In the fast moving, volatile and critical poultry industry, control over processes within various divisions and sites is essential.
Linking different divisions with each other and the business to provide an integrated view of the entire organisation provides accurate insights to ensure better performance.
Management via manual processes and Excel spreadsheets simply doesn’t achieve the results needed to remain competitive. This archaic approach hampers productivity, accuracy and efficiency.
One leading South African integrated poultry producer recognised this need for digitisation in the industry and hatched a plan with Infor Ln and Softworx. Its previous attempt to modernise the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system was unsuccessful.
The solution was not flexible, and it was not possible to update selling prices in real time based on fluctuations in commodity prices. Despite this, the producer remained steadfast in its commitment to digital transformation.
“With four large poultry producing divisions – each employing its own unique processes, costing standards and reporting methodology – the customer had no single view of the truth,” confirms Heilet Scholtz, executive at Softworx, Infor’s Master Partner in Africa.
“It was essential to offer ultimate flexibility in operations, technology and scale. This would empower this poultry producer to adapt quickly to an ever-changing environment.”
The digitalised factory floor solution provided the organisation with the agility to make quick price adjustments at any time. Catch weight and other industry-specific functionalities ensured efficiency improvements and increased data accuracy. The solution offered easy integration through a commitment to open standards, and greater flexibility based on proven system design and architecture.
“On any given day, 937 000 eggs are hatched. Despite this, two major divisions went live on the same day, with no interruption to business activities. The ability to produce rapid financial reporting on the live system is a benefit for the production and the financial team,” adds Scholtz.
The use of a standard solution across the entire poultry division ensures that the customer can see a single view of its financials through consolidated reporting at group and subsidiary levels. With a flexible, digitalised ERP solution, productivity is increased during manufacturing cycles.
“Throughout the warehouse loading and picking process, the producer now has the ability to see case level details about each pallet. This data was previously not available, and the visibility of product and stock has substantially improved,” concludes Scholtz.
“With the introduction of scanners and an integrated mobility application, inventory control processes and factory operations have been greatly enhanced. The mobility solution is hand-held, mobile and offers a highly intuitive user interface, ensuring real-time access to information, when its most needed.”