Barrett Communications upgrades to SYSPRO 6.0 Issue 010

Barrett Communications, a leading international manufacturer of high-frequency communications equipment based in Perth, Australia, is in the process of implementing SYSPRO 6.0 Issue 010.

Phil Bradshaw, Managing Director of Barrett Communications, says the new version will provide significantly enhanced reporting functionality.

"The vastly improved reporting module means Barrett will gain faster access to better information - resulting in even better decision-making capability than we are currently experiencing," he says.

Barrett has already improved accuracy, competitiveness and profitability with SYSPRO, thereby enhancing its international reputation for high product quality, on-time delivery and ongoing customer support.

Since 98% of Barrett Communications' products are exported, the use of SYSPRO is invaluable, because it tracks a customer's order from receipt to dispatch. This is especially important because equipment is supplied to some of the most remote and inaccessible places in the world. Clients are scattered throughout most countries in the world and include the UN, international relief agencies, government organisations, multinational companies and peace-keeping organisations.

Over the past five years, Barrett Communications has grown around 60%. With such significant growth, it was decided that a more sophisticated ERP solution was required, and SYSPRO was selected due to its superior functionality.

SYSPRO enables more control over the entire manufacturing process, and automated test systems mean Barrett can maximise product quality with a rapid throughput.

"The control over the manufacturing process that SYSPRO provides has improved our ability to respond to large requirements at short notice. This is particularly important in times of natural disaster or during humanitarian crises, as high-frequency communications are used as the main communication method and we need to get products out quickly," Bradshaw says.

The primary reasons for selecting SYSPRO were its Windows capability, scalability, and suitability for an implementation that needed to start small and grow as required.

Also, the product fitted Barrett perfectly in terms of processes and accounting. Manipulating data and reporting was easy with SYSPRO, and this was seen as a definite advantage over competitive products. Compared with Barrett's previous system, the output was more user-friendly and the ability to drill down into product structures more sophisticated.

"SYSPRO suited our company size - it was definitely targeted more towards the SME, and the support in the Eastern state was fantastic - which is something that is often difficult to get, even from some of the larger suppliers," Bradshaw says. "Cost also came into it and SYSPRO was priced very well - especially when we looked deeper at the functionality it provided."

Although Barrett has experienced almost 60% growth over the past five years, a significant proportion of that growth has been over the past two years. Despite this expansion, Barrett has not had to employ any additional finance or manufacturing staff and Bradshaw attributes this to the efficiency and ease of use of SYSPRO.

While ROI was not formally measured, Bradshaw comments: "I'm sure the ROI would be great. In fact, I'd say that after 14 months it has already paid for itself. We quickly settled into using SYSPRO and within a very short time period we were seeing the benefits. It helps us respond rapidly to changing markets and customer needs, and we've maintained our operating costs in a growth phase - without the need for any extra staff.

"At first, the MRP process seemed a little more complex in SYSPRO, but once we mastered it, we realised SYSPRO is a much better system. As a result of the functionality, we now have better forecasting, forward manufacturing, and raw materials supply - we're more accurate across the manufacturing function which means we can be more competitive and profitable."

The ability to look at various parts of the manufacturing process in great detail is also much easier with SYSPRO. This has resulted in Barrett becoming much more efficient. If there is a problem with a manufacturing process it is identified quickly and fixed immediately.

The tight integration across the entire SYSPRO suite of products provides Barrett Communications with the sophistication required to respond rapidly to changing economic conditions and ensure complete control over the supply chain.