Infor Global Solutions has supplied its Infor VISUAL software solution to leading make-to-order manufacturer Crown House Technologies.

Crown House Technologies, the Wolverhampton-based engineering arm of leading construction giant Laing O'Rourke, produces mechanical and electrical devices and plant for large buildings including airports, hospitals and hotel complexes.

Peter Jones, Crowns' Production Manager, explained the rationale behind sourcing Infor VISUAL: "For many years Crown had kept disparate information on various spreadsheets. We knew that in order to be as competitive and efficient as possible we needed to purchase a software system that could provide us with more efficient sharing and storing of information, and one that could cope with the demanding environment of a Make-to-Order business."

During 2004, Jones attended a manufacturing software trade exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham. He surveyed a number of solutions to determine which package would be the very best fit for Crown.

"After witnessing several demonstrations on various products I realised that Infor VISUAL offered precisely what we were looking for," he said. "It offered a good deal of overall flexibility and the ability to deal with one-off manufacturing projects. As a make-to-order company this was a critical requirement for us. We were also impressed with the system's core ERP functionality, and realised this would help us capacity plan more effectively. In addition, we recognised that the Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC) functionality would play an extremely valuable role within our organisation."

Peter Jones added: "We are adding two interfaces from Infor VISUAL to Laing O'Rourke's central Coins purchasing system. When these are in place, purchase orders and information regarding receipt of materials will then be able to be transferred direct from Infor VISUAL to Coins."

Infor VISUAL is due to go live at Crown House Technology in late October 2005.

www.infor.com

Gripple, leading manufacturer of agricultural and industrial fastenings and related products, is one of the most highly feted of all UK manufacturing companies, with awards for everything from its business successes to the design of its HQ. 

In many ways Gripple is the quintessential ERP user: only a part of the system's capability is currently employed but there is an eagerness to implement more as the business continues to grow. A maker of small, simple products that are conquering specialist markets around the globe, Gripple has relied on Exel's EFACS ERP system for almost ten years.

IT manager Andrew Baxter says that now is the right time to fully implement the system that has formed the foundation of Gripple's manufacturing success: "When I arrived a year ago I was tasked with reviewing our IT and, having seen EFACS fully implemented elsewhere, I decided we should keep the system and make it work harder for us.

"The functionality we need is already there in the system but, like many manufacturers, we simply have not used the system to its full potential. Our first task is to re-implement the sales order processing module.  Currently we sell around 8 million Gripples - the agricultural fencing fastener and our original product - each year and we are increasing sales of our other products.  We expect a further £2 million worth of extra sales in 2005, so we need to have tighter control on sales and manufacturing.

"We'll also automate stock control and stock movement and we are developing with Exel a bar-coding system that suits our own way of working. That was an important factor in deciding to invest further in EFACS.  We can implement it to work exactly how we want, we don't have to change our working methods at all."

A fundamental re-launch of EFACS is planned for 2005, starting with training for every one of the 150 strong staff. Training has always been an issue that all ERP vendors will agree on: users are simply reluctant to take it up, something Andrew Baxter admits: "The system met our past needs, which were simple in terms of IT, but we are growing and need to have a more sophisticated approach."

www.exel.co.uk

Niche foods manufacturer Glisten plc has chosen SSI to help deliver its ambitious future business plans. 

Formed less than four years ago, Glisten has already grown its market capitalisation to £40m and is aiming for £100m capitalisation in the next two years.  SSI's TROPOS ERP solution will streamline processes and generate quality information across the Group.

"We wanted a partner who understood the food industry with the right system solution and IT support.    Installing this leading edge information strategy will enable us to gain a competitive edge in the market," says Rob Davies, Glisten's Finance Director.

As the Group has expanded, Glisten's management required a robust and scalable information strategy to manage reporting and planning needs to meet its future business aspirations. The core business system has to deliver production efficiencies through improved forward planning and scheduling.  It has to optimise stock levels and integrate a tight supply chain with third party logistics suppliers.  The system also needs to ensure product availability for seasonal markets and excellent service levels for Glisten's demanding customer set - particularly if the Group is to extend business with distributors and cash-and-carry customers.

SSI's strong reputation in supporting foods sector companies, led Glisten during 2004 to consider SSI and its TROPOS solution for a serious partnership.  Following reference visits and extensive reviews, in July 2005 Glisten purchased a £250,000 core business system from SSI, comprising hardware, software, services and maintenance.

"We chose SSI for three main reasons," says Rob Davies. "We found TROPOS easy to use, and that was critical to introducing a new system across the Group. Secondly, we liked its ability to interpret data and deliver accurate information for our business planning requirements.  But we also felt confidence in the SSI team.  We need that sound belief in a partner we expect to be supplying new systems to the company in the future."

SSI Managing Director, Trevor Lewis believes that TROPOS is now becoming an ERP solution of choice in the UK foods sector. "Our penetration in this sector is very persuasive for foods manufacturers and suppliers that need the kind of comprehensive solution we can offer."

www.ssi.co.uk

With a new owner, a new management team, a new model and a full order book, Caterham Cars turned to K3 business technology for a new IT system to help drive efficiency within the business and throughout the supply chain.

Founded in 1973, Caterham Cars employs over 70 people in three sites across the UK.   Turnover is in the region of £15 million and the company produces more than 500 of its world-renowned Caterham Seven cars a year, either fully factory-built or in partially-assembled, kit form.  The company was acquired in January of this year by a management buy-in team led by Ansar Ali (formerly general manager of Lotus Cars) and backed by private equity corporate finance house, Corven Ventures.  A commitment to evaluate all the systems at Caterham was part of the business plan underpinning the acquisition.

Caterham's proud claim is that no two of its cars are built the same; as a result, production is heavily dependant on the knowledge and experience of the company's staff but without a supporting systems infrastructure, there were inefficiencies in manufacturing and business processes.  Within six months of the takeover, Caterham had evaluated, selected and ordered a fully-integrated SYSPRO manufacturing (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) system from K3. 

Caterham wanted to continue offering a completely bespoke service but with faster order response and more efficient manufacturing processes and supply chain structure. Ansar sees that the system will bring immediate benefits in a more efficient supply chain - the company is an assembly, rather than manufacturing, business and he feels opportunities lay in getting smarter around sub-assemblies: "Our product is simple relative to other cars but there are complexities around the build and we will be working with our suppliers to provide more sub assembly and development work outside the business."

There is also healthy debate going on in the business about best practice manufacturing processes and Ansar believes the full order book (the result of a new model - the Cosworth-powered Caterham CSR) artificially disguises lead-time issues.  He expects the K3 system to help shorten lead times via supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies and is in no doubt the company will be able to sell more cars by freeing up capacity.

Ansar also says the K3 system has a fundamental role to play in Caterham's position as a business-to-consumer operation:  "We are in a unique position in our sector because we sell direct to the customer.  The new CRM system will allow us to profile our customers, feeding through trends and purchasing behaviour very quickly.  We expect to have one of the best CRM processes any car manufacturer could want - we'll know a great deal about every consumer that has ever bought or intends to buy, our car, with no third party filtering that information."

The system has already delivered Ansar a vision of the future:  "We see a customer sitting in Japan or the US being able to fully configure their car online.  We want passion to retain command of buying behaviour; that maintains intimacy and personalisation but the information feeds seamlessly into our business processes." 

Implementation has already started, with CRM going live at the end of July and the system fully live in the first quarter of 2006.

www.k3btg.com