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News from EMDA and Infor from New Zealand, Australia and around the world
API Consumer Brands
Humes
Pharmaceutical company to increase production capacity by 20% with
Infor
API
Consumer Brands implements advanced scheduling tools to keep up with
customer demand
September 16 2009 –
Infor,
one of the largest providers of business software in the
world, today announced that API
Consumer Brands is implementing Infor SCM Advanced Scheduler in its
New Zealand pharmaceutical plant to better plan and manage its
manufacturing operations and address the large backlog of orders.
The project is expected to increase production capacity by
20% when it goes live in late October 2009.
API Consumer Brands is an Australian owned company, manufacturing
and distributing many pharmaceutical products from its
Peter Day, General manger of API Consumer Brands said: “The Infor
SCM Advanced Scheduler will allow us to completely change our
approach, freeing up resource, production lines and labour.
We will now be able to focus on the job requirements rather
than a daily schedule which we just couldn’t do before.”
“The success of our business depends on our ability to produce and
deliver products to match demand.
We have struggled to do this before but Infor’s Advanced
Scheduler will allow us to redress that balance.
It’s critical to our business.”
As a result of the Infor implementation, API Consumer Brands expects the following benefits:
-
Reverse the trend on increasing lead times per job, which had moved out from 3 months to 5 months
-
Make more efficient use of labour resources thus reducing costs
-
Improved customer satisfaction with more accurate delivery times and the elimination of late shipments
-
Increase efficiency to a point that usage capacity reduces from 100% to 80% - leaving room for more flexibility in production
James Brackenrig, MD Pacific Region, Infor said: “Despite the global
economic situation, API Consumer Brands has gone from strength to
strength to the point that it has almost become a victim of its own
success. We often see a
tipping point in production and logistics where spreadsheet based
planning and scheduling, never the most efficient method, just
grinds to a halt. This
is where we’re seeing a lot of demand for automated scheduling and
planning which can deliver significant business benefits.”
October 2009 –
Infor,
one of the largest providers of business software in the world, has
just signed a deal with Humes Pipeline Systems, to
help improve its planning processes and reduce stock
levels and operating costs, as they
look to complete a state-of the-art vertical technology
plant in South Auckland.
Humes Pipeline Systems
distributes and manufacturers products and systems for managing
water and other utilities primarily in urban environments and
roading. Humes is a division of
Humes will start implementing Infor
Supply Chain Management Demand Planning Enterprise including Demand
Forecasting, Replenishment Planning and Strategic Inventory Planner
later this month. The solution will help to improve
productivity and reduce stock levels and will replace traditional
excel spreadsheets.
The
state-of the-art
plant being built at
Papakura meant Humes needed to improve its planning
process, as traditionally, it was a cumbersome process and not
precise. Humes was only planning at a high level and this meant
increased levels of inventory were being stored as there was no
ability to plan at a product level. Additionally,
they were only reviewing demand forecasting two or
three times a year resulting in delayed reaction to changes in the
marketplace meaning either lost sales or too much stock.
The Infor system allows for greater
granularity and visibility, as well as more regular forecasting. As
a result, Humes can now ensure they have the right resources
properly utilised.
The Infor system will simplify the once complicated budgeting
process previously done via spreadsheets. Humes will now use the
forecasting tool as a basis for creating budgets, enabling them to
save time on the overall budgeting process and forecast more
accurately.
“We recognised the need for a robust and easy-to-use solution that
would enable us to keep growing as a business. Infor could provide
us with a tool that would streamline our
planning processes, whilst becoming more accurate and targeted with
our level of stock. It will allow us to plan at a finer level,
ensuring we are making the most out of our available resources”,
said Mike MacDonald, General Manager, Humes Pipeline systems.
James Brackenrig,
Vice President & Managing Director APAC, Infor,
said: "The visibility Infor’s solutions offer into business
processes and operations are perfect for Humes, delivering the
confidence needed to pursue growth opportunities and new paths
without jeopardising current service delivery or standards.”
About Infor
Infor acquires and develops functionally rich software backed by
thousands of domain experts and then makes it better through
continuous innovation, faster implementations, global enablement,
and flexible buying options. In a few short years, Infor has become
one of the largest providers of business software in the world. For
additional information, visit
www.infor.com
