Infor, a provider of business application software, has announced a deal with Australian firm Peters Ice Cream, to implement a complete ERP system within seven and a half months.
Peters, which offers ice creams under brand names such as Drumstick, Maxibon, Connoisseur, Heaven & Frosty Fruit, had to urgently change its generic ERP system after the company was acquired by Pacific Equity Partners in August 2012.
The acquisition ended 17 years of ownership by food giant Nestlé. Following the change of ownership, Peters has been operating on Nestlé's ERP system, while planning to establish a stand-alone IT system.
Peters was seeking a more functionally rich software solution, targeted to the specific needs of an ice cream company. Peters chose to implement Infor's M3 QuickStep for Food and Beverage solution.
According to Peters, the key to partnering with Infor was the need to fast-track the rollout the software, from a typical time frame of 12 to 18 months to just over seven. Infor expects to meet this requirement due to the specialised Infor M3 Quickstep for Food and Beverage industry solution, which features up to 70% of the necessary business processes pre-configured.
In addition, as Peters' network of freezers extends to all corners of the country, it needed to ensure that the information on stock levels and deliveries is up to date and available in real time. This is possible through Infor's Sales Route Management system, which will meet Peters' requirement for real-time customer information as well as provide on-the-ground access using mobility solutions.
Peters transition manager Jonathan Hutchings said that it is important to the new management team that to rapidly establish Peters' own IT backbone and ERP solution to support the business and its change agenda.
"During a competitive pitch, Infor was able to demonstrate its ability to quickly implement and rollout an all-encompassing ERP solution that will provide clear visibility into the business," Hutchings added.
Peters distributes its products in both the grocery and impulse channels and caters to all segments of the market.
Infor offers industry-specific applications and suites, engineered for speed. It provides flexible deployment options that give customers a choice to run their businesses in the cloud, on-premises, or both.
