COSi Packing enhances service levels and customer retention with IMPACT

Leading contract packer COSi Packing has achieved exceptionally high levels of service and customer retention by maximising the potential of its IMPACT Encore ERP system from Syspro.

Janine De Billot, general manager of COSi Packing, says IMPACT plays a critical role in the company's quest to maintain its competitive-edge and develop an entrenched customer base.

"Our ability to use IMPACT to its full potential has resulted in loyal customers, motivated staff, and a successful, profitable business," she says. "Because of our high service levels, customers would rather keep their business with COSi Packing than go elsewhere."

The system was implemented using support services from ProActive Integrators. "The implementation went smoothly and was completed within tight time scales," De Billot says. "ProActive Integrators offers an excellent service - to such an extent that, after the first live month end, we didn't need any further support." A member of the COSi SA Group, COSi Packing designs, manufactures and distributes a wide array of packaging products. Its customer base includes Gillette, Panasonic, Adcock Ingram, Venture Computers and Bausch & Lomb. The products packed range from stationery to compact disks, sporting goods, computer and cell phone accessories, and electrical goods.

"The industry is intensely challenging and competitive," De Billot points out. "As the last link in the supply chain, we depend on our customers for components. It is necessary to cater for endless configurations of products and packagings, and changes occur frequently. IMPACT provides the flexibility we need to cope in this environment, and assists us in delivering to customers as promised."

Stock control is the core of all COSi Packing's distribution and manufacturing information. IMPACT is sufficiently flexible to cater for COSi's unique coding structure which allows the company to track customer-owned products quickly. Daily cycle counts are performed using IMPACT, thereby eliminating monthly stock counts and ensuring the information is as up to date as possible.

Other benefits delivered by IMPACT include total integration, the ability to produce financial reports quickly and easily, user-friendliness and auditability.

De Billot attributes COSi Packing's successful implementation of IMPACT to the product's ease of use, internal leadership and a commitment to keeping processes simple.

"The support of senior management is crucial, as is setting realistic goals and committing resources to achieve those goals," she says. "We also instilled a culture of system ownership by appointing responsible people in each area and making them accountable for their own projects.

"Furthermore, we invested time and money in training people thoroughly. We also created ways of checking that the system is performing correctly, so that corrective action can be taken if necessary."

In addition to using the standard IMPACT reports, COSi Packing has custom designed reports using the product's data dictionary and ODBC drivers, which enable the transfer of data to spreadsheets or external report writers. COSi's customised reports include daily sales and gross profit reports, sales versus cost of sales, and a regularly updated price list.