Boumat subsidiary Kwikot, South Africa`s largest manufacturer of geysers, has reduced management headcount at all four divisions yet improved efficiencies by centralising its financial, inventory and management systems.
Kwikot has implemented a wide-area network with voice-over-data functionality and complete financial and inventory management systems. The company aims to optimise inventory, streamline production, and boost its export drive.
The company has centralised its system and networked its distribution centres in Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and its manufacturing operations: its Benoni plant operates three eight-hour shifts.
The system uses Chameleon 2000 manufacturing and financial software, a dual-processor Pentium Promaster 605 tower server from Computer Configurations, and a wide-area network installed by Dimension Data.
Kwikot financial director Sean Wanckel says the solution was chosen in the light of market pressures on Kwikot to improve efficiencies and reduce production costs.
"Kwikot is growing its markets in the UK and into Africa, and at the same time facing competition from European imports. We have changed the management structure of the company dramatically, removing a layer, flattening it at branch level and centralising controls. We have done away with standalone systems at each branch, and by centralising data management, improved control of our manufacturing and distribution processes despite management headcount reductions at all centres."
Kwikot has eliminated duplication of computer systems at each branch, cut monthly maintenance costs, and has benefited from a single, central data repository.
"Management information reaches us in hours, rather than monthly," says systems administrator Daphne Swart. "With the voice-over-data facility our monthly telephone bill has been cut by more than R6 000."
The solution was a departure from Boumat`s IT strategy to source solutions inhouse, but Wanckel says Kwikot and Computer Configurations collaborated to identify suppliers which would implement the system with as little disruption as possible to the business of the company.
"When we questioned the ability of the Promaster to run a full inventory, manufacturing and financial system, Computer Configurations gained the support of all suppliers to assure us it would work. We relied on Computer Configurations to advise us on the choice of solution and ongoing support procedures. As a result we have a stable system."
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