Bearing Man
August 2010
In today’s world of Information Technology (IT), the ‘experts’ continuously stress the need for three key manifestations within any organisation, namely:
- that the Chief Information Officer (CIO) should be a member of the board and/or the executive team;
For the adjudication process
Bearing Man created a specific evaluation criteria checklist, prioritising a number of key requirements
that were used to determine the selection of the final vendor/product. Some of the salient criteria included:
- The stability of the vendor, including the commitment of the parent company to the project;
- How user specific changes would be handled and whether these changes would be incorporated into the ‘standard’ package by the vendor;
- How the product would cater for, and interface to, the end users;
- Experiences at ‘similar’ installations, globally; and Scalability
that were used to determine the selection of the final vendor/product. Some of the salient criteria included:
- The stability of the vendor, including the commitment of the parent company to the project;
- How user specific changes would be handled and whether these changes would be incorporated into the ‘standard’ package by the vendor;
- How the product would cater for, and interface to, the end users;
- Experiences at ‘similar’ installations, globally; and Scalability
- that the organisation should recognise that IT is the enabler of its strategy
and, thus, should be an integral part of it; and that all project implementations should be supported from the top
Additionally, an attitude of ‘buy the right system for the company’ and, not necessarily, the ‘cheapest solution’, is what matters most.
In practice, very rarely do all of these factors occur, but there are notable exceptions – and the implementation of Kerridge Commerical Systems’ K8 solution, at Bearing Man, is one such example.
‘Textbook’ executive scenario ensures successful roll-out
Historically, Bearing Man ran a legacy system that had been installed in the 1980s and was nearing the end of its system lifecycle. The user interface was via character-based screens and there was limited interoperability with modern GUI-based systems. Therefore, in 2003, Bearing Man defined and documented all their business processes, in conjunction with the end user community (using UML) and created a Request for Proposal (RFP) document for a replacement system. At all times, the phrase ‘what is best for the business and/or end user’ was paramount in the minds of the decision makers.
Following an extensive evaluation of nearly ten proposals, Bearing Man decided, in early 2004, to proceed with K8. This proposal addressed all of the key issues and, in addition, included a comprehensive project management plan that outlined all the necessary resources and processes needed to undertake the task.
The new system had to accommodate the needs of an industrial supplies company with operations in six Southern African countries, including approximately 1,000 concurrent users in 105 branches. The processing includes some 3,500 inter-branch transfers and the handling of over 8,000 sales orders/invoices per day.
"We have laid a solid platform for future innovation that will continue to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the business."
Abe Bekker ICT Director
Stock is generally ordered in bulk, received centrally and then dispersed through the branch network via a
combination of direct supply and regional distribution warehouses. The majority of stock is imported with a limited amount of local assembly of geared motor products, timing belts, together with a variety of light conveyor belting applications.
The software project commenced in April 2004 and, at the same time, the hardware topology, from servers to end user devices, were also upgraded or replaced as appropriate. The highly integrated and automated nature of Bearing Man’s operational processes necessitated a ‘big bang’ approach and the new system went ‘live’ via an overnight switchover on 1st August 2005.
“As can be expected with any project of this nature, we have had our fair share of teething problems. However, in the end, the level of user acceptance has been tremendous and the new technology has been positively embraced,” commented Abe Bekker, Director, ICT at Bearing Man.
"The level of user acceptance has been tremendous and the new technology has been positively embraced."
Abe Bekker ICT Director
“We involved various users from different parts of the organisation in the set-up of the new system; and also conducted ‘training road shows’, to encourage feedback from the user community. Their comments were noted and, where possible, accommodated. The system has been fully operational since day one and we have largely overcome the immediate ‘challenges’ created by a conversion of this magnitude.”
A platform for the future
“With the priorities of conversion and bedding down of the new systems now behind us, we have laid a solid platform for future innovation that will continue to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the business,” continued Bekker. “We are already evaluating other modules within the K8 system, that are currently not being utilised, and might provide additional value-add. In addition, we are refining our warehouse management procedures through the introduction of RFID, logistics and barcoding projects. Other items on the agenda include the optimisation of business-to-business functionality, ranging from supplier through to customer integration and including supply chain optimisation.”
“In hindsight, the biggest stumbling block in any
undertaking of this nature is the capability and confidence of the end user community. Training, training and more training needs to be the order of the day. At first, users are mesmerised by the new technology, and small, vital
differences in the system can be missed. It is only once user confidence levels are established that these ‘finer’ points start to surface,” concluded Bekker.
Despite the nature and complexity of the project, the IT department at Bearing Man is a small one with only a dozen staff, half of whom are involved in the operations area, with the remainder providing business support services. Thus, the achievements that have been realised are even more remarkable. Nevertheless, without the buy-in and support that was shown by the top executive, Bearing Man would not be in the strong position it finds itself in today.
