BUYER’S GUIDE 2014Simplifying your strategic ERP decisions

Editorial This report was compiled for The Manufacturer magazine by:

Malcolm Wheatley, IT Editor malcolm@malcolmwheatley.co.uk

Barbara Fitzsimons, Production Editor b.fitzsimons@sayonemedia.com

DesignMartin Mitchell, Art Editor martin@opticjuice.co.uk

SalesHenry Anson, Sales Director h.anson@sayonemedia.com

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ERP 2014 II

What’s in this report?P4 Processing growth

Steven Barr, IFS UK process industry manager shares his knowledge on why IT consolidation remains key focus for process manufacturers

P6 Seven secrets of a successful ERP partnershipAndy Gough, general manager of KCS Datawright explores why both ERP suppliers and their customers should strive to build solid, long-term relationships

P8 When upgrading mattersQAD ERP system assists Aesica Pharmaceuticals s.r.l. meet an accelerated serialisation deadline

P10 Custom fitExel Computer Systems plc teams up with Cox Wokingham Plastics Ltd (CWP) to help find the perfect ERP fit to grow with the expanding business

P12 Ready, set…Mary Hunter of Columbus says that pre-packaged, best-in-class business processes can transform an ERP implementation. Malcolm Wheatley finds out more

P14 Packaged excellenceColumbus managing director Mary Hunter sits down with IT contributing editor Malcolm Wheatley to explain the company’s success

P18 Manufacturing reinvented – the emerging thread of simplificationSreenivasa Chakravarti, head of Innovation & Transformation Group at Tata Consultancy Services talks about how the manufacturing industry is in the middle of a seismic shift as digitisation transforms the way we do business

P20 Inspired to make itStephen Winder, regional vice president Manufacturing UK at Epicor questions if ERP can provide the foundations for inspiration

P23 Consolidating systems for construction Refaire helps The Ledcor Group of Companies provide 24/7 access for efficiency and collaboration

P24 Shielding the world’s infrastructure Redfaire swoops in again to assist Aegion Corporation improve operations, gain consistency, and increase on-time, on-budget project delivery

P26 A switch in time KP Snacks demonstrates how a company can successfully make a switch from SAP to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne with help from Beoley Mill Software Ltd

Make 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 bedding-in 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.

INTRODUCTIONERP: 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.

FOR AGILE BUSINESS MOBILITY.IFSWORLD.COM

MOBILITY HAS CHANGEDTHE BOUNDARIES OF ERP.Harness the potential of mobility to reconfi gure core business processes, automate routines and bring new levels of fl exibility to the industrial manufacturing workforce. Go beyond ‘business as usual’ and engage with customers and suppliers at a new and more rewarding level.

The Manufacturer 190x270 (+3mm bleed).indd 1 20/03/2014 16:06

4

The UK manufacturing sector is currently enjoying a period of sustained growth in a further sign

that the economic recovery is broadening. Despite recent data from the Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) showing that UK manufacturing grew in July at its slowest rate in a year, the overall performance of the manufacturing industry so far this year has been very positive.

Process manufacturers in particular, which includes food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and chemicals companies, have seen significant growth, while they’re also adopting new methods of streamlining their supply chain.

Process manufacturing is a sector that was at the forefront of ERP adoption when it was first introduced over 20 years ago. This was mainly due to the

fact that ERP systems were geared to companies looking to reduce stock across the supply chain, to help deliver tangible cost savings, which was essential when dealing with the major retailers.

A new generation

We’re now witnessing the new generation of ERP users as they start to move from their legacy IT systems. These organisations adopted ERP back when it was primarily a material requirements planning (MRP) package

with limited functionality. They’ve since introduced a range of third party systems in areas that are becoming critical within the business, such as new product development, forecasting and quality management.

Up until recently, this approach was sufficient, but with multiple systems comes added complexity. Plus, the areas that are defining successful businesses and helping them grow are all about new product development, customer relationships and managing quality and traceability across the supply chain.

Increasing demandAt IFS, we’re seeing increasing demand for businesses looking to replace these standalone legacy systems with one solution that provides full functionality. The breadth of the IFS ERP system means that from a pure IT point of view, organisations can move from legacy products to one fully integrated system. From a business point of view, this also offers complete end to end visibility from new product introduction and tender management right through the supply chain to product quality control and traceability.

In 2014 we’ve seen a number of process manufacturers adopt this approach, citing the above reasons for their reason to deploy an integrated ERP system.

Steven Barr, IFS UK process industry manager shares his knowledge on why IT consolidation remains key focus for process manufacturers.

Processing

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ERP 2014 II

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spreadsheets to manage our stock inventory and deliveries. This has served us well up until now, but as we enter our next growth stage and experience increasing demand from our larger customers, we need to further improve our supply chain efficiency and customer service levels. To do this, we are upgrading our 20 year-old IT infrastructure and implementing a unified IT strategy based on IFS Applications 8.

Mr Griffiths added: “By using IFS, we will be able to give employees visibility of all processes relevant to them, as well as increase productivity within our factories and offices and enhance customer satisfaction by streamlining deliveries and order fulfilment.” IFS will also help improve Whitworths’ overall business performance by adding intelligence to its factory operations and in doing so enable the company to forecast months, even years, in advance.

We’ve also seen the company behind the Cambridge Weight Plan weight loss system, Cambridge Manufacturing Co Ltd, recently eschew the slimming down philosophy by achieving 20% annual growth. This is a result of moving to an integrated ERP system to improve the quality of management data, helping the firm to improve its inventory control, its ability to trace products and their constituents through every stage of production and sale.

The source of informationIFS Applications has also enhanced its ability to forecast demand. Instead of having to manually export data from all manner of disparate sources, IFS Applications provides one single data source. “Monthly reports and forecasting used to be a labour intensive task, taking several days to collate. Today, it’s almost instantaneous,” said Mike Swinburne, financial director of Cambridge Manufacturing. “IFS makes it simple to compare how stock levels this year compared to previous ones, even allowing for growth. And by improving our forecasting, we can operate more effectively.”

Being able to pull all of the vital business functions into one integrated system is a real benefit for organisations. It’s easier to maintain and use, less staff training is required, and offers far better total cost of ownership. It provides senior management with a true cost of doing business as all the relevant data is in one place.

We’re also seeing mobility as a key driver to the move to an integrated system; being able to have more information at your fingertips via mobile devices, such as warehouse data collection, quality audits on the shop floor in real time and account managers being able to access information whilst on the road.

We expect to see more process manufacturers turn to integrated ERP as a way to provide the organisation with complete visibility of data, to help support the business with ongoing growth.

We’re now witnessing the new

generation of ERP users

Intercontinental Brands (ICB), a supplier of alcoholic drinks, produces 20mn bottles every year at its plant in Middlesbrough, shipping to countries as diverse as Germany, Nigeria and Hong Kong. Just a few months ago, its operations were managed by an unintegrated mix of computer systems, with spreadsheets and paper bulging from 150 different filing cabinets.

The company’s first aim was to establish a single version of the truth by ripping out and replacing a number of disparate, ageing systems. “This fragmented combination meant knowledge of business processes was resting with individuals rather than being shared or documented, often making

the correct course of action unclear and challenging,” said Matthew Brown, IT manager at ICB. “It also meant lots of time and energy was being wasted on trying to gather data in the first place, rather than analysing it to work out what was best for the company moving forwards.”

Its investment in IFS Applications has given it room to grow, dispensing with the spreadsheets and filing cabinets for good. ICB has now increased data visibility and a single version of the truth, more flexibility for individual users and better traceability throughout the business. Mr Brown added: “We’re using best business practice now. We’re rotating stock and keeping digital records of everything in one location, and we have the infrastructure in place to enable us to introduce stricter policies and procedures.”

Whitworths, one of the UK’s major food producers, recently selected IFS to improve its manufacturing efficiency, stock control and supply chain forecasting. Steve Griffiths, head of IT at Whitworths, said: “At the moment we have a set of legacy IT systems and processes in place, and rely on

At IFS, we’re seeing increasing

demand for businesses looking to replace these standalone legacy systems

Steven Barr, UK process industry manager, IFS

KCS Datawright

ERP 2014 II

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When selecting an ERP provider, you’re looking for a functional fit, but also a

cultural one. Your business, and the ERP provider, will be working together long after the initial implementation has been forgotten.

But what are the secrets to making that relationship a flourishing one? You could do worse than picking up a few tips from marriage guidance and relationship experts...

#1Stay poSitiveIf you want a successful and fulfilled relationship,

you’ll need to maintain a positive frame of mind. Look for what’s good, not for what isn’t.

So with ERP. It’s important to understand what you want from the relationship, and to set solid objectives and goals in order to accurately assess your return on the investment.

#2aSk, don’t demandIt’s important to let your partner know your needs

and wants - but clearly, and respectfully.

Many ERP suppliers demand that customers implement frequent upgrades, which can be time-consuming, inefficient and costly. Likewise, some customers impose requirements of little mainstream value. See the other side’s point of view, stay respectful, and value a partner who is flexible.

#3Re-live the happy momentSCouples in a successful

relationship have a knack of glossing over unhappy times, and focusing on the good moments and fond memories.

With ERP, e-learning and scheduled training courses are a great way to remind you of some of your system’s rich functionality. It might have always been there, but didn’t seem to be a priority when first implementing.

#4 know when youR paRtneR needS attention

Happy couples tend to sense when there’s something amiss with their partner, and are attuned to those all-important signals.

So with ERP. Every business has its own individual requirements, and a rigid one size fits all approach lacks flexibility. An ERP supplier who develops its product in house is better able to sense those needs, and offer that flexibility.

#5 ConneCt on a RegulaR baSiS Happy couples make

a point of doing things together. According to relationship experts, couples who aren’t growing together, tend to grow apart.

A good ERP provider will understand this, and will offer operational account management on a day-to-day basis, supplemented by strategic relationship contact at a director level. It will offer account management as part of the service, and encourage an active and well-supported user group.

#6don’t be ComplaCentHappy couples know that

they have to look for ways to keep their relationship fresh, vibrant and fruitful.

A good ERP supplier understands the importance of not taking long-standing customers for granted, or overlooking them in the chase for new business. Customers, meanwhile, should regularly review their processes, assessing how their businesses may have changed. Neither party should stand still.

#7 it’S the little thingS that CountIn any relationship,

say experts, what truly matters is being there for each other, without being asked.

ERP projects aren’t simply technical endeavours. They’re also financial, emotional, structural, strategic, process, and people centric initiatives. Ignore these other dimensions at your peril.

ERP selection isn’t just about ‘feature and function’ fit - it’s about finding a partner you can work with, and grow with over the long term.

ERP is for the long term. So both ERP suppliers and their

customers should strive to build solid, long-term relationships, says Andy Gough, general manager of KCS Datawright.

Seven secrets

of a successful ERP partnership

UK +44 (0) 191 419 4190 | erp@kcsdatawright.com | www.kcsdatawright.com

datawright

Your Business Your Way

Does your ERP relationship need a health check?

Why not book your free ERP health check today?

Contact us now or visit KCS Datawright at ERP Connect, 27 November 2014

Whether you are new to Manufacturing ERP or have an existing system, KCS Datawright can provide an ERP evaluation health check.

Experience has taught us that health checks are the most effective way to:

Assess the ROI from your existing ERP system

Improve the effectiveness of your current business processes

Support your business growth by establishing your future ERP requirements

7

UK +44 (0) 191 419 4190 | erp@kcsdatawright.com | www.kcsdatawright.com

datawright

Your Business Your Way

Does your ERP relationship need a health check?

Why not book your free ERP health check today?

Contact us now or visit KCS Datawright at ERP Connect, 27 November 2014

Whether you are new to Manufacturing ERP or have an existing system, KCS Datawright can provide an ERP evaluation health check.

Experience has taught us that health checks are the most effective way to:

Assess the ROI from your existing ERP system

Improve the effectiveness of your current business processes

Support your business growth by establishing your future ERP requirements

ERP 2014 II

8

management to present alternative courses of action. A new Serialisation module was in development in QAD Enterprise Applications Enterprise Edition (QAD EE) which addressed the new regulations.

Working hard and fast, QAD and Aesica Pharmaceuticals collaborated and had a presentation ready in only three weeks to obtain corporate approval.

Very soon after, the QAD EE upgrade was in motion with QAD’s research and development team working directly with Aesica Pharmaceuticals’ information technology group on the new serialisation module.

Aesica Pharmaceuticals was compliant with the new serialisation requirements three months after the initial request.

“It was a stressful but very productive three months. It’s very impressive what can be accomplished with motivation, expertise and cooperation,” notes Beninati.

THE BENEFITSWith QAD’s assistance, Aesica Pharmaceuticals met the accelerated deadline. The relationship with their Chinese pharmaceutical market customers continues to be solid and ready for future growth.

The decision to keep and upgrade QAD as the ERP system in Italy proved to be the right choice. The serialisation module will be used in all of Aesica Pharmaceuticals’ other markets as the varying deadlines approach.

Aesica Pharmaceuticals also found a complete all-in-one solution for its financial needs and procedures with the new enterprise financials module. The company has reduced the number of applications it is using down to the essentials, achieving the company’s goal of covering all its business processes in one complete ERP solution.

Aesica Pharmaceuticals benefited not only by meeting the accelerated serialization regulation deadline while upgrading to QAD EE, they also were able to show an example to Aesica UK of their ability to successfully handle unexpected change.

THE COMPANYAesica Pharmaceuticals s.r.l. is the Italian division of Aesica Ltd (UK), one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organisations. The company is committed to being fast, flexible, innovative and reliable with a dedication to service and working in partnership with their customers. Aesica is constantly evolving its technical and analytical skills to meet the ever-changing development and manufacturing demands of its customers in a growing number of markets.

THE CHALLENGEMajor changes in product serialisation and tracking regulations are happening in pharmaceutical markets worldwide. The main goal of the new requirements is to maintain customer safety while fighting drug counterfeiting, streamlining the recall process and minimising financial loss.

A large percentage of the production of Aesica’s pharmaceutical products is for the Chinese market. Worldwide deadlines for adhering to the new serialisation regulations vary by country, ranging from 2014 to 2017, and the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA)1 deadline was 12 months out. The work needed for conforming to the

new China regulations was underway with plans to implement within the twelve-month time frame.

Aesica Pharmaceuticals then faced an unexpected challenge when the Chinese government brought forward the deadline for meeting all product serialisation requirements; suddenly a 12-month time frame was condensed to a three-month deadline, “a huge challenge for Aesica Pharmaceuticals,” notes Maurizio Beninati, IT director at Aesica Pharmaceuticals. “The process of meeting the serialisation regulation deadlines had to be expedited immediately. If we didn’t meet this new deadline we would be fined substantially, and it could damage future dealings with our Chinese customers.”

THE SOLUTION QAD quickly responded by collaborating with Aesica Pharmaceuticals’

Aesica upgrades its QAD ERP solution while meeting an accelerated serialisation deadline.

It was a stressful but very

productive three months. It’s very impressive what can be accomplished with motivation, expertise and cooperation

Maurizio Beninati, Aesica Pharmaceuticals

QAD

1Prior to April 2014 the CFDA was the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA)

QADSir Stanley Clarke House7 Ridgeway, Quinton Business ParkBirmingham, West MidlandsUnited Kingdom, B32 1AF+44 (0) 121 506 6500uk_marketing@qad.comwww.qad.com

“The all inclusive price of QADCloud ERP is lower than the average cost of a traditional licensed on-premise solution”

- Aberdeen Group

QAD Cloud ERPCloud ERP Exclusively

for Manufacturing Companies

Cloud_ERP_A4_V3.indd 1 19/03/2014 14:33

QADSir Stanley Clarke House7 Ridgeway, Quinton Business ParkBirmingham, West MidlandsUnited Kingdom, B32 1AF+44 (0) 121 506 6500uk_marketing@qad.comwww.qad.com

“The all inclusive price of QADCloud ERP is lower than the average cost of a traditional licensed on-premise solution”

- Aberdeen Group

QAD Cloud ERPCloud ERP Exclusively

for Manufacturing Companies

Cloud_ERP_A4_V3.indd 1 19/03/2014 14:33

Exel Computer Systems Plc

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Following a successful implementation, CWP is already experiencing the early benefits of a modern, fully integrated ERP system based on the latest technology platform. A significant amount of the company’s paper use has been removed as a direct result of more people using EFACS E/8 across a greater part of the business. The EFACS E/8 Document Management System has proved especially useful, with Bennett explaining that: “People can now work smarter with increased visibility and timely access to information.”

CWP is also benefitting from the integrated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities of EFACS E/8, something missing from its former system. Customer interactions at all levels are now easily recorded and can be quickly reviewed and assessed. The fully integrated nature of EFACS E/8 has also eliminated the need for the secondary support systems the company had to use which led to significant data duplication, both in terms of entry and storage. “Now we have everything in one place,” says Bennett.

CWP is still in the early days of using EFACS E/8 and knows there is much more to come, especially in the areas of MRP and Production Scheduling which are priority areas for the business. Reflecting on the progress made so far, Bennett concludes: “Our experience of working with Exel has been exceptionally good. EFACS E/8 as a package with its ease of customisation makes it a great tool to fit the needs of your business.”

Located in Wokingham, UK, the £6.5m turnover company with over 70 years’ heritage designs

and manufactures a diverse range of products, from plastic seats for go-karts to components for pilot seats in the Aerospace sector, including the Boeing 787. Operating in a wide range of markets, CWP relies on its 70 strong workforce and the latest technology to optimise and refine each process step to ensure every product represents the best in terms of quality and value for money.

Until recently this included a business management system which CWP had been using since 1999. When the system’s vendor recommended that CWP upgrade to the latest version to take advantage of the latest technology, the company responded positively and put together a list of required functionality to meet existing and future requirements. The vendor was unable to supply a system that catered for all of these specific requirements so a comprehensive search for a more flexible replacement was undertaken.

The decision to invest in EFACS E/8 was an obvious one as Mark Bennett, quality and IT director explains. “We selected EFACS E/8 primarily on the strength and flexibility of its in-built customisation toolkit. We have a particular way of doing things due to the nature of many of our processes and it was essential that we invest in a system that not only had all the core functionality that we required, but which could also be tailored to fit our existing processes.”

He continues: “We also wanted to work with a UK vendor and as a manufacturer with a considerable heritage, we were very impressed with Exel’s manufacturing IT pedigree of over 29 years. As the author of the system, we knew we would be partnering with the people who knew the system better than anyone else.”

Exel Computer Systems plc has teamed up with Cox Wokingham Plastics Ltd (CWP) to help find the perfect ERP fit to grow with the expanding business.

Customer interactions at all levels

are now easily recorded and can be quickly reviewed and assessed

About ExEl ComputEr SyStEmS

Exel Computer Systems plc, a UK software author, has been developing, implementing and supporting business software solutions since 1985. With hundreds of successful implementations and thousands of users around the world, Exel has a proven track record of working with some of the world’s most well-known organisations.

www.exel.co.uk

11

Business as usual, only smarter. EXELCOMPUTER SYSTEMS

A GREATBRITISHBUSINESS

READy?

eBECS

ERP 2014 II

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“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 follow-up 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

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 custom-delivered 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.”

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.

Set.. .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

For world-class ERP you need to be talking to the experts.

Having won Microsoft’s 2013 Global ERP Partner ofthe Year award (not to mention the Microsoft DynamicsUK Reseller of the Year award for the third time infour 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, whatgives us greatest satisfaction is that the award criteriarecognised the powerful combination of eBECS’business acumen, technological expertise and the verypositive feedback from our clients.

As specialists in Manufacturing, our aim is always todelight clients by implementing proven MicrosoftDynamics® AX and Microsoft Dynamics® CRMsolutions that drive efficiency, profit and growth. Ourawards inspire us to achieve even more on behalf ofexisting 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

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

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

eBECS Manufacturer Outbound FP Ad PQ 14/3/14 14:45 Page 1

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What’s the biggest project that a manufacturer might undertake? For most

manufacturers, a factory relocation will come fairly close to the top of the list. But also up there is a project that huge numbers of businesses undertake: implementing an ERP system.

Well aware of the risks involved, some manufacturers define success as simply going live, more or less on-time and more or less on-budget, with a system that more or less delivers on its promise.

But business solutions consultancy provider Columbus, an ERP specialist for 25 years, has a different definition of success, explains Columbus UK managing director Mary Hunter.

“It’s vital that manufacturers think about what they are implementing - and ask themselves if the business processes that are built into their new ERP system are truly best-in-class for their particular industry,” she stresses.

COLUMBUS

ERP 2014 II

packaged

Pre-packaged, best-in-class business processes can transform an ERP implementation, says Mary Hunter of Columbus. But how to get them? IT Contributing Editor Malcolm Wheatley finds out more.

Because if not, she points out, a manufacturer is going to find that its shiny new ERP system, into which it has poured a hefty investment in terms of finance, resource, and effort, condemns them to second-best.

“Stripped to the essentials, businesses compete through their business processes - and if you haven’t got best-in-class processes, then how are you

going to compete effectively? So it’s vital that every process is as smooth and efficient as possible.”

One option, of course, is the traditional approach to process design: mapping existing business processes, looking for inefficiencies, and designing more efficient business processes, around which the new ERP system will be built.

It’s an approach that works, to be sure. But it’s also, emphasises Hunter, a lengthy job. The value chain has to be understood and described, and the ‘as is’ business processes within it must be captured, agreed and documented. Then, new best practices have to be identified, and built into the new ‘to be’ processes on which the ERP system will run. And finally, the user procedures to support these processes have to be developed, tested and documented.

All of which adds time, cost, and risk to an ERP implementation project. In short, there has to be a better way. And, enthuses Hunter, there is a better way: Columbus has itself invested significantly in developing a suite of best-in-class, industry-templated processes, all of which are pre-integrated with Microsoft Dynamics AX.

E CEllENCE

Columbus has

itself invested significantly in developing a suite of best-in-class, industry-templated processes

ALIGN YOUR ERP AND BUSINESS STRATEGY WITH BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT

To download our free industry know-howplease visit www.columbusglobal.com

Visit Columbus at ERP Connect

Thursday, 27th November 2014

ICC, Birmingham

ERP Connect Nov 2014.indd 1 13/08/2014 14:36:30

COLUMBUS

ERP 2014 II

Look at the typical industrial manufacturing company, she points out, and you’ll find hundreds of separate business processes in action: order intake, product design and development, purchase orders, manufacturing, and so on. Strip out product development and design processes, and look just at the core base processes embraced by ERP systems, and that number drops to 300 or so.

Many of which, it must be said, are very similar from business-to-business. So why not model them in advance, incorporating known best practice drawn from as wide a group of best practice ‘role model’ businesses as possible?

That way, enthuses Hunter, not only is there less need to spend time mapping existing processes, the replacement processes are known to be best in class right from the start - saving even more time.

And time, she stresses, is money. Whether it’s the elapsed time that an ERP project takes, the consulting days involved, or the proportion of a manufacturer’s employees that are drawn into an ERP project, the benefits of a streamlined project built around proven best practices flow straight to the bottom line.

Consequently, Columbus has drawn on its extensive range of implementations - over 6,000, and across 42 countries, and its deep bench of expertise in key industries such as manufacturing, food and retail, in order to identify, codify and document best practice in respect of over 500 business processes.

Dubbed ‘RapidValue’, the result is a suite of templated business processes, known in advance to be best-in-class and industry-leading, that manufacturers can simply adopt.

“It makes an enormous difference to a project, and helps to reduce risk while improving implementation quality,” emphasises Hunter. “RapidValue can save thousands of pounds in consulting fees, deliver a reduction in the amount of related customer input, and reduce implementation elapsed time. Better still, there’s the ability to focus on those parts of your business which offer the greatest competitive advantage - and close the gap between these and best-practice.”

Columbus customers agree. At Thetford-based heating and control systems manufacturer Exheat, for instance, group systems accountant David Downes points to benefits in terms of process identification.

“The key benefit of RapidValue is the speed at which it allows you to clearly document the processes that you already have in place,” he notes. “Columbus used RapidValue to identify the processes we had in place, and to highlight what best practice would be.”

The key benefit

of RapidValue is the speed at which it allows you to clearly document the processes that you already have in place

Meanwhile, at Fairfax Meadow, the UK’s largest national catering butcher, head of IT Tony Carlisle emphasises the practical assistance the RapidValue provides when it comes to testing and training.

“The testing process is helped by RapidValue throughout the implementation journey, because there is a continuous process, so that when you get to the point of user acceptance training, everything should run smoothly and you don’t come up against any surprises,” he points out.

Likewise, he adds, accurate and up to date training documents can be created within the AX system, acting as invaluable reference tools for both existing staff and ‘new starters’.

“Training can be based on the specific processes of the role and how it fits in with a more holistic view of the company. For example, how one job or department affects another, as well as more technical ERP training,” he explains. “Importantly, your training manuals are available online and your documentation gets added to the ‘help’ functionality within Dynamics AX, so that at any time you’re only a key press away from guidance.”

Back at Columbus, the benefits of RapidValue are clear, sums up Hunter.

“Because we have put in a lot of the work upfront, developing RapidValue, the customer receives a truly end-to-end industry-specific solution. And because that solution already contains pre-configured settings, together with recommended business processes and implementation documentation, it means that the implementation will be faster and smoother, and the sought for return on investment will be reached in a shorter time.”

1616

Inefficient, old and time consuming ERP systems will have a detrimental effect on your business. The right ERP software can radically

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TATA

18

Transforming your businesswhile you’re busy running it.

There is a certain way.

In a fast-evolving marketplace which demands leadership that brings results,there exists a way of certainty: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). With TCS asyour strategic advisor and partner, the ever-changing new landscapes ofbusiness become new vistas of opportunity, from digitally connectedconsumers to big data to emerging markets to end-to-end solutions fortransforming your organization. As the preferred partner for a third of theFortune 500 manufacturers, TCS helps reduce operational expenditure, utilizecapacity optimally, and meet safety and regulatory norms. We enablebusiness innovation so that you meet the objectives of global operations.Visit www.tcs.com/manufacturing and you’re certain to learn more.

IT ServicesBusiness SolutionsConsulting

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ERP 2014 II

Abit of historical context helps to understand this change and how businesses need to adapt to thrive. Research by Tata Consultancy Service has characterised five defining moments

or ‘waves’ in the evolution of the manufacturing industry:

Wave 1 – During the early stages of industrialisation, mass manufacturing deployed by large scale assembly plants brought economies of scale, driving down both costs to manufacture and purchase goods.

Wave 2 – Lean manufacturing further reduced cost and time-to-market, improved quality and reliability, and improved the ability to manage a portfolio of products while providing the flexibility of a rapid change over. Thus, tiered supply chains were born.

Wave 3 – The globalisation of networks and tiered supply chains shifted the sources of supply and demand. Larger globalised manufacturers created tiered suppliers in local markets, also encouraging suppliers to spread their networks.

Wave 4 – Consolidation among both manufacturers and suppliers led to the emergence of global multi-brand groups. With Wave 3 optimisation peaking, these groups had few other options but to collaborate with local players, interchange platforms for economies of scale and acquire other companies (to gain access to newer markets, product portfolios, or manage supply chain risk).

Wave 5 – Today differentiation amongst players is starting to narrow, prompting a search for a new source of competitive advantage. This, and the availability of new technologies is providing the impetus for the digital wave.

The manufacturing industry is in the middle of a seismic shift as digitisation transforms the way we do business. Sreenivasa Chakravarti, head of Innovation & Transformation Group (Manufacturing Business Unit) Tata Consultancy Services.

THE EMERGINGTHREAD OF simplification

Inherent in this ongoing evolution, however, is growing complexity that – broadly speaking – has evolved in six different dimensions:

1 Products have become more complex with deeper levels of embedded technologies. Increasing competition has led to more product variants and shorter life cycle.

2 Business processes – both internal and externally in the supply chain – have increased in complexity with global expansion, mergers and acquisitions;

3 Technology – fragmented solutions deployed for range of enterprise needs has led to a complex system of records;

4 Customer experience - driven differentiation has pushed increased back end complexity into internal systems;

5 Business systems have been refined continuously to add competitive advantage to the firm, and to create complex back end systems;

6 Induced obsolescence, be it through product upgrades or new business models such as integrated pay per use services, is now driving business model change.

Each wave of evolution, each step toward competitive advantage, and each drive for growth and loyalty has added complexity to manufacturing businesses. Given this, could simplification be a source of new and sustainable sources of competitive advantage? Our analysis shows that this is indeed the case. Simplification has significant potential to unlock opportunities of scale, cost reduction and responsive market performance.

Ironically, simplification is not in itself a simple process. Due to the level of complexity and extent of the challenges, this is a task that an organisation must see as a core strategic objective. Simplification involves business process ‘re-imagination’ – a project requiring buy in at every level. Leadership itself may need to evolve the tech savvy to drive such a transformation, but change is essential. Companies that have strategies for complexity reduction will release significant energy for sustainable business growth.

Manufacturing

Reinvented

Transforming your businesswhile you’re busy running it.

There is a certain way.

In a fast-evolving marketplace which demands leadership that brings results,there exists a way of certainty: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). With TCS asyour strategic advisor and partner, the ever-changing new landscapes ofbusiness become new vistas of opportunity, from digitally connectedconsumers to big data to emerging markets to end-to-end solutions fortransforming your organization. As the preferred partner for a third of theFortune 500 manufacturers, TCS helps reduce operational expenditure, utilizecapacity optimally, and meet safety and regulatory norms. We enablebusiness innovation so that you meet the objectives of global operations.Visit www.tcs.com/manufacturing and you’re certain to learn more.

IT ServicesBusiness SolutionsConsulting

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Epicor

ERP 2014 II

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To many, inspiration is simply a means to think differently or just a sentiment that encapsulates all

those influences that have helped shape the seed of an idea. Whether it be the people around you, the environment in which you find yourself or the ways in which you improve the small things in your work; when you start to delve deeper, it’s often difficult to articulate the true sense of inspiration to see if it has any meaningful manifestation in every day business life.

Whilst there are the standard dictionary definitions, companies often struggle to define inspiration and more importantly how to apply it to evolving their workplaces and customer experiences for the better. It is by no coincidence, that at Epicor, we are aiming to inspire enterprises in various ways by giving them the tools and technologies to think about business from a fresh perspective. Ensuring the back office and front end

are working seamlessly, allows people the flexibility to make informed business decisions with real-time data as and when they need to. With the UK economy now steadily emerging from the recession, never has it been more important to continue to inspire to safeguard future economic success. But how can ERP be deemed as inspirational?

ERP and inspiration may be an unusual marriage of terms, but as the foundations of many manufacturing operations (and industries beyond) ERP importantly provides the technology parameters for business possibility. Never has that been more the case than today with the choice and flexibility of cloud based ERP and the ability for access on the move. In a utopian world, I have no doubt that ERP can create a working environment that can form the backdrop for inspiration, regardless of where you sit within the business. But how does that translate in a less than utopian world?

As we’re probably all overfamiliar with the term enterprise resource planning and the use of its acronym, we probably underestimate how this technology and its associated business processes have allowed organisations to evolve in recent years. What once started

Stephen Winder, Regional Vice President, UK & Eire at Epicor asks the question: Can ERP provide the foundations for inspiration?

Much of the industry’s

success depends on its greatest asset, its people

21

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

What’s yourrelationship with ERP?

It’s InspiringStill Looking

In a Relationship

Engaged

It’s Complicated

Copyright © 2014. Epicor Software Corporation. Epicor, the Epicor logo, and Business Inspired are registered trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation.

22

out (under the guise of manufacturing resource planning) to manage a lot of the back office processes, has infiltrated the organisation much further with customer relationship management (CRM) and human resources included. Most importantly however is the ability for different business departments to actually access the same data and effectively ‘talk’ to each other. Surely this is the basis for any workplace inspiration and frankly good business practice?

Whilst the growth of the ERP industry was sluggish during the recent recession, CIOs are clearly seeing the potential benefits of a more nimble ERP operation to underpin their businesses through cloud and mobility solutions. Equally, how do you deal with the dichotomy of legacy on-premise systems with the desire to have faster cloud based services? There’s no doubt about it, UK manufacturing is recovering and in fact has been critical to the recovery of the UK economy overall, so perhaps the ability to inspire is more closely aligned to ERP than we would at first consider it to be.

As a business, we have been looking closely at the concept of how ERP and the premise of how this technology can fuel inspiration. Last autumn we commissioned some research with manufacturing executives in the UK to understand what exactly was inspiring people in the industry to keep innovating and growing, despite (and perhaps in spite of) the tough economic conditions. The results were telling to say the least. Much of the industry’s success depends on its greatest asset, its people. So it was important for us to find out what inspires them and how they feel the sector needs to change in order to succeed. The findings were quite surprising with only 5% believing that the UK will be a global leader in manufacturing long-term. Not very inspirational I hear you say, but when asked what could directly improve levels of inspiration a staggering 45% cited technology innovation (behind the obvious response of pay and conditions). Surely that’s reason enough for us to exploit the value of technologies, ERP amongst them, to inspire for the future?

Whilst conducting the research however, we also spoke with a range of young manufacturers in organisations as diverse as Rolls-Royce through to Premier Foods to get their take on inspiration for the future and what the next generation of young manufacturers thought. According to them, the outlook looks incredibly positive with technology playing a key part in this. With generation Y clearly taking the mantle as the manufacturing leaders of the future, coupled with their intuition as digital natives, technology will no doubt become more pervasive in providing competitive advantage in a manufacturing operation. One of these young manufacturers cited that this new

breed should not be dependent on an older generation to hand everything to the emerging leaders. Rightly so, however we do have to take responsibility as an industry for inspiring our future generation and setting them up for success as best we can – technology and ERP being a part of that.

With that in mind, we have been inspired by our own customer base and our work with young manufacturers to launch the Inspiration Club,

exclusively bringing together several senior executives in the manufacturing field to determine what the future holds and how we shape the industry for the future. Taking place at The Manufacturers Directors’ Conference on 26-27 November 2014 in Birmingham, the group will come together to discuss practical ways to inspire on a daily basis as well as providing an opportunity to hear what the future generation considers important to ensure British manufacturing is world-class. Given that our research found that 98% of respondents agree that UK manufacturing needs to change, challenging each other and inspiring a future generation of manufacturers is imperative.

If you would like to hear more about the Inspiration Club, please feel free to get in touch with us at ukmarketing@epicor.com.

Epicor

ERP 2014 II

Challenging each other and inspiring a future

generation of manufacturers is imperative

LEDCOR GROUP

23

Serving the building, heavy industrial, civil and infrastructure, mining, pipeline, power, and

communications sectors. Ledcor also owns operations in aviation, forestry, marine transportation services, property investment, and wastewater treatment employing over 7,000 people in more than 20 offices across North America.

Challenges Update the company’s Enterprise Resource

Planning (ERP) environment to ensure ongoing maintenance and seamless operations and to comply with Regulatory and Tax stipulations

Expand enterprise visibility and take advantage of new application functionalities—such as an improved user interface—to support its position as a leading diversified construction company

Reduce IT complexity and costs and improve flexibility

Since Ledcor has more than 2,000 active users across eight lines of business, the company needed to be up and running 24/7, so it was essential that it complete the upgrade successfully without any disruption to the business

Since 2013 was Ledcor’s 65th anniversary, the upgrade team initially aimed for completing the project in time for that, 65 days. The team exceeded its own expectations and completed the entire project under budget in just 53 days.

Solutions andimprovements

Upgraded to Oracle’s JD Edwards (JDE) EnterpriseOne 9.1 and created a modern, integrated, and scalable IT infrastructure that can support the diverse construction and building services company, while ensuring regulatory and tax compliance.

Improved end user productivity with a web-based interface and personalised JDE Pages, which serve as a

mechanism for embedding HTML-based content, such as business process flows, directly into JDE content.

Improved operating efficiency to drive a competitive advantage in the construction industry.

Ensured continuous availabilityduring upgrade

Eliminated tedious manual steps from the company’s consolidation process using Oracle Hyperion Financial Management, while also establishing a single, consistent set of consolidation rules to multiple report packages, to enable Ledcor to generate faster and more accurate unified financial report packages for divisional forecasts, balances, and income statements.

Reduced downtime for the JDE upgrade to less than 50% of the downtime required for Ledcor’s previous upgrade—from 48 to 24 hours—by establishing a stable and reliable database environment with Oracle Database.

Used Oracle’s User Productivity Kit (UPK) for process and system documentation and supports user training to get 2,000 users up and running quickly on the new JDE applications.

Why Oracle“We have been a very satisfied Oracle customer since 2002, so we had little interest in looking at other solutions. Today, our JD Edwards EnterpriseOne footprint is very broad and deep, spanning all things financial and involving human capital management, health and safety, and beyond. The fact that we can do everything we need to from a central location is huge for us since our lines of business are so diverse,” said Gordon Bone, manager, financial solutions, The Ledcor Group of Companies.

ERP 2014 II

CONSOlIDATING SySTEMS FOR

The Ledcor Group of Companies (Ledcor) is a diversified group of construction and industrial companies that provides 24/7 access for efficiency and collaboration.

construction

Aegion

24

Aegion Corporation provides proprietary technologies and services that protect against

the corrosion of industrial pipelines and rehabilitate and strengthen water, waste water, energy and mining piping systems and buildings, bridges, tunnels, and waterfront structures. Aegion is a newly formed parent company for Insituform Technologies, Bayou, Corrpro, CRTS, Fibrwrap, Fyfe, and United Pipeline Systems.

Challenges

Strengthen and standardise project management processes across the organisation, starting with the company’s Insituform Technologies group, which provides cured-in-place pipelines primarily to public sector organisations that have specific requirements

Increase visibility into project schedules, budgeting, costs, and progress to identify emerging issues quickly and take action to minimise risk

Improve operational efficiency and data integrity, and allow project management teams to focus on strategic priorities

Standardise on a project management solution and integrate it with the company’s ERP and CRM solutions to optimise its investment and reduce the need to maintain and support numerous duplicate IT environments across the organisation

Ensure consistent and seamless project tracking and management, from the sales cycle, through to project completion

Solutions andimprovements Deployed Oracle’s

Primavera P6 Enterprise

Project Portfolio Management and Contract Management, Business Intelligence (BI) Publisher Edition, and integrated the solutions with the company’s JD Edwards (JDE) EnterpriseOne 9.0 and Oracle CRM On Demand applications to ensure end-to-end visibility and control for the company’s pipeline and infrastructure development rehabilitation projects—from new business wins, through to project completions

Standardised and created a single source for all project scheduling information that improved construction crew utilisation, reduced penalties related to delays, avoided rush charges, and improved materials planning and utilisation

Improved the ability to forecast labour and materials and avoiding delays, boosting customer satisfaction and maintaining margins

Expanded the project managers’ insight and control, with the ability to see all aspects

of a project in real time—from onset of scheduling and resource planning and including

financial performance

Reduced the need for data re-entry across multiple systems, improving productivity, data accuracy and ensuring that project management, ERP, and CRM systems share consistent up-to-date information

Since JDE is the company’s financial system of record, it must reflect updates made in the contract management system, and vice versa.

Now, when the company is in the final round of a new business bid, it can automatically create project management shells using information flows from its CRM system. Without recreating or rekeying information is immediate visibility into upcoming projects from a scheduling and planning perspective and project numbers are kept in synch between project management and financial management systems.

Why Oracle?“We rely on Oracle’s solutions across our organisation, from JD Edwards EnterpriseOne ERP, to Oracle CRM On Demand system. When it came time to select a foundation for our new project management initiative, Oracle offered a compelling choice. Not only do Oracle’s Primavera solutions set the industry standard for project management technology, we’ve also streamlined vendor management,” said Justin McFarland, director of applications, Aegion Corporation.

ERP 2014 II

Aegion Corporation, a global forerunner in infrastructure protection improves operations, gains consistency, and increases on-time, on-budget project delivery.

SHIElDING THE WORlD’S

INFRASTRUCTURE

Redfaire - A new kind of partner for a new kind of Oracle® JD Edwards.

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Mobility - EnterpriseOne applications on Apple iPad & other mobile devices.

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25

Redfaire - A new kind of partner for a new kind of Oracle® JD Edwards.

Oracle’s JD Edwards is evolving. Ensure your business is ready for the road ahead.

France +33 (0)1 80 88 44 10 Ireland +353 (0)61 503 108 UK +44 (0)20 7659 2004

Visit our website to find out more: www.redfaire.com

Mobility - EnterpriseOne applications on Apple iPad & other mobile devices.

Upgrades - Upgrade JD Edwards in 100 days or less.

International Rollouts - Rollout an Oracle JD Edwards core model internationally.

Cloud - Complete set of software management services.

Redfaire was specifically created to ensure

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Redfaire have heavily invested in the latest technology,

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the highest level of JD Edwards consultancy and support.

Beoley Mill Software Ltd

26

KP Snacks is one of the longest

established and biggest snack production companies in the UK. Since January 2013 it has been a part of the Intersnack Group, Europe’s lead producer of savoury snacks by volume. Overall the group operates from 30 locations throughout the UK and Europe, employing some 8,000 staff. KP produces some of Britain’s major snack brands such as McCoy’s, Phileas Fogg, Hula Hoops, Penn State, Pom-Bear and KP Nuts, to name just a few as well as producing many fantastic products for the UK’s leading retailers.

Prior to their acquisition by Intersnack, KP had been a part of United Biscuits Group who used SAP for their

July 15, 2013, within projected timescale and budget.

KP now use EnterpriseOne for Finance (General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable Fixed Assets and Expense Management), Pricing, Sales, Purchasing, Manufacturing (Planning, Costing, Data, Shop Floor Control and Manufacturing Accounting), Plant Maintenance, HR, and Time & Attendance.

EnterpriseOne supports operations within KP’s four main production plants in the UK: Ashby, Hellaby, Consett and Teesside. Capacity planning is a key challenge for the business which is both seasonal (eg. Easter and Christmas) and events driven (eg. the World Cup). EnterpriseOne holds upwards of 1,700 suppliers and 3,400 customers for KP who use work orders to report against production levels which are received from a third party Warehouse Management System.

Sales forecasting and trade promotion functionality is achieved using Oracle Demantra which passes forecasts to EnterpriseOne where the production is planned using the Capacity Planning functionality. Planning the purchase of ingredients is achieved using standard MRP and the product Bills of Materials & Routings are all held within EnterpriseOne where all product costing is calculated. EnterpriseOne is also used to manage the plant maintenance requirements for all KP Snacks sites.

As well as achieving KP’s requirement to operate on a fully integrated, right-sized, fit for purpose ERP platform, the other benefits of switching to EnterpriseOne have included: Clear improvements within sales order

management and downstream processes Significant cost savings and rationalisation in

software licencing Greater functionality and flexibility of use

Beoley Mill Software Ltd continue to provide ongoing support and managed services for KP as well as providing services for ad-hoc projects such as the integration of forecast to cash processes for the Intersnack business which went live in July 2014.

KP Snacks demonstrate how a company can successfully switch from SAP to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne with help from Beoley Mill Software Ltd.

ERP 2014 II

operational and financial processes. Upon their separation from UB, KP management determined that they needed to procure their own system that would support manufacturing, finance and distribution whilst retaining a tight interface to UB’s SAP system for ongoing sales processes relating to legacy production contracts.

In April 2012, KP management

made the decision to procure Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne version 9.1 as their means of fulfilling these requirements. BMS were formally engaged in June 2012 with the project commencing in earnest the following month and completing successfully on

EnterpriseOne supports operations within KP’s four main production plants in the UK

12 0102

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05060708

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MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEMS Enabling greater profitability, productivity & efficiency

DON’T GET CONFUSED WITH THE OPTIONS – MES Connect brings clarity to your vision

mesconnect.co.uk

Empowering a business to respond in real time creates a sustainable and competitive advantage. Manufacturing execution systems deliver numerous

capabilities and enable optimum asset utilisation with high production quality at a lower cost.

Controlling multiple elements of the production process including inputs, personnel, machines and

support services, allows you to respond to market changes both quickly and correctly and help

balance production processes - in real-time.

MES Connect brings together the leading MES vendors in one unique day. Combining knowledge-based learning through a conference with interactive vendor meeting, to enable you to match your business needs with the different systems currently on offer. This one day event will support you in making the right decisions for your business – to drive your company forward and reap the benefits that a manufacturing execution system can bring.

4 December 2014 Aston University, Birmingham

In Partnership with MESA

MES connect advert 2014 suppliment.indd 1 15/08/2014 10:58

27

MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEMS Enabling greater profitability, productivity & efficiency

DON’T GET CONFUSED WITH THE OPTIONS – MES Connect brings clarity to your vision

mesconnect.co.uk

Empowering a business to respond in real time creates a sustainable and competitive advantage. Manufacturing execution systems deliver numerous

capabilities and enable optimum asset utilisation with high production quality at a lower cost.

Controlling multiple elements of the production process including inputs, personnel, machines and

support services, allows you to respond to market changes both quickly and correctly and help

balance production processes - in real-time.

MES Connect brings together the leading MES vendors in one unique day. Combining knowledge-based learning through a conference with interactive vendor meeting, to enable you to match your business needs with the different systems currently on offer. This one day event will support you in making the right decisions for your business – to drive your company forward and reap the benefits that a manufacturing execution system can bring.

4 December 2014 Aston University, Birmingham

In Partnership with MESA

MES connect advert 2014 suppliment.indd 1 15/08/2014 10:58

For more information please call +44 (0)1527 851 350 or visit www.beoleymill.co.uk

Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne is widely recognised as the best ERP

solution for manufacturers. Beoley Mill Software Ltd has been a multi

award winning platinum partner of Oracle JD Edwards for over twenty

years. Why not contact us to discuss your current and future ERP system

and partner requirements?

We're confident that we can exceed at both!

ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST AWARD FOR JD EDWARDS SERVICES 4 YEARS RUNNING

Don't bottle it!

Choosing the best partner is as important

as choosing the best ERP system

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