The constant challenges that businesses have to deal with, including rising prices and stiff competition from abroad, can be reduced through the effective integration of business operations using information technology (IT), says industrial business resource planning company Infor business consulting director Phil Lewis.

Using feedback from all aspects of a company’s operations, includ-ing supply chain information, enables a company to achieve more efficiency in operations and complete them on schedule, if the information streams are inte- grated and work together, says local Infor partner Softworx MD Jane Thomson.

Hundreds of customers in the Southern Africa region are using Infor’s systems and software. The uptake of new systems and software modules by existing and new customers has also remained steady and customers are moving towards technology platforms that enable them to operate more effectively with real-time feedback, she says.

Infor is used by the local subsidiary of Swedish company Sandvik Mining & Construction to interface with customers who place orders for new equipment and arrange service maintenance contracts and other postsales activities.

The system also enables Sandvik to easily manage equipment servicing, not only in the field, but also in managing delays and replacements, should equipment need to be returned for extensive servicing or repairs, says Infor business consulting business analyst Grahame Drain.

“Infor’s System 21 product can be applied at component level and is used to manage the replacement and exchange of all components in a company’s equipment fleet,” he highlights.

Further, Infor’s programs also enable companies to view, report and forecast spares requirements. The programs also link a com- pany’s manufacturing capabilities with its sales to smooth the manufacturing pipeline for disparate orders. Infor’s enterprise systems help manage a company’s inventory and stock of components to support lean manufacturing and on-time manufacturing principles, he explains.

Lewis notes that Infor has a large range of customers from different industries and its programs enable the easy management of services, equipment, manufacturing and supply chains.

Thomson adds that a variety of South African companies track their supply chains and mentions that Infor’s clients in South Africa and Africa are small and medium- sized companies that benefit from the efficiencies provided by Infor’s industrial enterprise management software suite.

“Many companies depend on the capabilities of their suppliers and the complexity of supply chains can be managed using Infor’s supply chain management module in its suite of software products,” she notes.

Infor also channels all the information it receives from its clients into the development of new functionalities; improving its software suite, says Lewis.

“We even second some of our staff to our customers, sometimes for years at a time, so that we can help with the implementation and use of our systems. We also gain on-site insight into the issues that our customers face and how we can improve our programs to help them overcome competitive and cost pressures.”

Infor’s industrial software systems are used in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda and function well in African milieus.