Intelligent companies

According to Ernő Ferenc Jancsich, an expert with Xapt Kft. the food industry creates a great challenge for business management software in the fields of base material supply and production. Managing expiry dates, monitoring ingredients and manufactured products and keeping a record of recipes are all basic requirements.

As a general trend connecting to online sales, sourcing and distribution channels also appear as a demand from the company side. Újvilág MGÉSZ, the manufacturer of Abonett and Négercsók product lines had similar needs when they contacted XAPT. XAPT customised the Microsoft Dynamics NAV system for Újvilág MGÉSZ and its introduction completely replaced the former manual registry system used in sourcing and production. Stock keeping in base material supply and usage is constantly updated and expiry dates are checked automatically. Production tasks are assigned and monitored in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV system, so one can see how things are going in production at any moment. Dávid Szabó, CEO of Szintézis Informatics Zrt. (the Hungarian partner of software giant INFOR Global) told us that in the production process the precise planning of base material usage is of key importance. Luckily, the MAX+ system of Szintézis has a production control module, which performs this planning using preset data. For instance one of the system’s users is a firm that manufactures organic mattresses and bedroom accessories. One of this firm’s basic requirements from the system was that material usage planning should support sourcing policy decisions and selecting the right suppliers. Optimal utilisation of machinery and human resource capacities is also important for them. Every process is controlled by orders placed. Based on these, MAX+ does the material usage planning, deciding on the ingredients to be purchased, preferred suppliers and the deadlines. In production it is also essential to adapt to the scheduling of delivery. With the ERP+IS report management system the production cycles, the buyers, base material usage and quality control results of various products can all be monitored. Multisoft Kft. introduced the Microsoft Dynamics NAV system at animal feed manufacturer and distributor ISV Zrt. in 2010, tailored to the company’s needs. Formerly there was no online connection between the different premises of the company despite that in the Budapest headquarters there was an IT system. ISV Zrt.’s head of informatics József Kovács informed us that with the new system orders’ completing time reduced significantly – from 5-6 days to 3-4 days. Different reports help to make decisions quicker and production time also became shorter. Balázs Zsigárdi, head of informatics at frozen bakery product manufacturer and franchise Pek-Snack Kft. told our magazine that informatics is present in each and every activity of the company. The company has about 200 employees and a 6,000m² production facility in Igal; their IT system is based on SAP Business One. Processes are managed using an integrated IT solution. For sourcing Pek-Snack Kft. developed a parameter-based authorisation system. For every new product an infinite number of parameters can be set and those who take over the goods use PDAs to check and record data. The system gives an alarm signal if someone from the management has to intervene and make a decision. PDAs are also used for performing quality assurance tasks. Marketing and sales director Éva Wernitzer told Trade magazin that Columbus McKinnon Hungary Kft. had decided in the summer of 2011 to introduce ProgEn Kft.’s integrated business management system called sERPa. The Hungarian affiliate of the international material handling firm started in 2003 and after a dynamic expansion in the region it became necessary to introduce a complex business management system. sERPa’s main advantage is that based on the orders placed it monitors sourcing needs, in the case of both retail goods and the base materials necessary for production. ProgEn Kft. developed the programme to suit the special needs of Columbus McKinnon Hungary Kft. Since its introduction the company has become more reliable, production has become easier to plan and exchanging information between different parts of the company has become simpler. Automatic features of the system contributed to reducing the workload of human resources. sERPa manages the full operation of the company on one single platform, from managing orders to keeping the general ledger. In this system all the banking processes can be registered and it also contains the module for HR tasks and wage accounting.