The beauty of technology often lies in the added benefits that a simple upgrade or implementation can offer. When managed correctly, innovations should deliver far more than the surface level functionality.
When Beier Envirotec, part of the Beier Group, upgraded from Infor LN FP7 to Infor LN 10.6, it realised just how true this sentiment can be. Experiencing immediate time to value, the manufacturer saw the benefits of the digital journey first-hand – engendering innovative functionality and unmatched mobility.
Beier Envirotec initially embarked on an Infor LN upgrade through Infor Services at iOCO because a technical upgrade was required. However, with foresight and an innovative approach, Beier capitalised on this opportunity to ensure its business for future innovation, forward-thinking functionality, and advanced mobile capabilities.
Using Infor Mingle, Beier Envirotec now has a fully compliant Infor OS, ensuring its workflows are optimised, they’re 100% mobile, and several additional functionalities are available. These include: revisited and revised organisational processes; moving Customer Relationship Management (CRM) away from Excel spreadsheets offering real-time access to a 360-degree CRM view; greatly enhancing its Service Call Desk; and enhanced Business Intelligence (BI) access, analysis, and capabilities.
“While the upgrade from Infor LN FP7 to Infor LN 10.6 was ostensibly a technical upgrade, Beier Envirotec saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of the extensive new functionality available in the Infor Stack to create a platform for future innovation,” confirms Tim Rautenbach, Beier Group ICT Manager.
Working together with the Infor Services at iOCO team, Beier Envirotec strategically identified the immediate post-upgrade wins which could be implemented in a “phase two” approach to the upgrade. “The LN 10.6 upgrade and subsequent implementation of the Infor OS Stack created an opportunity to revise and reduce old customisations which would become standard processes, introduce a mobility and development platform, and revisit some improved customer focussed applications.”
According to Rautenbach, with this upgrade Beier Envirotec immediately progressed to a mobile platform, providing the business with tangible benefits, as opposed to business “bling”. In addition to attending to the technical improvements required, the upgrade delivered several benefits, including; the ability to introduce workflows to remotely process and approve finance, customer, and sales documents; the functionality to develop and integrate various data sources; optimising time spent by users and enabling a focused approach for business outcomes, operational efficiencies, and client satisfaction; simplifying duplications in processes and re-inventing procedures; enabling close to real-time analytics; running on a solid mobility platform; and providing the data needed, in the right format, to offer customers true value add.
“Ultimately, the upgrade has empowered us to focus on the customer and create operational efficiencies, then align all processes to ensure we are achieving this. This is the true value add,” adds Rautenbach. “In these times, technology plays a massive role in achieving this. The Infor LN 10.6, combined with the new Infor OS Stack, has allowed us to re-imagine our business.”
The upgrade implementation followed a standard approach. While Beier is a sizeable organisation, accurate scoping and proposals ensured that all ran smoothly, over a period of only nine months. “This was a very large-scale project, which required incredibly detailed changes in terms of cost structures. The benefit of working with a knowledgeable client is their ability to use the system effectively, understand the products, and know what they want. Beier was completely involved in the implementation, ensuring the business’ goals were met, and expectations exceeded,” confirms Flip van Vuuren, Principal Consultant: Infor Services at iOCO.
“We have been exceptionally pleased with the outcome of our Infor Upgrade project, and very thankful to the Infor Services at iOCO team for its dedication and continued support. This is just one of the steps in our mobility journey and we look forward to continuously adding value to our business with Infor,” concludes Rautenbach.
About iOCO
Established to simplify ICT, iOCO is Africa’s leading integrated technology services company, with the largest concentration of skills on the continent. As a Level 1 B-BBEE end-to-end ICT managed service provider and Cloud systems integrator, iOCO operates with over 20 years’ experience. Its team of more than 4 500 specialists delivers custom development and integration, open source, enterprise applications, data and analytics, compute and platforms, and manage and operate solutions to over 1 000 customers.
Inspired by digitally native internet organisations (iO) and creative organisations (CO) of the future, iOCO helps customers navigate the path to an exponential future. To achieve this vision, iOCO holds strategic OEM partnership agreements with more than 90 global leaders.
About Beier
Established in 1929, the Beier Group was formed when a young and resolute pioneer, OTH Beier, departed Germany against the wishes of his family and established himself as a wool merchant in Durban, South Africa. OTH Beier then acquired the very same wool-scouring plant where he started off working as an employee.
Today, the Beier Group is a forward-looking innovator and manufacturer in the technical textiles and personal protective equipment industries. The Group’s manufacturing mix includes environmental filtration products, technical and industrial textiles, medical devices and advanced wound-care, PVC and PU coated materials, personal protective equipment, and occupational health and safety services.
Delivering on industrialisation, transformation, and development, the Group is advancing its drive of local manufacturing, powered by a diverse workforce. Beier operates with an enduring belief in industrialisation as the right choice for transforming South Africa’s future.
Beier Envirotec, one of the companies within the Group, is a filter baghouse specialist and an experienced South African producer of technical textiles and environmental filtration products. Its quality products include:
• High-performance textiles used in the manufacturing of personal protective equipment
• Automotive filtration material as well as other automotive components and linings
• Geotextiles used in sandbags for erosion and water-damaged areas
• Medical textiles used in the manufacturing of hydroconductive wound dressings, orthopaedic paddings, and first-aid dressings
