Irish brewer and alcoholic beverage distributor Beamish & Crawford has invested over 150,000 in System21 Aurora, a next-generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with real-time business process management capabilities, from Geac (TSX:GAC, NASDAQ:GEAC). The system is expected to improve Beamish & Crawfords manufacturing and logistics capability, enhancing interaction between the company and its suppliers and clients. The system, which will run on an IBM iSeries model 520, is expected to go live by September 2005.
Beamish & Crawford will be using process.connect, a business process management application within System21 Aurora, to provide clients with visibility into deliveries and stock levels via the Web. Process.connect is designed to enable clients to check on Beamish & Crawfords stock levels to ensure the deliveries they are about to receive will be complete. Beamish & Crawford may also check on a clients allocated stock levels and, if required, initiate the order processes to replenish them.
Dave Dilloughery, I.T. manager, Beamish & Crawford, explains how the technology promises to improve client relationships: By enabling us to check on their stock levels, key, large-scale clients can spread the responsibility of maintaining stock levels. This style of vendor-managed inventory is key to our business strategy because it creates a very strong relationship between us and our customers.
Beamish & Crawford will also be using the new order capture capabilities within System21 Aurora to drive a new proactive telemarketing initiative from its customer service centre in Cork. This is a totally new area for Beamish & Crawford and one with System21 Aurora at the very heart of its operations.
Dave Dilloughery continues: The order capture application is a big bonus for us as it will enable us to develop a much more comprehensive customer database without having to use additional CRM software packages. We plan to use the system to make proactive calls to clients based on their order history, which will help us further develop each relationship.
Internally, Beamish & Crawford expects to use System21 Aurora to remodel and review business processes, removing any stages that do not directly add value. Dilloughery explains how the functionality of System21 Aurora will drive these streamlined processes: Workflow capabilities within System21 Aurora will enable us to trigger not only software processes but also people-based actions. For instance, if we recognise an order cannot be immediately fulfilled due to a lack of stock, we can rectify the situation immediately. System21 Aurora enables us to prevent problems before a customer is affected by them and so it will be crucial in our drive to further improve customer satisfaction levels.
Aidan Keogh, managing director, Geac System21 in Ireland, said: Beamish & Crawford have recognised the rich product functionality in Aurora which will help to maximise customer satisfaction and support key business strategies. We are delighted to extend our long standing relationship with a leading player in the drinks industry in Ireland.
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