Product category:
ERP and MRP software
News Release from: Infor | Subject: MAPICS enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 14 November 2002
Northern Ireland manufacturer builds on
proven ERP
Rising demand in the market and the need to more closely match factory output to it has led Munster Simms to implement a new MAPICS enterprise resource planning (ERP) system at its Bangor factory
Rising demand in the market and the need to more closely match factory output to it has led Munster Simms, an independent manufacturing company with a GBP 10 million annual turnover and keen export interests, to implement a new MAPICS enterprise resource planning (ERP) system at its Bangor, Northern Ireland factory Via a VPN link the system will also be used by the company's operations in Massachusetts, USA
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 2 Apr 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Renowned in boating and caravanning circles throughout the world for its wide range of Whale brand products, the company had been using a previous release of MAPICS since January, 1998.
The customer chose to stay with the supplier and implement a newer version in preference to competitive offerings from other vendors.
Munster Simms wanted to combine an improvement in response time to customer orders with high reliability in managing the manufacture of around 1,500 product types, ranging from low voltage pumps to water filters.
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To meet these requirements, the company considered all the leading ERP products, but eventually decided to stay with MAPICS and upgrade its existing software, which runs on an IBM iSeries computer.
"MAPICS has proved robust and dependable over many years," said Wesley Hanson, Finance Director, Munster Simms.
"But with growing pressure to deliver more products faster at lower cost, we needed to get at key manufacturing information more quickly and easily." Besides the project needing to be cost-effective, the main reasons for staying with MAPICS and investing further were: the software can be readily scaled up to meet business expansion and changes in supply chain processes; the underlying technology will enable e-business links with customers and suppliers to be implemented; and the vendor offers a comprehensive and flexible range of applications to meet all essential functions and new methods of working.
"When we compared it with the alternatives, a new MAPICS system was clearly the best way to meet our requirement.
And it had the added benefit of involving less risk, cost and disruption," said Wesley Hanson.
Munster Simms made the decision to upgrade its system when it became apparent that the non-MAPICS solution used by its operations in the USA needed replacing.
This software, installed at the company's Massachusetts office, could not cope with the demands of a growing business and has now been superseded by MAPICS software with VPN links to the Bangor factory.
The key improvement in the new Version 6 software used across the two sites is the MAPICS browser facility.
This makes it swift and simple to get information from the system through user-friendly screen presentations.
Users can quickly arrange information in groupings and sequences that give them a clear, up-to-date view of the situation in their part of the business.
Without help from the IT specialists, production, purchasing, stock control, sales and other departments can tailor the user interface to give them the information they need.
Wesley Hanson sees this as essential in reacting more quickly to fast moving markets.
"The existing system contained all the necessary information on inventory, products, customer orders, MRP, purchasing, etcetera - and by making this more accessible we could make the whole enterprise run more efficiently," he said.
"In our business, everything needed to build the products that customers want, must arrive in the assembly shop at exactly the right time - to achieve this, everyone in the organisation must have the right information precisely when they need it." In addition to installing the new browser, Version 6 of MAPICS uses XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language) data formats.
Since this is the standard format for e-business, Munster Simms now has strong foundations for building web-based supply chain management and CRM systems.
Commenting on the sale, Richard Montalvo, MAPICS Regional Director said: "MAPICS meets the needs of today and tomorrow; it is a well proven, robust platform upon which Munster Simms can build the systems it needs to meet ever increasing demands on its complex manufacturing operations.
"Including Munster Simms, MAPICS now has a portfolio of 15 customers in Ireland.
Together with our Master Affiliate distributor and implementer for the UK and Ireland, Open Business Solutions, we are working hard to expand our presence in the region, providing the systems and resources that manufacturers need to succeed in local and international markets." MAPICS is further increasing its investment in Ireland to more directly support existing customers and new business prospects.
This is being achieved in conjunction with Open Business Solutions, whom have recently increased their office resources in Dublin accordingly.
The office will serve as a strategic base for sales and support throughout the region.
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