Ceres Fruit Juices (Pty) Ltd, the leader in the long life fruit juice market, has recently chosen Baan, a leading player in the information technology field, as its enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendor. Baan will implement an 80-user license over the next 12 months.
Baan, which had to contend with some stiff competition from vendors like Oracle and SAP, outscored its rivals based on a number of selected criteria.
According to James Metcalf project manager at Ceres Fruit Juices, "We chose Baan based on the following requirements; support, ease of implementation, implementation track record, fit, ease of use, strength of the vendor and the cost implication involved.
"Overall, Baan received the highest rating from a selected team of Ceres management and users and this was confirmed by the board of directors."
Says Adrian Hickey, account manager at Baan SA, "When we were approached, we were aware that Ceres existing systems no longer met its needs.
"Our software provides integrated solutions that enable process manufacturers to re-engineer their business operations and implement changes more quickly. The software supports JIT manufacturing, order fulfillment, distribution, transportation planning and financials,"
Metcalf is confident that the newly implemented software will "streamline the way we work and provide us with accurate and reliable real-time information." The Baan software will help add value to the management of the Ceres supply chain.
A full roll out plan is in place and Baan will provide ongoing service and support to Ceres.
Adds Metcalf," The first part of the project entails introduction to the Baan methodology, workshops and the building of the Sim 1 prototype. The second and third phase will involve defining of the master strategy; training of users; refining and customizing the solution finalising of the report layouts and migrating of the data.
" We are pleased that Baan has met all our expectations to date and look forward to building a relationship that will bear `fruit` in the future."
Concludes Yolanda Delport Marketing and alliance manager at Baan, "As a worldwide leader in ERP software our corporate mission is to provide market leading solutions that employ innovative, open information systems and enable flexible, productive manufacturing operations.
"We feel that our track record, ease of implementation and the ability of our software to meet the unique requirements of our clients is what enables Baan to do business with market leaders like Ceres,"
Editors note
About Ceres:
Ceres Fruit Juices (Pty) Ltd was formed in 1986. The head office and factory are located in the Ceres valley. Ceres Fruit Juices is the market leader in the long-life fruit juice market in South Africa.
Their main brands are Ceres and Liqui-Fruit, both 100 percent pure fruit juices. The other brands include Fruitree and Capri-Sonne. The factory packs in excess of 100 million litres of juice annually, using the latest state-of-the-art equipment. The product is distributed by agents to all the leading retail chains, as well as, to supermarkets and cafés.
In addition to the local market, Ceres fruit juice is also distributed to neighbouring countries and is exported to 35 countries worldwide.
About Baan Company:
The Baan Company is a leading vendor of enterprise-wide and cross-enterprise standard business administration software. The architecture of the Baan software permits rapid introduction and continuous adjustment, thus supporting the management of corporate processes, particularly in the auto, aviation, electrical and electronics industries, process-based and project-oriented companies. The Baan Company has an installed base of 4000, involving some 2 400 customers in more than 59 countries, and employs more than 3 500 workers. The company was founded in 1978, and is headquartered in Putten, Netherlands and Menlo Park, California. The company`s shares are quoted at NASDAQ (BAANF) and the stock markets of Amsterdam and Frankfurt (WPKN 895467).
Baan has been represented in South Africa since 1989 by the Q Data group company QMCS. In 1995 Baan took over the company from Q Data and a wholly owned subsidiary Baan South Africa was formed. Its client base consists of more than 60 leading organisations country-wide.
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