ERP Implementation Programme

KEY ISSUES:

AGR Automation is one of the world’s leading machine builders with an enviable client portfolio of major blue-chip medical equipment manufacturers. The company has been expanding and taking on more complex design and build projects, but their ERP system was failing to keep pace with these rapid changes. As a result, the senior management team took the decision to buy a new ERP system.

The AGR team understood that before any system could be purchased, all processes should be reviewed and improved so that the new system would meet their future requirements rather than automating old working practices.

 

THE APPROACH

Based on the exhaustive literature available ERP implementations, and on our own experiences working on ERP and digital transformation projects, we used a tried and tested 12-step plan to achieve measurable and sustained financial benefits. The 12-step plan was as follows:

1. Review and define the Business Strategy.
2. Review the business in its current state and financially quantify the performance baseline.
3. Design the future state business organisation and processes. Quantify the improvement that can be made.
   Specify the information system requirements needed to support the new organisation.
4. Design the future management processes that will support the new organisation.
5. Implement the new processes (or as much of it as you can) within the business and check its functionality. By now, the business should be measuring the benefits from its new processes.
6. Specify the ICT requirement to support the new business model.
7. Select and engage a supplier with the right ERP system who can support the implementation.
8. Implement the systems.
9. Train users.
10. Deploy the systems.
11. Coach the Management teams.
12. Project Review and Lessons Learned

In addition, we undertook extensive research into the best ERP solutions for the project design and build environment, in which AGR functioned. The result was a system that connected the design centre to the supply chain and shop floor seamlessly.

During the implementation phase, the ERP working group undertook meticulous user acceptance testing. User groups were given the right to halt project progress or change processes as they progressed. This ensured that when Go-Live occurred, the whole organisation was prepared. The team delayed Go-Live twice in order to ensure they were ready.

 

THE OUTCOME:

The Go-Live day was a very simple switching over from one system to another. AGR staff had been involved in the implementation process from the first days of the project and knew the system very well. ERP implementations are rarely perfect and there were issues to be resolved, however, due to extensive training and development with the new ERP system, the team at AGR became so familiar with the Encompix software that this enabled them to be confident in their abilities to solve any issues that arose.

The system provided AGR automation with significant capacity improvements, especially within the supply chain.
The senior team at AGR were pleased with the outcome and have provided Woodward Consulting with references.