Ketlon goes for the triple at Triplex sites

Independent automotive components manufacturer Ketlon – formerly an ailing Unipart business – expects to increase efficiency and reduce waste and lead times by rolling out its Mapics ERP system to three further sites acquired from Triplex Components Group last October. The firm has agreed a £300,000-plus deal with Mapics VAR Open Business Solutions for Triplex’s factories at Hereford, Stratford-upon-Avon and Peterborough. Mapics, running on IBM iSeries (AS/400) will replace several legacy systems, and be instrumental in integrating the businesses. The decision follows success at Ketlon’s Paddock Wood, Kent factory, which makes hubs, brake discs, ground gears, shafts, flywheels, and suspension parts for all of the major European carmakers. “Upgrading to the newest version of Mapics cut workloads and [gave] us better quality information, faster,” says Ketlon managing director Brian Barr. Other improvements he cites include easier reconciliation of information, faster information flows and “significant” cost savings through reduced manual input. “It improves the business’s ability to observe itself operating,” he says. The Triplex and Ketlon systems will run separately although there are plans to merge the finance and purchasing functions to improve buying power and further cut costs.