SAP and Azur get together for SMEs in manufacturing

Industrial companies at the small end of SME are set to get a new system offering from ERP giant SAP that isn’t a cut down version of R./3 or mySAP ERP. What’s more, it will have manufacturing functionality developed specifically for the task by new SAP partner Azur (formerly Weir Systems). May will finally see the UK launch of what’s being called BusinessOne – the result of its development of the system SAP bought from Israeli firm TopManage Financial Solutions last summer. But whereas last year it was touted as covering only financials, sales, purchasing and CRM only, this will also have stock control, some warehouse management and – most important – pretty comprehensive advanced manufacturing functionality for those that need it. According to Jill Harrison, SAP’s channel manager for SME systems, the latter is being developed now by Azur Business Solutions. Azur is using the opportunity to update its I-Con manufacturing management system (originally from AT&T Istel in the automotive sector) and has made a “substantial financial commitment” to the project. It’s an interesting development. Azur, which also owns Minerva and M2 Systems, also works with JD Edwards and QAD as an implementation partner, having parted company with Oracle on the applications side, but is known to have been finding the going tough. The agreement with SAP, which involves Azur eventually selling BusinessOne in the West Midlands and East Scotland across all industry and commercial sectors, but the whole of the UK specifically for manufacturing, could result in a substantial improvement of its fortunes. Indeed Nigel Hedley, Azur’s sales director, says the firm sees the development programme as pivotal to its future, given the consolidation and tough times currently continuing in the ERP community. He indicates that the future for his company looks considerably better, and says users can look forward to new graphical functionality specifically for lean manufacturing and supply chain collaboration and management involving mobile devices and web systems. Availability on the advanced manufacturing side will be summer of this year following “development with five or six existing customers on the run up to the May launch. Looking at BusinessOne, in brief detail, it will be aimed at companies with 10—150 employees and up to £20 million turnover. It provides all the usual in terms of Microsoft platform, rapid, out-of-the-box implementation and what’s claimed to be low total cost of ownership – with licence costs around £1,000—1,700 dependent on volume and complexity. Harrison reckons the system will be ready for demonstration in May and that SAP is now looking for SMEs to provide pilot projects. Full shipping of the system to volume sales will then commence in July. She also contradicts earlier statements, and says that BusinessOne is scaleable to the greater SAP environment should business do well. “Companies can upgrade to our All In One solution (SAP’s templated version of R/3 for specific industry sectors) and there’s a ready made migration path to mySAP ERP.” As a starting point, intending BusinessOne users will need a PC server running NT, Windows 2000 or XP and Windows clients. Web front ends are also under development.