Johannesburg, 15 Jun 2000
A company that does not try to future proof itself by having computer systems able to deliver the flexibility needed in today`s business world, is in danger of not being able to play a full role in the new economy.
That is the opinion of Paul Whalley, General Manager of Industrial & Financial Systems (IFS) South Africa, the world fastest growing business solutions company, which has solutions addressing the needs of manufacturing, batch processing, engineering, project delivery, automotive, telecommunications and energy fields.
"It`s never been more crucial to have the right systems in place to accommodate rapid change easily. The goal posts are moving continuously and companies are finding that their legacy systems are not giving them the easy integration capabilities they need to link their ERP and front office systems such as CRM, and e-commerce.
"Such companies are not future-proofed. They can`t even implement new versions of their software without embarking on lengthy and costly projects."
IFS is to present a paper on Future Proofing Your Business Application, at the SAPICS Conference, Sun City June 25 -28. It discusses the strategies and technologies companies should consider to match the changing business environments.
The presentation, to be given by Alastair Sorbie, Managing Director IFS EMEA West, will examine the benefits of component-based business computing solutions in manufacturing companies today, with specific reference to their role in supply chain integration and management.
"Component-based software lets companies change only those parts of a solution that needs to be changed. You don`t have to change the whole system," says Whalley.
In the new economy electronic ordering systems have to integrate seamlessly with the needs of the physical supply chain world involving materials procurement, with links to business partners, production and logistics, which can also involve third party companies.
"When an order is placed through a Web site, a chain of processes is triggered. Scheduling and work order systems are activated; parts inventories are checked and new parts ordered from suppliers; the delivery date is advised; shipping documents are created, ledger entries generated etc - all along the supply chain.
"Traditional ERP systems tend only to look internally rather than across the whole supply chain. With the advent of e-commerce, markets are becoming far more personalised and the focus is now more on the integrated supply chain which has to be geared to markets of one rather than serving the needs of mass markets," says Whalley.
IFS is also exhibiting in South Africa for the first time at SAPICS. The company, which already has several locally represented international clients, is using SAPICS to launch itself to South Africa`s manufacturing community. It is demonstrating the different features of IFS solutions at its stand as well as providing comprehensive information on its range of solutions that span back office systems, CRM, e-business and WAP-enabled systems.
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