Johannesburg, 13 Nov 2012
Surface engineering company Aklin Carbide is benefiting from improved efficiencies and highly reliable data access following the implementation of a SAP Business One accounting and ERP software solution designed and installed by business software solutions provider 4most.
The solution includes financials, general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cashbook, purchasing, sales inventory and workflow approval procedures and alerts, operating on a local area network (LAN).
Based in Vereeniging, Aklin Carbide required a unique solution for its operations, focused on the turnkey repair and re-conditioning of a wide range of mine water and petrochemical pumps, as well as other engineering components.
Aklin Carbide financial director Mark Stewart said the company had been using a spreadsheet system for all of its functions and for the capture of data.
"There was a lot of data repetition, and linking and sharing of information was difficult with errors tending to creep in, to the point that the reliability of our data was suspect. A decision was then made to seek out a better way of doing things, and 4most was approached for a SAP Business One solution."
Data input is now done once and is easily and very reliably available to multiple users within the company.
"Since the installation went live in September last year, our investment of R600 000 in SAP Business One has resulted in many tangible benefits. Processing of all data is much faster and exceptions are monitored. All pertinent information is quickly available and business and customer issues can be quickly and easily dealt with."
Stewart added that 4most had approached the project professionally, providing software "tweaks" to ensure Aklin Carbide's special needs were met. "The original product we were using was simply not comparable. SAP Business One has phenomenal flexibility with endless options, we welcome the fact that our data is now correct and we continue to be amazed on a daily basis."
Aklin Carbide's first year-end audit with SAP Business One is under way and Stewart comments that it is "so much easier" while also generating significant time savings.
"We are a high growth company and are now starting to manage the business in a highly professional manner. What was really significant was the fact that our staff coped well with the introduction and implementation of the SAP Business One system, despite the fact that many of them had never used computers before."
Stewart said SAP Business One Enprise job-costing technology has also been implemented by 4most. "Our system is heavily reliant on Enprise and 4most consultants are working on this area of the solution. We are accessing the system from two sites and can make use of it on laptops from any location. It is particularly useful in the event of a claim, as all our job data is available instantly."
Enprise ensures high levels of information and control, enabling preparation of costs and materials for job estimates and formal quotations. Labour, materials, purchases and resources applied can be monitored for specific jobs, projects and contracts.
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