SPI has implemented a print and fax output management solution for Lucite International South Africa (Pty) Limited, introducing cost savings and enhanced client service.
Lucite South Africa, a manufacturing and sales division of the world's leading supplier of methacrylates, Lucite International, produces acrylic sheet under the Perspex brand, and is based in Umbogintwini in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Garth Meier, account manager: SPI, says Lucite runs on both Unix and Windows NT platforms, using QAD Incorporated's Enterprise Resource Planning application, MFG/PRO, to integrate its manufacturing processes with sales, distribution and accounting.
"Lucite wanted to print, fax or e-mail client order documentation according to the customer's individual needs directly from MFG/PRO - without incurring any hardware expense and having the application running on a single, manageable server." Since Lucite previously sent no pre-notification to its country-wide clients to confirm orders and provide the delivery date and time, the company experienced trouble in delivering stock at a specified time, Meier says.
"Goods were often damaged because of the waiting period until a client was prepared to take delivery."
In addition, Lucite required the ability to fax or e-mail invoices, remittance advices and debtor statements directly to the client rather than posting such documentation, increasing payments within the allotted time period and streamlining the accounting process.
A further requirement from Lucite was a seamless changeover to the company's new name and logo on its stationery.
"The company traded as Ineos Acrylics until May this year, when it changed to Lucite, and wanted the process of changing its name and logo on all documentation to take place almost overnight."
SPI implemented Optio DCS (Document Customisation Server) and OptioFAX at Lucite, enabling it to do away with pre-printed stationery, custom-design all types of business documents and laser-print and fax the information in the required format.
Meier says the solution gave Lucite full control over the appearance and delivery of its enterprise application output.
"Optio DCS took the spool files from MFG/PRO and customised the 'look and feel' of the information to suite Lucite's requirements, doing away with the need for and high cost of pre-printed stationary, he explains.
Optio DCS also uses MFG/PRO's business rules to decide in which format, print or fax, clients receive their documentation, adds Meier.
Keith Mons, financial manager: Lucite International South Africa, says with Optio the company can confirm an order directly with a customer by faxing the document to him immediately.
"Automating our fax process via Optio also eliminated much human intervention to significantly enhance our employee productivity.
"The Lucite user can now send a supplier or a buyer a copy of his order without having to take the time to go to a manual fax machine.
"In addition, business documents can be printed effortlessly to a variety of printers at our other offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, while faxes can be sent to multiple destinations simultaneously."
Mons says the change from pre-printed forms to producing customized documents on demand has introduced significant cost savings and increased customer satisfaction.
"Our preprinted invoices used to be longer than a standard A4 page, with very long invoice numbers.
"Optio enabled us to relook our invoice structure, allowing clients to discard the special files needed to store our invoices and eliciting very positive responses from them."
He notes that with the Optio implementation, SPI had to deliver on an extremely tight deadline.
"From an implementation point of view, the solution has been a huge success - with assistance from QAD on its MFG/PRO system, SPI installed and had Lucite up and running within one week."
Optio's e-mail facility, to be available soon, would also allow Lucite to send documentation to its suppliers instantaneously from the PC desktop, adds Mons.
"Optio DCS and OptioFAX provided Lucite with a complete solution across its business, ensuring faster and more effective transfer of business data to clients and suppliers, and an effortless transition to its new name and logo," he concludes.
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