One of the UK's biggest manufacturers of rigid and cellular PVC products has invested GBP250,000 in an advanced planning and scheduling solution to practice synchronised finite planning.
HW (Heywood Williams) Plastics, one of the UK's biggest manufacturers of rigid and cellular PVC for use in window frames and roofs, has invested GBP250,000 in an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) solution from Geac Enterprise Solutions, a division of Geac Computer Corporation. The system will provide synchronised finite planning of both manufactured and purchase items, and extends the HW Plastics investment in Geac System21 software. The go live date is scheduled for the second calendar quarter of 2003 and will be implemented in three production sites.

The projected net effect of the implementation will be to maintain excellent customer delivery service levels whilst reducing finished goods inventory by approximately 20%.

This alone would produce an immediate return on the investment.

HW Plastics business requires it to fulfil the majority of customer orders within 24 hours.

Supplying hundreds of fabricators throughout the UK, each with different requirements and lead times, has meant the planning process has been very complex, yet conducted manually.

But such calculations have become more problematic as customer demands have grown whilst product and production requirements have proved increasingly complicated.

And, like many businesses, the company has had to seek ways to reduce operational costs.

HW Plastics chose to work with Geac's APS system because of the advantages of working with a single integrated supply chain optimisation system.

There will be 85 users of the Geac system, all linked to one IBM iSeries (AS/400) model 800.

The software will be rolled out to three sites following a business process reengineering programme.

'Although we're going through a business transformation exercise I believe one of the biggest hurdles we will face is the culture change.

Our production planners will no longer be required to make adjustments to the plans - they'll be asked to trust the plans that the APS engine creates.

Instead we want them to focus on improving the quality of our forecast data by spending more time discussing customer requirements and dealing with suppliers.

In this way we really can use the power of the APS engine to the fullest in order to create a very smooth supply chain.

As the housing market continues to thrive so will we - but only if we can maintain our efficient position within the middle of this supply chain,' said Steve Mabbott, head of supply chain planning and processes at HW Plastics.

HW Plastics has three production facilities in Macclesfield, Scunthorpe and Congelton, as well as an operation for purchasing ancillary third party products.

It has also introduced Geac inventory management Software and Warehousing to help manage its central distribution operation in Stoke-on-Trent.

Mabbott concluded: 'When people talk about supply chain successes they tend to quote the big retailers and their automated channels.

I've worked in many of these supply chains already and know that this isn't necessarily the case.

Our integrated Geac system will allow us to operate a supply chain way better than many of the leading retailers.

And I know - I've been there.' About Geac Enterprise Solutions - Geac Enterprise Solutions, a division of Geac Computer Corporation, offers a wide variety of feature-rich ERP software applications, and Web-enabled ERP extensions to those applications that allow users to not only maximise their existing technologies but to also take advantage of today1s e-business opportunities.

The Company's client/server (SmartStream), IBM zSeries (E Series and M series) IBM iSeries (System21), Windows NT (StreamLine) and PC/LAN (TotalHR and World-Class Financials) product suites are quick to implement with a depth of functionality that is unmatched within the industry.

With almost 40 years of experience as a software developer, Geac Enterprise Solutions product suites enable organisations within key vertical markets to streamline business processes throughout their enterprises, and across multiple platforms.

More importantly, Geac adds value to its core software applications by surrounding them with complementary solutions and people who understand the industry - both its business-critical and e-commerce requirements.

About Geac Computer Corporation - Geac Computer Corporation (TSX:GAC) headquartered in Markham, Canada, is a global provider of business critical software and systems solutions.

Geac solutions include cross-industry enterprise business applications for financial administration and human resources functions, and enterprise resource planning applications for manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain management.

Geac also provides industry applications to the real estate, restaurant, property, and construction marketplaces, as well as a wide range of applications for libraries, government administration and public safety agencies