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Tag: ERP

ERP Software Solution Firm Promotes

Posted on by David Priestman

Iptor, a provider of cloud-based ERP software solutions for the distribution, timber, publishing and pharma industries, today announces a series of leadership promotions, establishing the executive team that will drive continued growth.

Having successfully transformed Iptor, alongside CEO Jayne Archbold, by developing it into a cloud business through the launch of Iptor.com and acquiring TimberTec and PLX, whilst also driving 79% EBITDA growth since 2016, Christopher Catterfeld, Iptor Chief Marketing and Product Officer is promoted to Group Chief Marketing Officer of GSG GENII Software Group, Iptor’s parent company. GENII is the home for market-leading, niche enterprise software businesses, whose solutions manage the most critical business processes of mid-sized companies across five vertical markets – Distribution, Manufacturing, Retail, Public Services and Laboratories, with Iptor being its main Distribution ERP solution. Catterfeld, who will also retain his current role, will focus his energy on developing the GENII brand, building marketing synergies across the Group as well as identifying growth acceleration and new acquisitions.
Further leadership changes are as follows:

• Jessica Hayes, who joined Iptor in January 2021 as EVP Products & Strategy, is appointed as President EMEA. Jessica will take on all day-today responsibilities for leading Iptor in this region.
• Kristian Niklasson, who previously led Iptor’s Nordic countries, is appointed Managing Director of TimberTec, focusing on the expansion of this business in new geographies, especially the Nordics. Niklasson will form part of the TimberTec management team together with founders Andreas Boll and Frank Ridder.
• Bart Monstrey, who previously led Iptor’s European business will now focus on taking PLX into new countries as its growth accelerates, initially in Benelux and France.
• In the US region, Mark Tredgold is taking over the regional President role from Jim Smith, who will remain part of the leadership team to support the transition.

Jayne Archbold, Iptor CEO and Interim Head of People across GENII Group, comments, “I am delighted that that we have been able to make these promotions, which demonstrate the depth of talent we have. These leaders, combined with the investments we have made, have had a dramatic impact on our business performance, delivering continued growth for Iptor and excellent value for our customers. Jessica is the ideal person to lead Iptor and the wider GENII Distribution business as it grows and scales, whilst Kristian and Bart have the market expertise that is required to expand TimberTec and PLX’s geographic reach. Having worked alongside Christopher for many years I know he is the best person to lead marketing for the Group as we replicate Iptor’s growth strategy across the wider business.”

Iptor is a global leader in enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, planning and logistics software and services.

Jacuzzi Chooses Infor CloudSuite

Posted on by David Priestman

Infor® has announced Jacuzzi Brands Inc. has selected Infor ‘CloudSuite Industrial Enterprise’ to help improve inventory accuracy and supply chain efficiency, enhance customer experience and standardize business processes.

“This was a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase our commitment to partnership, industry expertise and our incredibly talented teams,”
said Infor EVP and General Manager Ed Allen. “Jacuzzi has been growing and realized it could no longer meet its business goals by following the current path. Multiple solutions at different facilities resulted in a system that was disconnected and unintegrated. It was important to Jacuzzi to get cross-functional business capabilities on the same platform, unifying the enterprise through one consistent set of solutions and technology. We have developed strong relationships with an innovative industry leader and great customer, and their future is bright with Infor.”

Founded in 1956, Jacuzzi Brands is a global manufacturer of premium spas, swim spas, whirlpools, soaker and walk-in bathtubs and related bathroom products and accessories. Its brands include Jacuzzi®, Sundance®, Dimension One Spas®, Hydropool®, ThermoSpas® and BathWraps®. The company’s flagship brand, Jacuzzi®, is the most recognized in the world for spa and hydrotherapy bathing.

An Infor customer since 1985, Jacuzzi had been running Infor ERP on-premises in many worldwide facilities. In 2019, Jacuzzi management realized that the current situation would not support the company’s growth. Specifically, Jacuzzi wanted to better manage its inventory and reduce inventory levels. It also hoped to improve supply chain effectiveness and raise the customer experience. After a review involving multiple vendors, the company chose Infor CloudSuite Industrial Enterprise.

“We were convinced that we would not be able to reach our business goals and profitability objectives using our legacy platforms,” said Brian Pierson, Jacuzzi Brands global chief operating officer. “One of Infor’s advantages is that they are easy to do business with. They brought together the right people at the right time and were able to show us that they had the right solution for our organization. We know they have got our backs throughout this journey.”

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. We develop complete solutions for our focus industries.
Infor’s mission-critical enterprise applications and services are designed to deliver sustainable operational advantages with security and faster time to value. Over 60,000 organizations in more than 175 countries rely on Infor’s 17,000 employees to help achieve their business goals. As a Koch company, our financial strength, ownership structure, and long-term view empower us to foster enduring, mutually beneficial relationships with our customers.

K3 Syspro rebrands to NexSys

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) specialist K3 Syspro has rebranded to NexSys Solutions Limited as part of a strategic move to better represent its services and solutions. The new brand was revealed during the company’s annual Customer Day at the Jaguar Experience Centre in Birmingham in front of over 150 customers and partners.

The company remains an elite partner of SYSPRO ERP, specialising in delivering best-of-breed solutions to customers. This involves integrating its own technologies with SYSPRO at the core to enable customers to gain maximum visibility over business-critical data, thereby aiding aid rapid decision-making.

Nick McGrane, managing director of NexSys, explained how the new name better reflects the company’s proposition. “We’re going through a period of change where businesses are having to continually evolve, adapt and update their proposition in order to remain competitive. Innovative solutions are critical to this and throughout our near 40-year history, we have been committed to providing best-of-breed solutions that help our customers thrive.

“We are excited about the future that digital transformation offers for companies looking to power business growth through advancing technologies. SYSPRO ERP remains central to our solutions, complimented by our own DataSwitch integration tool, our Orchard warehouse management technology, and Making Tax Digital solution. Our focus is on helping businesses gain a competitive advantage by adopting appropriate technologies which integrate to solve pressing challenges, and our rebrand reflects this. As part of the global K3 group, NexSys has access to complementary technologies, expertise and support which benefit our customers.”

K3 Syspro was established in 1983 under the previous name of McGuffie Brunton. In 2007, the firm was acquired by the K3 Business Technology Group for £12.5 million, becoming a focal point in the K3 portfolio for manufacturing and distribution technologies. NexSys remains a K3 company and will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2023.

McGrane continued: “We may have a new name and brand, but we retain our ethos of putting people at the heart of our operations. Our customers know that an investment in SYSPRO is not just an investment in an ERP product, but an investment in a long-lasting partnership with us.

“We have also carried over our culture from K3 Syspro. We remain customer-focused and approachable, as extensions to our customers’ technology project teams. Most of our own people have been with us since the McGuffie Brunton days. Indeed, I have worked my way up through the company over the past few decades and remain proud of everything we have achieved. With a new name, a new brand, and continually developing technology innovatively, we remain well positioned to help our customers navigate the future.”

CAPTION (left to right): Nick McGrane, Managing Director; Catherine Oakley, Finance Director; Chris Burnett, Sales Director; Steve Gore, Services Director

Forterro Expands with Acquisition of Wise Software

Posted on by David Priestman

Forterro, a European provider of software solutions to more than 10,000 small and midsized industrial companies, today announced its acquisition of Wise Software (UK) Ltd (OrderWise), a provider of ERP software solutions for industrial companies with retail, wholesale, ecommerce, and distribution requirements. OrderWise’s specialised, highly-integrated financials, order management, Point of Sale (POS), warehouse management (WMS), transportation management (TMS) and ecommerce solutions are used by nearly 1,000 clients throughout the United Kingdom.

OrderWise will significantly expand Forterro’s northern Europe region, with the product representing the group’s fourth largest revenue stream and fourth largest customer base. The acquisition marks Forterro’s second in the UK, following its acquisition of 123insight a year ago. It also serves as Forterro’s inaugural acquisition under its new owners Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, acting on behalf of its clients.

“We warmly welcome OrderWise, its people and customers,” said Dean Forbes, CEO of Forterro. “OrderWise and its products are a perfect fit with the Forterro vision and cements our position as the leading provider of software solutions for the industrial SMEs of Europe.”

Richard Furby, president of Forterro Northern Europe and group M&A, agreed. “Forterro’s portfolio of solutions for the midmarket manufacturing sector comprises a diverse range of local and vertical industry solutions. OrderWise has a core strength in the UK warehousing and distribution spaces, which when added to our acquisition last year of DACH-focused myfactory, means we now serve the needs of over 5,000 European customers in these two niches alone.”

David Hallam, founder of OrderWise, will transition out of the business. He will be handing over to his well established leadership team to work with Forterro on the next phase of growth for OrderWise. “This is a bittersweet moment for me,” said Hallam, who coded the first version of the OrderWise system just a few years after completing college. “It will be one of my life’s greatest achievements to have built a business that has been able to help so many UK companies grow and thrive.”

He continued: “The past two years have been our strongest to date. As we close in on another year of double-digit revenue growth and finalise the development of our browser-based version, OrderWise is in an ideal position for new ownership. I have been searching for a partner that would take this company to the next level, while allowing us to stay true to our roots and continue taking care of our customers. I am pleased to say that Forterro is that partner.”

Digital excise tax connector SAP certified

Posted on by David Priestman

The digitalization specialist Implico Group is proud to announce that the Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 is now officially SAP certified for integration with SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The helpful interface was co-developed by the company’s subsidiary in the United States, Implico, Inc., and the tax experts at Avalara. By connecting the powerful tax tool AvaTax Excise with the SAP ERP system, it enables automated excise tax calculation for North American suppliers, distributors, retailers, and traders in the energy sector and other industries.

The proper calculation of excise taxes is a complex task – especially for downstream companies. In each process, there are many different factors that influence the tax rate: Products and blends. Origins and destinations. Effective dates and exemptions. Branded and unbranded products. Gross and net volumes. Additionally, there is another challenge for companies registered in North America: There, the different tax rates are regulated by the Federal Government as well as State Governments and Local Governments. Independently of each other, these jurisdictions adjust the rates several times a year.

As cloud service or on-premise installation, the Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 integrates the proven tax tool AvaTax Excise into the standard sales and purchase functions of a company’s SAP ERP system. In turn, this facilitates automated tax determination and calculation for a wide range of processes. The benefits are manifold and meaningful: AvaTax Excise minimizes the chance of inaccuracies and errors. It empowers its users to ensure consistency and manage complexity as their businesses grow. And it frees space for the teams to stay focused and deal with their key objectives rather than getting overwhelmed by manual work. Via automatic updates, the software is always up to speed. At any point, it provides quick and easy access to all relevant information.

The SAP integration certification confirms the technical compliance of Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 with SAP certification procedures. It also qualifies Implico and Avalara’s interface software for listing in the SAP Certified Solutions Directory. This creates visibility and builds trust. According to SAP, selecting a certified partner solution helps companies ensure that they can cut implementation times, lower integration costs, and be confident of compatibility with their SAP technology infrastructure.

Supply Chain risks to retail profitability

Posted on by David Priestman

In a thoughtful webinar today digital freight forwarder Zencargo co-Founder, Richard Fattal, and Bis Henderson‘s Louisa Hosegood debated the unprecedented pressures in the global supply chain this year and how they jeopardise retailer’s profitability.

There has been an undoubted change in consumer behaviour, including the acceleration of ecommerce uptake. Consumers remain fickle, increasingly conscious of their environmental footprint. They are evaluating purchasing needs and ethical choices. Omnichannel, where a consumer, for example, might buy online, collect in store and pick up another item there, then return something by mail. Reverse logistics and the management of returns has become even more important. Supply chains must therefore be flexible enough to manage this while maintaining prices, or profitability will fall. For example, cancellations of orders fall if long term lead time information is more detailed.

What is the expectation in each vertical or location? From a supply perspective disruptions have increased. Container spot prices are a record $14000 now (Far East to Europe). Airfreight availability is reduced due to lower belly capacity with fewer passenger jets flying. This volatility in delivery is likely to persist till late next year. New sourcing options are needed to maintain choice and increase efficiency. Retailers can only absorb some of the costs. Excess demand in the USA, combined with shipping and port handling capacity that cannot be increased quickly enough are also causing waves.

Some items are always price elastic and are expected to be in full supply at a low cost. Other products are more inelastic. Those SKUs can be re-worked over the short to medium term, making inventory changes to achieve agility.

Retailers should ask how risky their operating model is. There will always be a new challenge. Hope is not a strategy. It is important to co-ordinate teams internationally in supply chain management so that big decisions can be taken from a whole-business point of view. Own the total. Data then analysis then decisions.

Should retailers buy by price margin rather than just quality? The profitability of the route to market, holding and delivering, will lead to new KPIs. Teams such as purchasing and merchandising need aligning.

Customers Invest in SaaS Transitions

Posted on by David Priestman

Iptor, the Swedish based leader in enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, planning and logistics software and services has achieved exceptional success in Norway, Sweden and Finland in the first half of 2020. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic the business has secured four major ‘wins’ with both new customers and significant increases in investment from existing customers. The company, which was acquired by Bregal Unternehmerkapital alongside investment from CEO Jayne Archbold and Chief Marketing and Product Officer Christopher Catterfeld, in January, has announced the following new contracts:

Swedish lubricating grease manufacturer Axel Christiernsson has increased its investment in Iptor by adopting its Iptor DC1 SaaS solution to improve efficiency and simplify processes. The company, which has production plants in Sweden, the Netherlands, France and the U.S.A and operates globally, needed to future-proof its technology. Adopting Iptor DC1 will help it reduce time consuming processes, become more streamlined and ensure capacity flexibility without additional cost – and always with high application availability.

Finnish high-performance luxury sailing yacht manufacturer Nautor has invested in Iptor SaaS to drive efficiency and expansion by upgrading to Iptor DC1 v11 and Project Chain Management. Moving from its previous on-premise software to SaaS means Iptor now takes care of Nautor’s entire ERP platform and infrastructure enabling the company to focus on its core business – producing the famous luxury Swan sailing yachts.

Norwegian headquartered Tess, which produces special hoses, hose fittings and other products related to hydraulics and subsea and is also the country’s largest distributor of welding and gas equipment, has selected Iptor as its provider of Cloud Managed Services, running Iptor DC1, its flagship cloud-based ERP solution. Iptor replaces Tess’ current hosting provider. With products distributed through more than 140 service centers across the country, all with locally adjusted products, services and inventory, the ability to be flexible and better manage capacity fluctuations without additional investment, was a key factor in the selection of Iptor.

Finnish heavy transport specialist VTA Tekniikka Oy has upgraded to Iptor DC1 v11. The company, which imports and sells lifting devices and cargo space temperature control equipment plus special technology for trucks, needed a technology solution that enables it to efficiently and simply manage its operations, allowing for capacity flexibility whilst maintaining quality standards. As well as the upgrade, VTA Tekniikka Oy are also implementing the Iptor Aperio open API platform. This allows VTA Tekniikka Oy to take advantage of the flexibility of advanced API based integrations and mobile solutions.

Jayne Archbold, Iptor CEO, said, “The challenges of the past six months have been unprecedented. However, it has also been a time where efficient operations, distribution and supply chains have never been more important, and technology plays a crucial role in this. Our customers have recognized the need to continue to invest in their IT and we are delighted they have shown trust in Iptor. We have made substantial investments in our technology over the past 18 months as well placing great emphasis on building long-term partnership with our customers. We look forward to continuing this for many years to come.” http://www.iptor.com

Lean but Smart ERP

Posted on by David Priestman

Staying lean but getting smarter: Biju Kewalram of Agility says that wrap-around technology is taking ERP systems to the next level.

The pandemic has led to some soul-searching about approaches to inventory. Have we been too quick to embrace ‘lean’ and ‘just in time’? Could the idea of ‘safety stock’ – largely dismissed some time ago as inefficient and old-fashioned – make a comeback? Companies have struggled to optimise their inventories during such a turbulent time: how much stock do they need, where should it be kept, and how much should be in the pipeline at any one time? The calculation is different for each industry, and the level of preparedness greatly varies, too. Automotive manufacturers with
their large, complex supply chains are among the most sophisticated in terms of agile supply chain management and using data for optimisation. The nature of the industry means that they are
used to shifting production between different parts suppliers and moving components from all around the world to assembly locations. Carmakers are therefore well-equipped to loosen their
definition of ‘just in time’ if they need to, but other industries have had more of an uphill climb. Every industry has had to get smarter and to think about post-corona optimisation and risk mitigation strategies.

Now is the time to move forward at a faster pace than ever before. Companies need to have a good idea of how much buffer stock they need, the cost of that, and how this impacts efforts to be efficient with working capital. Inventory management technology can help to restore supply/demand balance and rethink the way we approach supply chain optimisation. As the impacts of the crisis have ricocheted around the world, sophisticated enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, which came into their own in the 1990s, are being extended with modern wrap-around
technology to play an even greater role. You can read the whole story, from our September issue here:

https://flickread.com/edition/html/index.php?pdf=5f3d1fcf3160d#14

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