In 2015 Mail & Guardian reported that technology may very well save the mining industry. In engineering, construction and mining, this statement still rings true today. Gone are the days when spreadsheets were the optimum performance platform. Innovation drives growth, and falling behind means losing ground instead of breaking it.
According to Timothy Morgan, Business Controller at Atlas Copco Secoroc, a division of Atlas Copco South Africa, enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology has become a critical part of the business’ operating model, ensuring efficiency, effective management and financial control. “Integrated financial management and unified reporting in Infor M3 means we don’t drop the ball.”
Most businesses in this sector face distinct challenges, with historical systems intertwining with the use of new technology and customisations abound making future (essential) upgrades difficult. Efficiency and revenue must be maintained in a global market; therefore, it is crucial that every part of the business is visible to the group as whole – whether locally or abroad.
With five dedicated business areas (Compressor Technique, Industrial Technique, Construction Technique, Vacuum Technique, and Mining & Rock Excavation Technique), efficient operations are integral to Secoroc’s success. “Atlas Copco has been a proud Infor customer since the 1990s, and the latest upgrade served to address these challenges,” states Jane Thomson, MD at Softworx, an Infor partner. “Having eliminated the customisations, the software is now perfectly positioned for future upgrades, while integrating with the Atlas Copco systems across the globe.”
The use of the right ERP technology in this sector offers various benefits, such as shorter lead times, maximised available-to-premise visibility, and international inventory management. With features such as electronic order entry capabilities, action messages, capacity planning and production management tools, products and components are efficiently manufactured on time, as required.
Combining its tech-focus with forward thinking, Atlas Copco drives lean manufacturing principles, holding regular kaizen events to improve production processes and reduce manufacturing steps. “In fact, a recent kaizen exercise on the continuous flow line increased production capacity by 18%,” adds Thomson.
With an ethos of continuous improvement, the company utilises the technology available to ensure that its global manufacturing capacity is ever-improving and increasingly dynamic. The aim is to continue to implement technology that will empower the company to evolve into a tightly integrated, global organisation with the agility to respond rapidly to customer needs, anytime, anywhere – all while creating a working environment conducive to productivity and passion.
“With the Infor M3 software, Atlas Copco functions as one unit, across the globe. A truly agile supply chain, enables us to identify the best solution to a client’s need in an instant – and give them the best cost, by using the most efficient manufacturing plant in the best location,” concludes Morgan.
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