Business
Independent processors and distributors of speciality steels to
the oil & gas sector.
The Howco Approach
Howco’s approach is to provide tailored solutions for each
customer, scalable to meet individual needs and implemented to
provide the most value.
IT is at the core of their business strategy and
www.howcogroup.com is recognised as a key industry reference
source for on-line technical information and provides a fast
response to customer sales enquiries and information requests.
The Background
The Howco Group have expanded dramatically in recent years which
has resulted in information being held in various systems,
making the production of timely consolidated group management
information problematic.
In order to make informed decisions quicker the Howco
management team recognized that access to real-time data
anytime, anywhere was paramount to a powerful future.
Howco called for a solution to both enhance internal
processes and provide an executive information system to all 14
facilities in 7 locations worldwide.
The solution had to:
Increase sales
Maximize the use of inventory
Improve customer relationships
Control suppliers
Improve production scheduling
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The Solution
The company identified that iport had to satisfy four key
internal systems within the business:
Purchase Planning, Inventory Management and
Forecasting Solution
Executive Information System
CRM Solution
Human Resources Solution
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iport links into their existing ERP system and opens up
information from the central database to remote business units
and major customers alike.
The final application combines elements of document management,
service provision, sales force automation, order processing,
inventory control, HR and personnel and customer relationships
through a single iport driven Portal.
The Benefits
iport provides a robust, flexible and function rich portal
solution which provides a clear view of key customer
information, improves customer relationships and enhances
performance in the global marketplace.
Without question, accessing the information already locked in
legacy systems and presenting it in a more useable way has been
the most significant benefit to Howco’s decision-makers
worldwide.
Coupled with that, the ability to link sales forecasts to actual
usage and purchasing allows planners to see demand developing at
a glance and manage their inventory accordingly. Other Benefits
& ROI channels:
Faster access to inventory information and greater
visibility of demand and forecasts
Better and faster reporting and production of key
information
Eliminate manual production and duplication of work
Reduced customer acquisition costs
Service level targets driving closer customer
relationships and increased loyalty
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"iport is an obvious solution in an
environment such as this where the legacy software
is doing everything functionally that is required,
but the quality of management information and
integration to other systems is poor.
Using iport, we can unlock the data and turn that
into information and knowledge. In additional, we
can use iport to build additional features and
functionality, such as CRM, into the portal and then
deliver it over the web to the desktop, wherever
that desktop is located. "
Tommy McLaughlin,
Chief Technical Officer, iport4business.com Inc
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Full Story |
