Company

Adamsez, located in Northern Ireland, manufactures high quality baths, whirlpools and shower enclosures. The company has in the region of 200 different types of products in their range, selling mainly to specialist bathroom retailers in the UK and Ireland.

The Challenge

Adamsez needed to replace an outdated DOS-based system written by one individual. It had become increasingly difficult for the company to get the support needed and to upgrade the system. Adamsez also needed additional functionality to successfully move the business forward into the future.

Benefits

When we reviewed the options MXI and EFACS were the best and most cost effective ‘fit' for the requirements Adamsez had at the time. Admasez needed increased functionality for material requirements planning, production planning, shop floor data capture and the integration of our accounts. It was also important for Adamsez to be able to customise the system and this was possible using the EFACS programming tool, ADAPT. This was a must for Adamsez as they needed the system to fit with their specific production requirements. MXI oversaw and executed the implementation of the Forecast PRO system. The system has continually helped benefit Adamsez as it continually strives to control and reduce the amount of stock held. Some of our components have a three or four month lead time so planning and stock control is critical to efficient production. Adamsez' production is driven mainly by sales orders so demand is just two or three weeks ahead. To run MRP efficiently, we needed to match demand with their longest lead time and components at the very least.

"Forecast Pro .... saves us considerable time in our monthly planning meetings and we don't need to employ a forecasting expert."

Ken Graham, IT Manager.

Results

1. Streamlined Production

The company's production process has been streamlined. We use the EFACS module ‘Shop Floor Data Collection' to track and record all stages of the production process using a customised bar coding system.

2. Accurate Financial Analysis

The data held on EFACS helps Adamsez with analysing profit margins. EFACS gives Adamsez valuable information for the analysis of their sales margins, pricing policy and their most profitable products.

3. Efficient Management and Analysis of Costs

Adamsez can also now analyse material costs, labour costs and overheads to assess the cost of production for each product and plan production accordingly.

4. Increased Forecasting Accuracy

Forecast Pro saved Adamsez considerable time and money by producing accurate forecasts thus allowing the company to reduce stock and free up valuable factory floor space. Forecast Pro gives Adamsez a very clear picture of what parts they need to order. It has also saved them considerable time in our monthly planning meetings as they do not need to employ a forecasting expert. The Crystal Report software allows us to easily customise reports in a user friendly way.

5. Fostered Long Term Business Decision Making

Using EFACS and Forecast Pro, has given Adamsez faster access to information needed for day to day and longer-term business planning decisions. This has been aided by the generation of reports using Crystal Report.

"We have been able to reduce the stock we hold by using EFACS and Forecast PRO"

Roger Dunlop, Managing Director.