viability

Big names don’t necessarily guarantee big results and they may come with a large price tag. They often have a cookie-cutter approach with little flexibility and a lack of understanding when it comes to the intricacies of your business. Stability is all about consistency and prudent decision making. The ERP provider that you select must have a proven track record and a strong financial position. This is critical to the longevity of your implementation. ERP providers must have ongoing R&D and maintain support structures. This will ensure that you can trust your system will evolve as technology changes and your business grows.

Commitment, transparency and intimacy

Before you commit to an ERP provider, make sure they offer comprehensive support to ease the transition and ensure the smooth running of the system. Without this you could face costly downtime. They should offer ample support in local languages, with both telephonic and online support 24/7 in multiple languages. This ensures that users are able to understand and interact with all levels of support to minimize downtime and ease the transition to a new system for both new and existing staff.

All things considered, the investment in an ERP system is not only significant from a financial point of view; it is a long term commitment to a vendor

Successful relationships are about partnerships

Proven ERP vendors have high standards in place for implementation, service and support. This will carry through to the direct and indirect vendor network. Resellers must be certified to sell and implement a solution backed up by an ongoing education programme. This, coupled with consistency and in-depth product knowledge, is a critical factor to the success of an ERP project. With this in place, customers can rest assured that every implementation is treated with the utmost care by industry professionals with a proven track record for excellence. In order to maximize the software and enable a quicker time to value, the right ERP provider will offer comprehensive training to make sure that all users feel comfortable and embrace the new system. Leading ERP providers ensure that their products are easy to use and intuitive, enabling a smoother transition to the new system due to easier employee orientation and adoption. New personnel can be up-to-speed quickly and with little effort. This in turn can influence the speed at which an ERP system can bring value to your operations and with ongoing investment in education the return on your investment is likely to be higher with more of the functionality being used. All things considered, the investment in an ERP system is not only significant from a financial point of view; it is a long term commitment to a vendor. The strength of this relationship – one that places you, the customer, at it’s very centre of the partnership – will significantly impact the long term success of your system and your ability to maximize efficiency and grow your business more confidently. Ensuring that your ERP selection goes beyond the feature function criteria will set you on the right path to a long and prosperous future.

What’s your relationship with ERP?

Engaged Still Looking

It’s Inspiring In a Relationship It’s Complicated

ERP should inspire your business, not complicate it. Update your status. Epicor ERP is built to bring out the best in you and your business. www.epicor.com/uk/compatibility Questions? Contact us at: Phone 01344 468 468 E-mail ukmarketing@epicor.com

ERP 2014 KCS DATAWRIGHT

Perfectpair When an aging computer system was becoming detrimental rather than helping, Anglo Stainless turned to KCS Datawright for a solution.

nglo Stainless is a major stockholder and manufacturer of stainless steel fittings based in West Yorkshire. The privately-owned company serves about 400 active customers, predominantly in the chemical, oil, gas, brewing and food sectors. In 2008, Anglo Stainless realised its computer and manual systems were no longer suitable. Duplicated effort was necessary in many areas and although checks and balances were in place, the risks of error had to be reduced and fulfil the need for accurate real-time information. Hence the need for a modern, fully functional, integrated system. Steve Brooke, operations director said, “We had to increase productivity, make the business run more efficiently and improve traceability of every product. Without investing in IT, growth and development of our business would be much more difficult to achieve.” A key requirement for Anglo Stainless was a system that could support the

company’s combined distribution and manufacturing activities including a direct, seamless interface between the two. “We reviewed a number of alternative systems, all of which had their own particular strengths and we were then introduced to KCS Datawright’s solution. Ticking all the important boxes, we chose K8 Enterprise for its rich functionality for all areas of our business, including inter-company trading as standard,” Mr Brooke said. K8 Enterprise went live in July 2009 and the benefits of giving the business much greater control, accurate management information and improved decision making tools were soon apparent. Shop floor data capture was a major gain for the company with manual monitoring of production data quickly becoming phased out. With customer requirements often specified at short notice, K8 Enterprise enabled

transactions to be processed quickly and supported by robust and accurate inventory management. The system also gave the company complete control of sales quotations. Another big plus was being able to email invoices, giving Anglo Stainless instant savings on post and stationery. Among some of the high level benefits of K8 Enterprise was the fact that it enabled the business to grow and develop in a cost effective manner. The system has given Anglo Stainless far greater visibility of its business performance. Implementing K8 Enterprise has meant more to Anglo Stainless than simply a new computer system. The company has forged a successful and fruitful partnership with KCS Datawright. Not wishing to be IT experts they appreciate that KCS Datawright is willing to support their business in every way they can. “Over the years, they have taken the time and trouble to understand our business, are keen for us to progress our use of the system and when the time is right, guide us through each software upgrade,” Mr Brooke said.

Results Shop floor data capture capability Intercompany trading facilities Improved decision-making tools Exception reporting for cost control Electronic invoice submission Control of customer forward orders Full product/order traceability Consistent sales quotation pricing Time savings allow focus on priority areas

datawright

Whatever your manufacturing mode or industry vertical, K8 Enterprise ERP software has the functionality and pedigree to fit your business. Service Management Chemical Manufacturing Manufacturing ERP

Your Business Your Way Contact KCS Datawright: UK +44 (0) 191 419 4190 | erp@kcsdatawright.com | www.kcsdatawright.com

ERP 2014 Universal Drilling & Cutting Equipment

above In order to satisfy its Japanese parent company’s compliance demands, UK manufacturer Universal Drilling & Cutting Equipment had to find a new ERP system to match strict international demands. What they got was so much more.

n 30 years, Universal Drilling & Cutting Equipment has grown to become one of the world’s largest manufacturers of broaching hole cutters and electro-magnetic drilling machines, selling more than 600 portable drilling machines every month, and 30,000 drill bits. Universal’s success and reputation pitched it into the spotlight of global tooling and machinery giant Nitto Kohki, which bought the business in 2002. Universal’s decision to invest in an advanced ERP system was accelerated at the beginning of 2011 when its Japanese parent insisted on a new system, under the strict reporting and accounting governance set out by JaSOX laws (the Japanese equivalent of Sarbanes Oxley) enforced by the Japanese stock exchange. With its new Microsoft Dynamics NAV R2 system (recently upgraded to NAV 2013) from Azzure IT, Universal has not only been able to meet these strict financial reporting requirements, but streamline its ICT infrastructure by managing all activities - from purchase order, through works order and sales order, right through to accounts. Already, the benefits are rolling in, as accountant Steve Bracey describes:

“The ability to trace information has been vastly improved. There are many tasks that used to take us a long time to check manually and Dynamics NAV now manages all those automatically.” By way of example, he says the system matches inventory and invoicing to ensure goods received matches goods invoiced. “Checking items were accounted for in the right period used to take us at least half a day each month.”

Dynamics NAV has also transformed month-end reporting for Universal. Bracey says it has saved his team a further two to three days’ work each month. As a UK manufacturer, Universal’s success depends on its ability to flex production and offer fast lead times. “We are now able to react much more swiftly to market demand and match our manufacturing capability to that,” Bracey said. Commenting further, Bracey said a key requirement in the implementation was the ability to link Universal’s manufacturing base with its three overseas satellite sites, which had previously been disjointed. “Now, in real time, we can see their stock and plan production from here. That enables us to respond to customer demand much more effectively without holding surplus stock at any point in the chain.”

We are now able to react much more swiftly to market demand and match our manufacturing capability to that Steve Bracey, Universal Drilling & Cutting Equipment

“We looked at several systems,” Bracey adds. “But Microsoft Dynamics NAV was the only solution that came close to meeting all of our needs. Crucially, we needed a system with multi-lingual capabilities and Dynamics NAV offered that out of the box.” Bracey is quick to credit Azzure IT’s refreshing approach: “Azzure identified and documented our requirements before ensuring the solution did exactly what we needed it to do. They are happy to be as involved as you want them to be. What’s more, they have trained us to do tasks so we can be more effective. I am confident the system is very stable and we have a Microsoft partner who gives us continuity for the future.”

ERP 2014 EXEL

Brushing up on

When a long-established company such as brush manufacturer G.B Kent & Sons takes the step into the modern technological era, the system it chooses to make that transition needs to be one which will adapt and continue to move with the company further down the road.

ounded in 1777, G.B Kent & Sons Limited, the renowned manufacturer of a variety of high quality brushes is one of the oldest companies in Great Britain. While Kent Brushes has understandably undergone many changes in the past 237 years, the last decade has represented a time of considerable growth and substantial challenges. At the heart of overcoming these is the company’s EFACS ERP solution from UK author Exel Computer Systems plc. Originally implemented in the early 2000’s, EFACS was chosen as the best solution which met the company’s then requirements for a powerful manufacturing IT system that provided a close fit to its very particular business processes. The initial project was overseen by Steve Davis, production manager and IT director, who has been with Kent Brushes for over 25 years. He summarised the initial investment in Exel and EFACS, saying: “From the beginning it was apparent that

EFACS would enhance the company’s business practices, enabling us to continue to offer the best product at the best price. The installation has been non-intrusive – smooth all the way through – which was an unexpected bonus.” Fast forward 12 years and after a recent upgrade to EFACS E/8, both Davis and EFACS are still very much at the centre of things in a drastically changed Kent Brushes. Like many manufacturers, the company has had to deal with the economic crisis as well as the ongoing situation of increasing pressures from customers and suppliers alike. And like most manufacturers, it has had to be flexible, agile

and able to respond to changing market conditions while driving down costs and improving quality. One of the biggest areas of change Kent Brushes has seen is the increasing use of the internet by customers, small and large, in terms of placing orders. Recognising this was an area that would only increase, one of the very first projects Kent Brushes undertook after implementing EFACS E/8 was to develop its e-commerce website and integrate this with EFACS E/8. As EFACS E/8 has been designed from the outset to work seamlessly with EDI, the key requirement to have full EDI integration and capabilities was achieved quickly and painlessly. What used to take at least a morning’s work each week now takes less than an hour and this is with order levels having increased by 300-400% over the years. The centralised storage of data within EFACS E/8 and the ease of access to this across the entire company have also proved to be of huge benefit as it is much quicker and simpler for customers to be kept up to date with the progress of their order. It also allows Davis, in his words, “to see a problem developing before it actually becomes a problem.” This is due to the fact

that Kent Brushes uses the Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC) capabilities within EFACS E/8 to monitor what is happening on the shop floor, and then link this information with purchasing and sales. And, because information including start, stop, scrap, etc. can be entered directly into EFACS E/8 on the shop floor, the company can see how well it is doing against projected orders. It also helps provide visibility on where the true costs of production are, which can then be addressed. After almost 15 years of working with a system that has generated tangible, real world benefits, Davis still maintains that the flexibility and customisability of EFACS E/8 is the most valuable contribution to the company’s current and ongoing success.

A GREAT

BRITISH

BUSINESS

Business as usual, only smarter. EXEL COMPUTER SYSTEMS

ERP 2014 QAD

ELHI STEPS INTO THE FUTURE WITH QAD

CLOUD ERP The challenge

ELHI uses highly automated injectionmoulding machines serving a wide array of customers with very different and specialized product and delivery requirements. The management team at ELHI recognised that they didn’t have the expertise in house to maximize their on-premise QAD ERP system, and their third-party IT vendor at the time proved unable to handle their exacting needs. “We are great at what we do, but we were missing the IT expertise we required,” comments Gijs Jansen, managing director at ELHI. “We already had a great ERP system with QAD Enterprise Applications, but we knew we would never be able to take advantage of all it offered using on-premise. We needed IT expertise from people who know how to maximize our ERP.”

The solution After consulting with QAD, ELHI determined its system, coupled with the SaaS ERP delivery model, offered a simple and robust solution with the expertise needed for

ELHI - Optic Fibre Housing

High-end plastic components manufacturer ELHI Polymer Moulding (ELHI) were at a loss when it came to choosing the right ERP system to help push their business forward. Fortunately, QAD had an answer – look to the cloud. rapid implementation, predictable operating costs and regular system updates. ELHI and QAD worked together reviewing ELHI’s goals, determining the project scope and mapping out a migration plan from an on-premise solution to QAD Cloud ERP. Within six months, ELHI’s ERP was in the cloud. “QAD Cloud ERP immediately struck us as the right solution. It enables us to outsource management of our ERP system to a worldclass partner with proven Software-as-a-Service expertise,” Jansen said. “We can maximize our effectiveness and keep current on the latest QAD software, all without having to invest in IT maintenance.”

The benefits During ELHI’s move to the new QAD Cloud ERP, the QAD Easy On Boarding methodology and the deployment independence built into the system allowed the on-premise and ondemand implementations to temporarily coexist as part of a single environment, resulting in a seamless transition. ELHI now has access to all of the QAD Enterprise Applications functionality in a software-as-aservice delivery model Gijs Jansen, ELHI specifically designed for global manufacturers.

QAD On Demand allows us to focus on our key business goals, knowing all our ERP and IT needs are in good hands

ELHI has recognised the following business Benefits: • Costs are predictable, affordable and easy to budget • The IT and financial risks of managing ERP systems on-premise or through an unproven third-party vendor have been eliminated • Systems and infrastructure are managed and administered by QAD in highly secure data centres — stringently controlled and monitored with greater than 99.5% application availability, which is better than most internal IT organisations can deliver • ELHI’s ISO certified organisation is fully supported by QAD’s core development and support processes, which are certified to ISO 9001:2008

QAD Cloud ERP Cloud ERP Exclusively for Manufacturing Companies

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The all inclusive price of QAD Cloud ERP is lower than the average cost of a traditional licensed on-premise solutionâ&#x20AC;? - Aberdeen Group QAD Sir Stanley Clarke House 7 Ridgeway, Quinton Business Park Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom, B32 1AF +44 (0) 121 506 6500 uk_marketing@qad.com www.qad.com

ERP 2014 eBECS

R E A D Y ?

Set..

What happens in the process leading up to an ERP system implementation? According to Ross Soady, customer experience director at Microsoft Dynamics implementation specialist eBECS, that’s the point at which the really important work begins. Malcolm Wheatley reports.

“

When a business sets out to implement ERP,” Ross Soady explains, “there’s usually, and quite rightly, a grand vision of what the company wants to achieve - a new workflow, switching on new functionality, or adding whole new capabilities such as Business Intelligence or CRM. But the reality of most implementations is that not everything makes the cut in terms of those things that a Phase 1 implementation sets out to achieve.” So it’s the job of Soady and his team at Microsoft Gold ERP partner eBECS to take the Phase 1 implementation and then build on it, delivering ongoing support and post-implementation followup projects. Not that such work is merely hoovering-up leftover bits of work, stresses Soady. Quite the opposite. In many cases, a basic ERP implementation is the functional bedrock on which true competitive

During the financial crisis and recession…the agenda was all about cash collection and cost-cutting and that was where our customers wanted help. Now it’s all about growth. Ross Soady, eBECS

edge is subsequently built. These are the pieces of functionality that enhance and amplify a customer’s productivity, workflow, and business processes. Which doesn’t, Soady hastens to add, necessarily mean buying and implementing yet more new software. “Stripped to its essentials, the job of my team is simply to help the customer get the most out of their investment in ERP, CRM or business intelligence,” he sums up. “It’s all about an ongoing journey to get the most out of their investment in Microsoft Dynamics.” So what does that look like in practice? Much of it depends on customer needs and imperatives, explains Soady. “We start with what the customer is trying to achieve, and the business issues that they’re facing at a point in time,” he says. “During the financial crisis and recession, for instance, the agenda was all about cash collection and cost-cutting and that was where our customers wanted help. Now it’s all about growth. There’s a huge focus at the moment, for instance, on performance improvement and on customers wanting to better understand which parts of their business are generating the most profit.” But how exactly is such help delivered? By the most appropriate means possible, counters Soady. “It might be training, either customdelivered or at one of our public courses,” he explains. “Or in a free webinar. Or in direct dialogue with other customers online via Yammer. Or on one of the regular customer visit programmes that we organise. Or as part of our ongoing programmes to communicate to customers the latest functionality coming out of Microsoft.” In short, sums up Soady, the process of getting value out of an investment in Microsoft Dynamics doesn’t end when the software in question is implemented. “The ‘go live’ is really the starting point, not the end,” he says. “As we always say; ‘in the journey towards world class excellence, you never quite reach the destination.’ There’s always something else to improve.”

For world-class ERP you need to be talking to the experts. Having won Microsoft’s 2013 Global ERP Partner of the Year award (not to mention the Microsoft Dynamics UK Reseller of the Year award for the third time in four years), we’re naturally delighted and proud. Once again, we’re also extremely grateful to our clients, partners and staff for making it possible. Indeed, what gives us greatest satisfaction is that the award criteria recognised the powerful combination of eBECS’ business acumen, technological expertise and the very positive feedback from our clients.

As specialists in Manufacturing, our aim is always to delight clients by implementing proven Microsoft Dynamics® AX and Microsoft Dynamics® CRM solutions that drive efficiency, profit and growth. Our awards inspire us to achieve even more on behalf of existing and new eBECS’ clients. Thank you. If you’d like to achieve more, let’s talk. Call Stephen Wilson on 08455 441 441 or email swilson@ebecs.com

eBECS Limited, Enterprise House, Bridge Business Centre, Beresford Way, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 9FG Tel: 08455 441 441 Fax: 08455 441 728 Email: info@ebecs.com www.ebecs.com

Offices in: United Kingdom | North America | Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | Jordan

ERP 2014 Columbus

matters

In an age where technology is improving at a blistering rate, it is easy to get distracted by all the bells and whistles. But as Malcolm Wheatley reports, when choosing the right ERP system and partner, it’s the substance that matters.

he ERP marketplace has changed, introducing another layer of complexity for manufacturers to address. Not so many years ago, their choice was a simple one: which ERP system? Now, they must also ask: which implementation partner or reseller should we use to implement it?

And Progress Rail and Origin Enterprises. Plus, naturally, the it’s a shift deep bench of expertise that it possesses in the more that places a than a thousand employees of the firm, working from huge reliance offices all around the world. on the skills, SureStep+ for instance, is a project management implementation methodology enhanced by being embedded with the insights methodologies and lessons learned over all those years of experience in and integrity of those implementing ERP. Aligned with Project Management Institute implementation partners and resellers, guidelines, it contains clearly defined roles and process stresses Mary Hunter, managing director ownership definitions utilizing recommended best practice. at Columbus, a global firm of consultants With comprehensive and disciplined documentation, it has and implementation specialists. a rigorous approach to change management and resource Consequently, she points out, allocation with everyone knowing what needs to be done and manufacturers assessing potential who is responsible for doing it in what timeframe both on the implementation partners and solution client side and Columbus’. providers should be very clear as to RapidValue, meanwhile, is a business process what it is that underpins the reputations modelling tool embedded in Dynamics AX. With added and capabilities of the firms that they’re value industry specific content as templates, the tool helps contemplating working with. Flashy businesses to define and adopt proven industry best gimmicks are all well and good, she says, practice in respect of the 200 or so separate business but these don’t help to deliver a better processes typically in place in the average manufacturer solution or to deliver it on time, on budget, order quotation, product design and development, at low risk. purchase order quotation, manufacturing, and so on. “For that you need substance, not just “Having a detailed methodology in the form of style,” stresses Hunter. “And you need a SureStep+ makes an enormous difference to a project, reputation built on solid assets and sound, and helps to reduce risk while improving implementation proven capabilities.” quality,” emphasises Hunter. “RapidValue, meanwhile, And Columbus, of course, can point can save thousands of pounds in consulting fees, and to its proven a reduction in the amount of methodologies, built related customer input, reducing up over 20 years implementation elapsed time.” of experience, and It’s a mix, she adds, that has over 6,000 ERP undeniably found favour in the implementations marketplace, with the vast majority many of them in of Columbus’ customers declaring manufacturing themselves very happy with the companies, way that Columbus approaches embracing discrete their projects. manufacturing, “They simply wouldn’t come process back to us, year after year, if we manufacturing, and didn’t provide long term value,” food and beverage she says. “Our reputation is the Mary Hunter, Columbus businesses, such biggest asset we have, and we as GrainCorp Malt, don’t gamble with it.”

…you need substance, not just style… And you need a reputation built on solid assets and sound, proven capabilities

Visit Columbus at ERP Connect Tuesday, 20th May 2014 Ambassadors Bloomsbury, London

Previously, our manufacturing resource planning process would take six hours. Now it only takes 20 minutes thanks to easier user interfaces, navigation and data entry.â&#x20AC;? Darren Errington, MIS Manager, Sevcon

Columbus knows how to make clients more successful by

About RapidValue

adapting and implementing proven, Microsoft-based ERP

RapidValue is a process modelling tool to help you

solution sets to maximise the efficiency and overall business

deliver more value, at lower risk, from your ERP

performance of manufacturing companies.

implementation.

With RapidValue, for example, we have defined and visualised

Columbus has taken manufacturing best practice

the common manufacturing processes which enables us to

processes from our experience of over 6,000

focus on the areas which are your competitive differentiators.

implementations to deliver faster ROI.

This helps you streamline your business processes across the organisation for efficiency, speed and to adopt best practices. I would like to learn more... Web: www.columbusglobal.com/manufacturing Twitter: @UK_Columbus

Form and

When Viking Precision Engineers looked to merge two separate accounting systems into one, easy to use system, one thing was clear â&#x20AC;&#x201C; flexibility was key.

stablished in 1965 Viking Precision is a successful family managed business providing high quality precision engineered components and assemblies for the passenger transport, aerospace, defence and offshore industries A large Computer Numerical Control (CNC) turning and milling section is complimented by a range of conventional milling, turning, drilling and grinding facilities and a metal fabrication department. Vikingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success has been based on a total commitment to meet or exceed the standards demanded by their customer base, through substantial investment in machining technology and best engineering skills and has resulted in the achievement of the ISO9001 quality standard.

Project Brief For a number of years, Viking Precision has managed its accounting needs with two separate systems hosted on legacy operating systems. One system provided financial information and the other dealt with the production of quotations,

purchase orders and the management of jobs through the work shop.Neither system was easy to use, leading to a substantial volume of duplication and errors on both systems. In addition, whilst the production of most items are to order, it had never

FACTSANDFIGURES Company

Viking Precision Engineers Limited

Location

Perivale, West London

Business

Type Precision Engineering

Network

Windows 2003

Platform

SQL Server

Application

SAP Business One

ERP 2014 CBS

Viking’s requirements with many of their needs as standard, as well as providing CBS with a platform to develop the required modifications using the SAP Business One SDK system. A detailed Specification of Requirements was drawn up by CBS for the bespoke software, which provided seamless integration with the standard financial and inventory modules of SAP Business One. Existing financial data was extracted and uploaded (using the SAP Business One DTW) from their legacy accounting system and Viking went live at the start of their financial year as planned.

The ease of use, power and flexibility of SAP Business One combined with the expertise of CBS have enabled us to move to a system truly designed for the 21st Century Stuart Turner, Managing Director

been possible for finished goods stock quantities to be reliably managed from within the computer system. It was decided to replace these with a fully integrated system to cover all the aspects of both existing systems under one banner. The chosen system would have to be very easy to use and be flexible enough to achieve a close fit to all of Viking’s requirements. And a system fit for the 21st century.

The Solution It was clear no single off the shelf package would meet the demanding requirements of Viking Precision without a level of modification. The most user-friendly solution demonstrated to Viking and subsequently chosen was SAP Business One. This largely satisfied

Extensive work was also undertaken within the forms editor to allow for the production of customer and supplier documents with a fresh and modern image, but care was also taken to reproduce their usual end of month reports, in a familiar format. Viking personnel, encouraged by its ease of use, embraced the system quickly. The complete lack of any need to duplicate work provided an immediate benefit. For the first time, the stock position and other commercial information for major customers of Viking Precision has been made available in one place. The brilliant “drill down” capabilities of SAP Business One allowed users to navigate through the system with ease. At the time of receiving a new order, the stock availability and pricing were immediately known.

ABOUT

CBS

CBS has been delivering advanced computer solutions for over 20 years. Our aim is to provide competent and user friendly systems, but if you are in any doubt, please speak to our customers for an independent assessment of our abilities.

Technical Department This department is responsible for software development and complex computing issues. These will range across communications, performance monitoring, network analysis, and software development.

Consultancy Department The consultancy department provides training and consultancy both on-site and at customer premises. We provide training for both SAP Business One. In addition, we also have a full range of Microsoft courses for office personnel.

Maintenance Department The maintenance department is responsible for the smooth running of the computer systems at customer sites. This may be either hardware or firmware, or application software. Software support is usually handled remotely, while hardware support usually requires an on-site visit. The trouble-free operation of our customer sites is our aim and a fast response to problems is assured at all times. 25

ERP 2014 ???????????

What is the secret to business success? Clearly there is no simple answer to this question. However the power to adapt to change is definitely a good starting point.

t is one thing to become successful, but it’s another thing altogether to stay successful. When you look at the Richard Bransons and Alan Sugars of the world, we can see how they went about making their fortunes and building their success. But what enables them to stay that way? One thing is apparent, their ability to adequately and proactively adapt to their constantly changing surroundings. So if this adaptability worked for these business icons, surely it can work for any business, right? Certainly most companies operate in an environment that is changing every day. So if they need to change the way they do business to match an evolving set of circumstances and market pressures then it stands to reason that they need to change their mission-critical business systems in line with the market.

This is precisely the ethos that Phil Nicholls at Emerge IT Ltd has been living by over the past decade and a half. “If your market changes and forces you to change your business model, how can you expect your business system to be relevant if you don’t change the way it works?” Nicholls says. The trouble is this is all too often interpreted as a need to change the system for another. And this is simply because there is not enough flexibility in some of these systems in the first place. Nicholls contends that rarely do manufacturing and distribution businesses choose the wrong system, and that on the whole their choice will work well for a number of years. “Almost always, what you find is that the system worked well when the company first bought it, and continued to do so for a few years

afterwards,” Nicholls said. “But over time, either because the company itself has changed, or its market has changed, they find the system is no longer as appropriate for them as it once was.” So is there an alternative? The answer, says Nicholls, is yes - at least, for companies prepared to step back and take a business process-centric view of things. In essence, he argues, an ERP system is a “wrapper” containing a set of codified business processes. And, just as people and functions within the business itself interact and change, so should the processes and modules that make up the ERP system. So long as the ERP system can change, then the market–driven pressures can be accommodated by the business. But it means you need to have a system that is inherently flexible in its fundamental design. Emerge itself, for instance, offers Priority, an ERP system popular with small and medium sized enterprises aimed squarely at the needs of manufacturing and distribution businesses. Companies such as Hillier Nurseries, Sahara Force India Formula 1 Team, British Thornton and Dunlop Systems and Components are all benefitting from the inherent flexibility that allows them to mould their business processes to their changing marketplaces. The real benefit of such an approach is that a highly flexible and configurable ERP system extends the lifespan of the system—perhaps indefinitely. For with a system that can be reconfigured again and again as a business’s processes change, the need to switch ERP systems to ensure process compliance simply doesn’t arise. And given the pain of changing systems, isn’t that an excellent goal to be aiming for?

Priority is fast-becoming the first choice system for the growing manufacturer and wholesaler.

Hillier, the largest grower of trees and shrubs in the UK, chose emergeIT from a list of 41 ERP system vendors. Why? "Priority is easily adaptable to suit Hillierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique needs; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been designed and engineered not only for maximum flexibility, but also to put that flexibility into the hands of our project team, not the development team." "Secondly, users like it better than the competing systems." "Thirdly, we believe in the people from emergeIT."

People love our demos - book an online or face-to-face appointment today. Offices in Manchester, Southampton and Warwick.

Tel. Email: Online:

ERP 2014 INFOR

Moving with the

ti me s Just like any piece of technology, ERP can and will become dated and obsolete. As Phil Lewis, Solution Consulting Director at Infor explains, it is up to ERP providers to make sure they are staying ahead of the curve to ensure their customers can too.

Integrations between these ERP systems and other applications were often problematic for the business. Point to point, hard wired integration of a customised ERP application with other systems creates yet more problems. Often these customisations and integration issues leave an organisation paralysed by being locked in and unable to upgrade or refresh its core applications to take advantage of updates and new functions. It was a case of no-one wanting to change them through fear of breaking the integrations, disabling the reporting systems and effectively bringing the company to a halt. Secondly, when these ERP systems are actually in use, there is only a small fraction of staff who are users and this inevitably limits the number of effective decision makers across the business. And these users - whilst few - are far from privileged. Most new employees have grown up with social media and touchscreen interfaces. Faced with traditional ERP screens that not only look horrible, but also don’t work the way they should means these staff members need huge amounts of training and have to adapt to awkward processes that take too long to deliver any meaningful value. It is a totally unfulfilling experience. t is official – the promises made by traditional It is with the benefit of this hindsight ERP have not materialised. It’s been a failure. It that software developers now realise has only provided a fraction of the promised that applications such as ERP need to productivity and efficiency improvements. Yet there are ERP solutions across many industries. So, given the high be flexible, intuitive and pervasive. In a world of WhatsApp, levels of adoption of ERP, Facebook and Twitter, why is this the case? It is with where users expect to Firstly there have the benefit be able to handle a new been two technological app in minutes after barriers - customisations of this downloading it, business and integration. hindsight software needs to be just Traditional ERP has that software as easy to use in order to required significant developers now deliver a return. customisation in order for The key to this ease it to support the business realise that of use is to provide need - often as a result applications such just the right data and of applying a generic as ERP need to be functions for that person one-size-fits-all template flexible, intuitive in their role – rather than application to a overwhelming them with business, only to find and pervasive everything. Likewise, it needs extensive Phil Lewis, Solution loose integration that customisations to make it Consulting Director, infor enables rapid updates to industry specific.

The future of manufacturing starts now

5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 2000

Turn unfolding challenges into opportunities with Infor Manufacturing Solutions It’s a new era in manufacturing, complete with new challenges. Between evolving market pressures and emerging technologies, keeping up requires agility and speed. You’ve got to make better decisions, faster. Purpose-built for manufacturing, Infor’s flexible solutions integrate mobility, social collaboration, design innovation, and deep analytics to help you achieve efficiency and operational excellence across the board. Visit infor.com/manufacturing to download a quick guide to Infor manufacturing solutions.

2005

2010

2015

ERP 2014 INFOR

drive new functionality and an interface that is enjoyable to use rather than an exercise in code breaking are the new minimum expectations and the most fertile ground for better return on investment. Dab Group, a global manufacturer of motor-driven water pumps is a great example of a company benefiting from this new approach. Dab recently completed a global deployment of Infor 10x in addition to Infor LN, Infor ION, EPM (enterprise performance management) and XM (expense management) across 15 sites in 11 countries. The integrated Infor application suite is already delivering benefits by driving a standard set of business processes and automating workflows to boost user productivity. The next phase of the deployment is to introduce Infor Ming.le during 2014 to increase cross-company collaboration across 750 global users. Infor Ming.le will be steadily rolled out during 2014 and is expected to deliver improved collaboration and workflow, particularly for exception management. Infor ION is the lightweight integration application that integrates not only these Infor solutions but also enables quick and easy integration with nonInfor applications. Currently, all 750 users access a single, on-premise instance of all the ERP data which resides in the head office. By 2016 Dab expects all its IT systems including Infor LN, Infor ION and Infor Ming.le to be in the cloud. There is of course, a strong business driver behind such investment. Dab Group is expanding into new markets, so it needs to address the varied individual needs of a diverse set of customers. Dab needs to better manage a complex manufacturing environment with greater levels of cross-company collaboration to meet customer orders on time. A tangible example of the improved return on investment such an approach can bring is an innovative process dashboard that has been created using the combined power of Infor LN and Infor ION to identify potential bottlenecks. This has

With Infor Ming.le each user will be just one click away from someone else’s environment. That’s powerful. We can make that work really well for our customer satisfaction around the world Enrico Pana, Dab group

helped improve the way Dab handles, processes and tracks orders, while also monitoring pricing deviations to provide consistency across all operations. “After an intense year of roll out in 2013 we have just celebrated the launch of our new Infor system,” said Enrico Pana, group IT manager, Dab group. “We’ve turned off our old, disparate AS/400-based systems and we’re now able to manage the vast complexities of a multi-national, make-to-order manufacturing

businesses. ION is already running our business well by providing solid workflows and eliminating non valueadd activities. But we’re not standing still. We’re now set to roll out Infor Ming.le as we can see an immense value in providing exception management capabilities combined with mobility to eliminate the deluge of emails and phone calls that get connected to problem solving. With Infor Ming.le each user will be just one click away from someone else’s environment. That’s powerful. We can make that work really well for our customer satisfaction around the world.” Mark Humphlett, industrial manufacturing industry director at Infor continued: “The Infor strategy of minimal customisations, combined with industry-specific functionality available out of the box, is critical to the success of such projects,” he said. “Dab Group is a great example of how manufacturers can deploy features and capabilities within Infor LN, ION and Infor Ming.le to reach new heights of collaboration amongst its staff and supply chain partners. This will yield substantial and rapid return on investment on new ERP that is as different from its predecessors as 3D Blu-ray films are compared to old Betamax tapes.”

ERP 2014 ERP Connect

with knowledge ERP Connect, the event bringing together the world’s leading implementation specialists under one roof, arrives in London this May. Now in its ninth outing, James Pozzi reviews why it is a must-attend event for manufacturers looking for the right ERP system.

n today’s business environment, the importance of the right ERP system to a manufacturing business is so vital that it can make or break a company. Just ask any of the manufacturers who made that big decision and are now reaping the benefits. By implementing the correct system, manufacturers can maximise ROI as well as productivity, business intelligence and competitive edge. But there is no easily identifiable solution, and implementing the right ERP system is no quick fix.

But this process can be made easier by attending ERP Connect, the biannual event run by The Manufacturer magazine returning for the ninth time. The event sees the convergence of half a dozen manufacturers in a single venue sharing their experiences of ERP, providing unparalleled insight into companies who have worked with a wide variety of systems. ERP Connect offers one-to-one meeting time for manufacturers with preclassified potential for suppliers, enabling direct comparisons to be made between systems and partners tailored to a specific business’s needs. At ERP Connect on May 20, the opportunity to listen to hands on ERP experiences from half a dozen manufacturing companies presents itself once again. With the professional yet relaxed atmosphere,the event provides the perfect opportunity to gather knowledge from those who have successfully implemented ERP systems in their business.

of speakers. Previous speakers have included representatives from Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce, who have shared how their world-renowned companies benefited from correct ERP implementation. “Sixteen pages of notes is testament to the volume and quality of guidance and support generously offered by all of the speakers at ERP Connect,” said Steve Roper, IT manager of Unison, who attended ERP Connect in 2012. “Having all of the main players in ERP in a single room was a real enabler for me at this early stage of our journey; each and every one of them provided insight that has deepened my understanding of the challenges and possibilities that lie ahead.”

ERP Connect 2014 Taking place at the Ambassadors Bloomsbury Hotel in London on May 20, ERP Connect promises a line-up of renowned, industry-leading ERP vendors complimented by strong nucleus

Visit www.themanufacturer.com/ erpconnect or call 0207 4001 6033 for more information and booking.

What’s holding you back from choosing the right ERP system? Implementing the wrong ERP system can have serious consequences – financial, structural and even personal! However, selecting the right ERP software can radically increase the efficiency of your business.

ERP Connect will bring together all the major solution providers in one place, for one day. This is your unique chance to evaluate their solutions and match the key elements with your specific business needs.

Don’t miss it, you will regret it! Tuesday, 20th May 2014 | London

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