Australian cable manufacturer Tycab has completed a large ERP implementation which replaced three disparate, ageing and paper-intensive systems with a centralized solution.

The company needed to replace its front-end customer service and dispatch management system dubbed OSAS, its 25-year-old manufacturing system known as Dataflex, and an in-house e-commerce application which handled accounts, order placement, and inventory.

Tycab manufacturing manager, Ash Labib, said the company had failed to combine the legacy systems after a company consolidation several years ago.

"The integration just wasn't cutting the mustard because we still had translation issues between inventory and manufacturing job numbers, and between customers and staff," Labib said.

"We could not ignore the burden on our staff to ensure data accuracy and synchronization between each of the systems."

The company chose Infor's ERP solution SyteLine after reviewing six other rival companies.

Labib said it was selected because it offered a single barcode scan for picking and shipping, and a paperless shopfloor for manufacturing, which will streamline operations.

"While we wanted a system that was easy to implement and use, we found that out-of-the-box solutions fell short in supporting the unique processes that had given us our competitive edge over the years," he said.

According to Labib, the company now has more accurate information and data, a paperless warehouse, and tighter shipping control and warehouse tracking.

"A single scan completes most transactions, we no longer ship to customers with credit holds, and we can find stored inventory in a very large warehouse," he said.

"We have gained enormous efficiencies and productivity as a result of the improved control of our operations and inventory."

The roll-out went live in two stages to minimize operational disruption, with sales, finance, customer service and dispatch preceding manufacturing operations.

Tycab's implementation, which recognized the unique processes that made the company competitive, is an example of how the ERP landscape is changing.

Today it isn't simply about tackling a massive rollout, it is all about the add-on applications companies are willing to deploy to augment ERP.

It explains why so many vendors in this market have introduced industry specific modules and functionality.

Analysts claim ERP is nearing its limits in terms of the overall value it can bring to customers by itself.

To stay competitive and to adapt to changing business conditions, companies are looking to plug in highly tailored, best-of-breed solutions, according to Vance Checketts, vice president of Global Supply Management Research at the Aberdeen Group.