Macfarlane Packaging opens new markets with IBS Integration system

Customer Story

Macfarlane Packaging has adopted the IBS software integration tool, IBS Integrator, for a number of strategic business to business (B2B) and application integration projects. Macfarlane, an IBS Enterprise ERP customer since 2001, has developed B2B web portals for customers and suppliers as well as a brand new web site, www.packaging2u.co.uk, which is aimed at fresh markets for the company

Macfarlane Packaging, part of the Macfarlane Group PLC, is a leading international packaging specialist providing total packaging solutions to companies worldwide. It is the UK’s largest packaging distribution business and services, with around 17,000 customers from 15 strategically located Regional Distribution Centers (RDCs).

Web portals lead to savings

Using IBS Integration software, Macfarlane initially developed two new products, Supplier Connect and Customer Connect. These web portals allow customers and suppliers to access their own authorised areas of Macfarlane’s IBS ERP system. They can place orders, check stock availability, check order status and compile reports on previous transactions.

Mark Selby, IT Director for Macfarlane Packaging, comments, “Supplier Connect and Customer Connect save us huge amounts in terms of time and costs by automating what used to be a time-consuming but purely administrative task. The portals give customers and suppliers a real-time view of our relationship with them. As soon as an item is marked within IBS as picked, despatched or delivered, that information is immediately available to the customer or supplier through the web portal. In addition, many of our customers require monthly activity reports, which used to take time to compile, check and deliver. Now, the customer only has to select the report they want through the portal and they receive an instant, accurate and real-time report on virtually any aspect of our services they require, whenever they want it.”

Selby continues, “For any organization, IT is there to increase added value, reduce operational costs or both. The implementation of a web-based system that allowed both customers and suppliers to place orders electronically, integrated with the full ERP system, would deliver these benefits. We selected IBS Integrator to develop this system because, as most of the integration was with the IBS Enterprise ERP, we decided it must have been designed with that in mind. However, having now worked extensively with IBS Integrator software, we can see that it stands up well against other similar products for all aspects of integration, not just with other IBS systems.”

Integrating new ideas

More recently, Macfarlane has completed another project using IBS Integration software that has seen the launch of a completely new business unit for the company, www.packaging2u.co.uk.

www.packaging2u.co.uk launched in October 2005 and is now trading very successfully. “The web site has met all its initial targets and is now considered the sixteenth RDC within the company. We are now looking at a number of new projects which we expect to drive further efficiencies and cost-savings into the business. These include integrating data collected via handheld PDA devices for stock replenishment at customer sites and also for proof of delivery signatures,” Selby says.

He concludes, “Macfarlane has become a leader in its market by always leading the way with new ideas and new strategies. The implementation of projects using IBS Integration software has allowed us to establish new services and products that are ahead of our competition and maintain our edge in the market.”

No boundaries

IBS Integrator software is a tremendously flexible and easy-to-use business and application integration tool, which can deliver significant profitability and efficiency benefits throughout an organisation. Its application has no boundaries, with hundreds of companies around the world using the product to deliver seamless solutions to specific business problems.

The product can be implemented by both IBS and non-IBS ERP software customers and provides one of the most powerful and deployable integration tools for any hardware and operating system platform.

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