When a company chooses an ERP software solution, it pays to know exactly what it wants to achieve with the solution, according to Ian Brinkley, General Manager of Gardena (SA) (Pty) Ltd, the local subsidiary of the German international top quality gardening equipment manufacturer Gardena AG.
"Before making any decision, you need to know exactly what you want from your system. You don`t want to have to do things twice. It really pays to get things right first time. There`s no limit to what computers can do and if you know what you want, you will get it with the right people," Brinkley said.
Gardena has an integrated software solution based on a SAP Business One platform supplied and installed a year ago by mid-market ERP business and technology solutions provider Lorge to provide ERP functionality for purchase orders, stock control and management at Gardena SA`s Vorna Valley headquarters in Midrand.
"Our approach was to conduct six months of parallel development and test runs before switching over to the SAP Business One solution from our original accounting software system," said Brinkley. "We did not buy a package, we bought a solution that does what we want it to do and as far as we know, we`re getting more out of it than anyone else."
A leading innovator of clever gardening equipment, watering techniques and controls since 1963, Gardena wanted to improve its stock and general financial reporting and hence sought a new ERP software solution. Two of the major benefits with the new solution are drill down mechanisms that offer in-depth access to all information and the control of and access to auditing functions that most other systems don`t provide.
"Even though this system went live a year ago, I know we have not yet fully developed our use of the systems and functionality it provides," said Brinkley. "Suffice to say the more we learn and understand about SAP Business One, the more we realise what it can actually make available to us.
"We are finding now that we perhaps should have gone for additional system hardware at the outset. Our experience has taught us that it is better to rather have the hardware capacity straight up, from the aspect of both cost and overall system speed as well as the fact that now that we want to add more functionality, the existing hardware won`t cope. It`s better to have the spare capacity from day one."
The stock control functionality is an area that Gardena wishes to develop further. "There is a lot of scope for us here," said Brinkley, "with the objective of minimising inventory, improving stock locations within our overall structure and achieving just-in-time stock replenishment. This will considerably speed up the entire order taking and delivery process."
Brinkley`s verdict on the overall SAP Business One solution implemented by Lorge is that it is "very impressive". He is able to draw up a full set of accounts by the fourth day of every month and added that the reporting functionality was most efficient, meeting the stringent requirements of the overseas principal.
"The software was sufficiently flexible for us to structure the entire system around this important monthly reporting function."
Brinkley has also found that the structure of the SAP Business One software solution is such that there is great potential for Gardena to develop it further in co-operation with Lorge.
"The interface with Microsoft Office is excellent, facilitating reports in Excel and narratives in Word that can then be e-mailed directly. The integration is good and user-friendly so it has been very easy for our staff to pick up with minimal training, so much so that anyone who is familiar with Microsoft software and tools will easily familiarise with SAP Business One."
Gardena customers are also benefiting from the system. Brinkley said it was possible to extract a great deal of sales information and statistics for customers. "These are not standard procedures and software modifications were written by Lorge that offer customer-oriented features such as in-depth analysis of purchasing patterns countrywide."
He added that the solution had provided many control features that help Gardena to keep a tight rein on the business and minimise errors. Gardena in Europe uses SAP R3 and this has allowed useful synergy to develop in inter-company dealings and transactions.
"We don`t for one moment regret moving over to SAP. It is probably the best system that I have ever used," concluded Brinkley.
Gardena has operated in South Africa since 1983, commencing as a small enterprise in managing director Manfred Bleyenheuft`s garage. The company grew quickly and 12 years ago moved into its present Vorna Valley headquarters. Over the past eight years Gardena has doubled in size, also acting as an agent for Coleman coolers and many other allied products, including garden umbrellas, benches and other outdoor furniture and fittings.
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