ERP system to provide Gordon & MacPhail with improved control, accessibility and cost savings

Unique TROPOS Bulk Whisky Workbench modules will replace static spread-sheet based reporting.

SSI, a Chelford Group company and provider of ERP and supply chain management solutions for specialist industries, has announced a new order for its TROPOS ERP solution from Gordon & MacPhail, the malt whisky specialist. For the first time, the solution will enable staff at the Morayshire-based firm to instantly and precisely monitor every aspect of its supply chain - from distilling its own famous Benromach Single Malt Scotch Whisky to stocking and selling more than 300 own-bottled single malts from across Scotland - resulting in improved control, accessibility and cost savings.

The new SSI system includes modules specifically designed for the whisky distillation industry - including tools for HM Revenue and Customs reporting as well as cask management - that will provide Gordon & MacPhail with complete visibility of operations at its distillery near Forres and its bottling hall in Elgin. A large part of the company's trade involves purchasing, maturing and bottling single malt whiskies under their own labels from across Scotland. TROPOS will give the firm's staff the tools to enhance inventory management across the two sites, supporting decision making throughout the business.

"We are implementing the TROPOS solution to streamline every aspect of our supply chain," commented Ewen Mackintosh, Quality Control Manager at Gordon & MacPhail. "We offer more than 300 presentations of own-bottled single malt scotch whiskies and distill our own world-famous single malt - Benromach. While our old systems were adequate, they were not allowing us to manage production as efficiently as we required. TROPOS will give us more accessibility and better control of all of our operations, and ultimately we anticipate that the implementation will result in considerable cost savings for the business."

SSI's specially tailored Bulk Whisky Workbench module will enable Gordon & MacPhail to manage the bottling of its wide range of whiskies. TROPOS will also provide automated HM Revenue and Customs reporting, allowing the company to generate detailed documentation quickly and accurately from control points in the supply chain. The package includes specialist modules for cask management, which will provide the company with a precise management and control system for stock which can be stored for as long as 20 years.

"Companies in the whisky trade are beginning to realise the benefits of implementing a fully integrated ERP solution." added Neville Merritt, Group Marketing Director, Chelford Group. "A business like Gordon & MacPhail balances many different operations at the same time - distilling, purchasing, stocking, and selling - at two different sites in Morayshire. TROPOS allows the management team at the company to accurately monitor and control each of these processes, enhancing decision-making at all points of the business."

TROPOS is unique in that it is the only fully integrated ERP system that addresses all of the requirements of the whisky industry from the management of bulk whisky, blending, HMR&C reporting and bottling to the management of cased goods.