Barloworld Plascon has enhanced its Colour Expressions Network with the aid of Unisys Africa in a deal worth R3 million. The company can now deliver paint mixing formulae electronically to over 600 stockists around the country.
The network replaces a printed book that holds over 12 000 colour paint formulae, improving the company`s efficiencies and speed to market and improving customer service levels.
"Implementing the Colour Expressions Network will keep us ahead of the pack, making us more flexible and able to adjust to market demands faster, reducing long-term costs and giving us a platform on which to implement further technology enhancements," says Alan Cotton, colour technology manager at Barloworld Plascon.
Since 1889 Plascon has developed into a 100-million-litre-a year-company. Today it is a Proudly South African business with operations around the globe.
Over a decade ago Plascon implemented its colour tinting system, a process that sees stockists procuring base paints and colourants, then mixing them on-site. That process improved service levels and enhanced efficiencies, but as the number of formula permutations grew over the years, it became cumbersome to maintain.
"This is our third-generation colour system, and these improvements ensure we maintain our colour leadership position," says Cotton.
Prior to the Colour Expressions Network, Plascon aimed to link stockists` PCs to a central site to facilitate formula distribution. The company began implementing the system by first introducing tinting devices to stockists. These devices actually mix the paint, combining the base with the colour tint to achieve the desired colour.
The tinting machines are linked to Mecer PCs that contain the formulas on-site at the stockists and automatically mix the required paints. The PCs also retain customer information, including previously bought products and colours.
"Retaining customer information gives the stockists the ability to deliver previously tinted colours to existing customers, which helps when matching colours. That`s just one way the system helps to improve customer service," says Cotton.
The Colour Expressions Network, which Unisys has helped implement while managing and supporting the stockist PCs, the network and the central server, gives Plascon the ability to deliver formulae to stockists overnight. Competitors, on the other hand, will be left printing formula encyclopaedias and distributing them to stores around the country.
Paint and general stockist management has also been eased and Plascon will be able to add value to stockists through information analysis.
"In the decorative paints, the market in which we operate, tinting is one of the fastest growing sectors and we have observed a trend that sees sales increase where stockists have tinting machines on-site. With the Colour Expressions Network, we have improved this and supported the continuing growth in this sector," says Cotton.
The biggest problem Plascon faced when planning and strategising the system was support. With more than 600 stockists distributed across the country, some in remote locations, support could make or break the entire system. Linking the stockist PCs to the server at Unisys is Telkom`s VIP-Dial service, a virtual private network (VPN) that uses standard telephone lines, at local call charges, for dialup access. Stockists dial an 086 number to gain secure access across the Internet.
Plascon analysed existing ATM and petrol station forecourt systems support suppliers to find its solution and contacted Unisys Africa based on its analysis. Unisys helped with the deployment and ongoing support of the stockist PCs, and it manages the Telkom portion of the network on behalf of Plascon.
"Unisys provided us with a total integrated solution, a major factor in our decision. Working with Unisys gives us a single point of contact for support, and although Telkom is the single external factor in the solution, Unisys has such close ties with the national telecoms provider that we`ve had a very good experience to date," says Cotton.
"A partnership is only as effective as the co-operation between all parties involved," says Geoff Tuck, Regional Sales Director GIS at Unisys. "We have over 32 engineering facilities around the country with a team of between 10 and 15 specialists assisting Plascon. The team has built a strong relationship with open, clear channels of communication and this has been a major contributor to the success of this project. Added to this, Unisys` ability to manage third-party contractors and suppliers is an added benefit that makes many of our customers` lives easier."
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