Cincom’s ERP supports Norris Industries’ goal of complete sustainability
Key to
Norris’ operations is the strategic mantra of a constant pursuit of
sustainability. Director of Sirron Holdings – Norris Industries’ parent
company, Arvid Taylor explains that Norris’s interpretation of sustainability is
a holistic one and includes both maintaining their business as well as the
environment. “It’s not
just about carbon, it’s about the entire environment including paper, water,
scrap materials – anything we generate gets recycled,” he says. “We aim to make
sure we are sustainable from a business point of view as well,” says Arvid.
Some of the
key successes Norris Industries have achieved as results of their strategic
direction include; a Hunter Manufacturing Award, Australian Design Award and
NSW Sustainability Advantage Award: Bronze. Arvid
explains that in order to achieve the state government accredited
Sustainability Award the business had to pass a series of milestones and tests
on ALL levels of the environment. “They
focus quite heavily on water consumption and waste elimination and how you
handle that… Also overall electricity use is driving to net neutral due to
investment in solar and investigating other options; as a consequence of this we have now put in
induction lighting rather than LED lighting which is far more efficient”.
Crucial to
attaining business sustainability is achieving efficiency by controlling costs
and wastes with accurate records of all inputs and outputs.
“[Previously]
we had a simple job recording system; there was no planning in it at all,”
Arvid explains, “everything had to be
controlled manually which in the smaller shop wouldn’t have been a problem, we
used to be able to just about run that off a whiteboard!” he says. As the
business and the requirement to manage inventory and stock grew however, so too
did the need for an end to end solution. “It became clear that an all points
approach was needed to reinvigorate the business and that’s when we started
looking for an ERP solution.”
After a
thorough evaluation of relevant business solutions, Cincom’s Priority was
chosen as Norris Industries ERP system. “It came down to complexity and cost.
Cincom’s Priority won the day on that basis,” says Arvid.
On
a process level, Norris has streamlined a variety of operations such as;
·
Creation of Work Orders
and Purchase Orders – Norris are now using
MRP and Purchase Planning within Cincom’s Priority to raise orders. This has
seen substantial improvement and slashed processing time
·
Inventory Cycle Counting – Norris, with the use of Cincom’s Priority now conduct daily cycle
counts for selected inventory items rather than performing an annual stocktake.
This has led to process efficiencies in inventory accuracy and there is now no
longer a requirement to shut down the factory for 2-3 days to perform
stocktake.
·
Service Warranty
Management – Norris now use Cincom’s Priority to assign
warranty service orders automatically through authorised service technicians
across their nation-wide dealer network, completely eliminating the need for
paper and waste.
On a more strategic level however
Cincom’s Priority is now the backbone of Norris Industries sustainability
efforts. “Cincom’s Priority supports our sustainability initiatives by keeping
an eye on costs and tracking consumption and incidents… [it also assists by]
recording where we spend our money and how we spend it,” says Arvid.
Cincom
Systems prides itself on its reputation for building long lasting, evolving
partnerships rather than a simple vendor/ client relationships. Norris
Industries presents a great example of this partnership at work, with the
business currently reviewing further modules of Cincom’s Priority, offering
mobile functionality.
“We are definitely looking at the unique
mobile [iPad and Android] solutions that Cincom’s Priority offer to help
service our market more directly… Mobile Field Service and WMS,” explains
Arvid.
Cincom’s
Priority Mobile Field Service solution manages the movements of service and
maintenance staff on the road. The use of mobile technology means staff can
complete transactions such as ordering parts, route planning and approving with
signatures, on the go. Cincom’s Priority Warehouse Management System (WMS) is a
mobile solution that controls in real time the optimisation of the warehouse.
WMS manages all movements and storage of materials as well associated
transactions.
About Cincom Systems:
Cincom
Systems of Australia is a pioneer in the business software industry and a
provider of a number of ERP and enterprise wide solutions. For over 40 years, Cincom Systems have
provided innovative software solutions and services that streamline their clients’
businesses and achieve optimum customer experiences in a variety of
industries. More information can be
found at www.cincom.com.au or contact Cincom at info@cincom.com.au.
About Norris Industries:
Norris
Industries is an Australian owned manufacturer and supplier of high performance
commercial glass and dishwashers for the hospitality industry. The company has been running since 1954 and
operates in Caves Beach, Newcastle NSW.
