Infor Supercharges ERP Implementation at Dematic
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Infor Meets 90-Day Implementation Deadline with Tailored Logistics Solution
Infor today announced that it implemented Infor ERP SL (formerly SyteLine) at Dematic Asia Pacific in only 90 days. The business-specific functionality built-in to SL enabled Dematic, a world leading supplier of integrated logistics and material handling solutions, to meet its 90-day implementation deadline with minimal disruption to business flow. SL replaced SAP, saving the company AU$500,000 per year in licensing costs and contributing to Dematic's growth strategy.
"We had a really tight window to completely re-vamp our ERP and that was an enormous commitment, on top of all our other IT and telecommunications infrastructure projects throughout the region," said Allan Davies, CIO, Dematic Asia Pacific. "And despite the time constraint, we could not compromise on quality. We needed SL to meet our business needs, not the other way around."
"We were looking down the barrel of a 250-day implementation with SAP but Infor had to be able to cut that time by more than 270 percent to just 90 days."
In late 2006, then-Dematic owner Siemens sold the company to Germany-based Triton. As part of this deal, Dematic was instructed to complete the separation from Siemens, including all business processes and technology infrastructure, in just 90 days.
After a review of solutions that included the SAP templates used in the company's European and US offices, Dematic bucked the trend by selecting SL to manage all product planning and production processes in Asia Pacific. According to Davies, "in a meeting with the Finance team and the Board, we decided that Infor had the best business fit for purpose against the other solutions." For Dematic, this came down to three criteria:
o Infor's expertise in the manufacturing industry;
o The ability to implement in just 90 days; ando A clear demonstration of low total cost of ownership.
Infor worked with Dematic to overcome several challenges within the short timeframe. For example, the implementation involved extracting data from the previous system. Infor assisted Dematic in writing the databases needed to extract data and upload it into the solution. SL's data loading facility also contributed to the process, which was completed within two weeks. This bulk upload was "almost flawless" according to Davies.
Furthermore, Infor's business-specific functionality meant that many of Dematic's needs were already catered for by SL. For example, when the company implemented SAP under Siemens, it needed to spend time installing three separate templates for Dematic's three business focuses: products, systems and solutions. "Unlike SAP, where installing these three templates is necessary, SL already includes a specific framework that caters to our business needs."
According to James Brackenrig, Infor's Vice President and Managing Director of the Pacific region, Dematic's SL implementation represents what many customers have long been asking for: business-specific technology that is easy to deploy.
"We don't believe anyone else is providing industries with the same degree of built-in functionality as Infor," said Brackenrig. "The reality is, if we can provide more tailored technology, deployment is faster and the customer is happier in the long term. SL reflects our commitment to providing customers with the flexibility they need to run a more effective business."
Davies is currently reviewing the opportunity to use workflow within SL to automate the invoice, purchase order approval process and business intelligence functionality. Davies expects to use Infor Open SOA functionality to further enhance the system by adding Infor EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) and other capabilities in the future.
Infor ERP SL is a comprehensive solution with capabilities for Design, Sell, Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Service and Finance functions in a Microsoft .NET technology environment. SL provides flexible functionality and efficient processes which adapt to meet the unique requirements of businesses within discrete manufacturing and ensure smooth, cost-effective process execution.
About Dematic Asia Pacific
Dematic is a world leading supplier of integrated logistics and material handling solutions. Dematic Asia Pacific stretches from Japan, Korea and China in the north of the region, down through South East Asia to Australia and New Zealand. Logistics for many businesses is a source of competitive advantage. Throughout Asia Pacific, Dematic has assisted many organizations to adopt innovative approaches to improving supply chain performance.
About InforInfor delivers business-specific software to enterprising organizations. With experience built in, Infor's solutions enable businesses of all sizes to be more enterprising and adapt to the rapid changes of a global marketplace. With more than 70,000 customers, Infor is changing what businesses expect from an enterprise software provider. For additional information, visit www.infor.com.
