ShowerLux manages product range with Infor and AccountAbility

Johannesburg, 03 Dec 1999

ShowerLux SA, the Swiss-based company specialising in the manufacture of shower doors, has implemented Infor`s NT-based ERP solution along with JSE-listed Ixchange`s AccountAbility financial management solution to manage the costs and complexities of the company`s product range.

Ian Fourie, MD of ShowerLux SA says the company was looking for a fully integrated ERP system with a financial offering that would fit in with the company`s needs.

While Infor:NT does not contain a financial solution, an agreement with Ixchange includes AccountAbility as Infor`s financial module. AccountAbility forms part of Ixchange`s Ability suite of business management solutions.

Fourie says AccountAbility was found to be more user-friendly than Showerlux`s previous system, and the easily integrated financial application was a factor in its selection.

"Both Infor and the Ability range of business management solutions are built on the same platform - Windows NT," says Johan Buys, director of the Ability suite of business management solutions at Ixchange. "Integrating the two suites to securely work together was therefore not a complex procedure."

Fourie notes that ShowerLux had been running on a Unix platform, but that he was happy to change to NT since there is a large installed base of businesses running the operating system. The company had to acquire a new server, but maintained the rest of its hardware investment, even converting some desktop systems into thin clients.

A key factor in the decision to choose Infor as opposed to other applications was its Computer Aided Planning (CAP) module, which assisted ShowerLux in the complex configurations of various product lines. Fourie adds that ShowerLux needed to have a user-friendly, easy to operate system that could cope with the immense complexities of a `made to specification` environment. The comprehensive online help and the support provided by Infor and Ixchange, as well as the ease of data migration from the old system also counted in Infor/Ixchange`s favour. ShowerLux SA employs 69 people in three branches and its parent company employs more than 3000 people worldwide.

ABILITY

Ixchange`s Ability suite of software is the leading suite of business management solutions for medium sized companies in the areas of retail, distribution and services. This software suite is made up of the AccountAbility back-office financial control system, SaleAbility retail management system, VizAbility strategic inventory management system and ProfitAbility customer order fulfilment system. These applications are all integrated into the Ability suite and run on Microsoft platforms.

Ixchange

Ixchange is a South African listed company focused on leading the international mid-range customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain optimisation software markets. The company has entrenched its leadership position in the front-office with its HEAT and GoldMine products, while its ABILITY suite of applications has emerged in South Africa as the market-leading back-office suite for medium sized implementations in the services, distribution and retail sectors. Ixchange is focused on the international market with offices in Swindon (UK), Colorado Springs (US), Los Angeles (US), Sydney (Australia), Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.