Brook Crompton invests £1.2m in global ERP software

“We chose Geac [ERP] as it can help us accept orders over the phone; weigh up complex product configuration options; provide quotations and delivery dates quickly and accurately; ship and then invoice on a global scale,” explains Brook Crompton’s vp finance and IT, Kevin Sneller. “And with the software’s enterprise orders capability it doesn’t matter where we choose to manufacture or ship our products. The system has a single view and complete control across our multiple operations.” The company manufactures standard and custom-built electric motors. Phase one of the ERP project will go live by the end of this year, providing 425 users with access to an IBM iSeries model 840. The firm will replace its bespoke sales order processing and distribution software, as well a Mapics ERP system at its Yorkshire plant for 80 users, plus a SAP ERP system. The company’s Huddersfield and Blackheath sites already use Geac’s System21 software, but the business has been operating without any integration between these different ERP systems, and global communications (and customers!) have suffered as a result. Apart from improving global stock level awareness and providing manufacturing capabilities information to all sites, System21’s ActiveModeller tools will be used (in phase 2 of the project) to help evaluate and then map all the firm’s business processes within its finance, manufacturing, customer service and distribution functions, eliminating any that do not add value to the business.