Astrapak Standardizes Systems With SYSPRO ERP

Astrapak manufactures and supplies a wide range of plastic packaging products grouped into three divisions: Films, Rigids, and Flexibles. They have manufacturing facilities in all the main centers of South Africa and a joint venture operation in Mauritius. The products are supplied to the food, beverage, confectionary, agricultural, consumer, cosmetic, personal care, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, textile and industrial markets.


The Challenges
Astrapak recognized that one system across its enterprise was necessary for future success. Of the 23 business units, three were already running SYSPRO.


The Solution
It was decided to standardize on the SYSPRO solution, and to decentralize IT to the business units based on the highly entrepreneurial nature of each unit. The intention was to follow a single overall strategy, using standard SYSPRO functionality and the concept of strategically sourcing the additional suppliers required. As the various sites were implemented, each business unit acquired the necessary SYSPRO knowledge and took ownership of running the system. With SYSPRO, Astrapak was able to fulfill a critical requirement: for each sales person to act as though he was running his own business. The intention was for the sales person to order the raw material, control it in the warehouse, schedule production and see that the product gets made. The finished goods item was then to be kept in the warehouse and distributed to the customer under the salesman’s control. Finally, the salesman was to be responsible for the debtors’ book of his customers and ensure the money was collected. Using standard SYSPRO functionality and the SYSPRO Report Writer, a small development was undertaken to provide the sales people with the relevant reports.


The Outcome
New barcoding equipment which interfaces directly into SYSPRO has resulted in a more streamlined, robust solution. The three business units which were already running SYSPRO have been upgraded to SYSPRO 6.0 and are able to leverage off the strategic sourcing relationships now in place. Thanks to Astrapak’s single overall strategy, standardization on SYSPRO and the concept of strategic sourcing, the company achieved a successful implementation result unique to each business unit.








Learn more at the SYSPRO Newsroom.






New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.


For 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.


Also, read our 2017 Mid-Year Supplements
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Mid_Year_Supplement.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017Supp&gt


Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.



Follow Us on Twitter

Using The Cloud To Weatherproof Your Financials

Good Clouds and Bad Clouds
Recent weather events including flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, tornados from Northern California to Oklahoma, thunderstorms from Illinois to New York, and heat alerts in the Southeast have demonstrated the impact of ‘bad clouds’ on business and data availability.

I’ve often heard the phrase “you have to fight fire with fire.” Today many businesses are fighting clouds with The Cloud. In the case of one Oklahoma manufacturing firm, the solution to business problems involved using the Cloud to centralize data in a secure location that is impervious to the impacts of local disasters. By using the Cloud, DDB Unlimited (http://www.ddbunlimited.com/) was able to automate financial processes, streamline operations, eliminate accounting costs, and process orders faster.

Building a Cloud Solution
AIM Solutions in Dallas, TX helped DDB Unlimited, a rugged enclosure manufacturer, take advantage of Cloud technology. The solution was designed to automate business processes while simplifying infrastructure requirements.

Prior to moving to the Cloud, DDB Unlimited utilized QuickBooks for accounting and Profit 21 for CRM. Having disparate systems for different purposes created extra work including dual order entry, manual import and export processes, manual accounting, and offline reporting. In addition, the solution was susceptible to local power outages and other issues caused by ‘bad’ clouds. The accounting solution was scheduled to be replaced by a Sage MAS 90 solution, but during implementation, DDB Unlimited noticed that processes became slower and more confusing when using MAS 90.

After some investigation, DDB Unlimited determined that the Cloud could unify several operations in a single system. The Cloud eliminated manual accounting practices, providing an out-of-pocket savings of $80,000/year. In addition, the Cloud ERP solution did not require client software so installation was fast and maintenance does not require touching each computer or mobile device.

The Cloud solution came with import and export tools so existing data – including the chart of accounts, current account balances, customer, active orders, and much more could be easily imported. The solution was up and running in about one month.

Weatherproofing Financials
By replacing papers and forms with electronic orders, businesses such as DDB Unlimited have become much more efficient. However, when installed locally, a computer driven solution is just as susceptible to natural disasters as papers stacked in a filing cabinet. In addition, a faulty hard drive can have the same impact as a tornado when not properly backed-up.

The Cloud enables businesses to store their critical data offsite in a fault-tolerant datacenter with multiple sources of power and bandwidth. Data is replicated in different fault zones so a single disaster does not hinder business operations. DDB Unlimited’s manufacturing plant can still be impacted by local weather conditions, but it’s financials and business operating data are secure in a weatherproof electronic vault.

Documents as well as transactions
In addition to company financials, the Cloud can store critical business documents. Intellectual property, business processes, sales list, and company records can be maintained in a safe location. These documents can be linked to transactions to provide an audit trail and simplify the auditing process.

Don’t wash away the technical experts
The Cloud does not eliminate the need for technical experts. Access to the Internet and application configuration are still required.

The cloud allows technical experts to spend less time managing servers and more time helping solve business problems and analyzing business data. This allows IT employees to shift from being an unwanted expense to become an integral part of company profitability.

Are financials useful if your plant is impacted by a natural disaster?
If a natural disaster destroys your plant, does it really matter if your financials survive? The answer of course is yes. Insurance frequently covers your plant and allows you to rebuild in the event of a disaster. Putting a value on your financials, sales lists, customer orders, and critical business data is difficult, so it is frequently not insured. Often this uninsured data is what adds value to your business (many companies are purchased for only their customer lists and intellectual property). By using the cloud, you can effectively “insure” this part of your business. In the event of a natural disaster, you can still access your information using a computer from any Internet connection.

Contact us if you want a copy of the 2-page DDB Unlimited case study.

By djohnson
(http://erpcloudnews.com/2011/06/using-the-cloud-to-weatherproof-your-financials/)