Kofax plc (LSE: KFX), the leading provider of document driven business process automation solutions, today announced it will provide an invoice processing solution to a leading provider of design, engineering and entertainment software. The value of the contract to Kofax exceeds $300,000.

The firm will implement Kofax Capture, Kofax Transformation Modules and Kofax Communication Server to capture data from approximately 120 thousand invoices it receives annually.

The resulting data and images will be exported to the firm’s SAP ERP Financials system for further processing and its IXOS content management system for archive purposes. The solution should help the firm accelerate its payment processes, reduce manual tasks and improve data accuracy.

“Automating invoice processing and accounts payable functions enables better management of cash flow and improved overall financial operations,” said Alan Kerr, Executive Vice President of Field Operations at Kofax. “Our capture and financial process automation solutions provide compelling value for our customers by enabling them to improve productivity and generate a fast return on their investment.”

Source:http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/technology/leading-software-maker-selects-kofax-accelerate-financial-processes/

A leading UK charity has “transformed” its communication processes with the implementation of a new software system

The British Red Cross said its new EPoS solution, which is provided by Cybertill, has improved communication processes between its head office and the charity’s 323 retail branches.

According to the organisation, the new process has brought about an increase in re-stocking efficiency through instant dialogue between branches and head office.

‘Whereas, previously, stores would operate in isolation, unable to access the charity’s website, communicate between shops or access information stored on the intranet, each staff member now has an email ID and can receive and share information, ideas, alerts, messages and documents,’ explained the organisation.

By introducing Cybertill’s system the charity also claimed it is now better prepared to respond to unforeseen emergency appeals.

The implementation of the software, which caters for 600 employees and 6,000 volunteers, has also seen the British Red Cross nominated for a Retail Week Technology Award.

Source:http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.35370

D-Tools has announced the release of the newest release of its System Integrator software, SI 5.5. SP2. D-Tools System Integrator is currently used by over 3,000 companies to streamline the design, estimation, and documentation processes associated with the installation and integration of low voltage systems.

SP2 contains over 20 new usability features and enhancements, fixes numerous bugs, and introduces new support for Canadian Quick Book 2010 users.

Existing users will experience increased productivity through new drag-and-drop data management tools as well as improved application performance, says the company. New support for AutoCAD 2011 and QuickBooks 2010 will mean integrators can use SI5.5 to stay connected with the most current technologies. A new suite of integrated support and documentation features will help integrators take full advantage of the benefits of using SI5.5.

“We have always been committed to providing System Integrators with best-of-breed solutions that increase productivity and reduce costs”, says Adam Stone, CEO of D-Tools, ” SI5.5 SP2 is another example of that commitment.”

Source:http://www.lsionline.co.uk/news/story/D-Tools-upgrades-System-Integrator-software/-KT2ED9

Working in Gaborone this week I had to look up some information on the web when I came across an interesting series of short articles on ERP . I have therefore taken the liberty of adapting part of this work here.

ERP’s best hope for demonstrating value is as a sort of battering ram for improving the way your company takes a customer order and processes it into an invoice and revenue—otherwise known as the order fulfillment process. That is why ERP is often referred to as back-office software. It normally doesn’t handle the up-front selling process (although most ERP vendors have developed CRM software or acquired pure-play CRM or POS system providers that can do this)

When a sales person enters a customer order into the system, he has all the information necessary to complete the order (the customer’s credit rating and order history from the finance module, the company’s inventory levels from the warehouse module and the shipping dock’s trucking schedule from the logistics module, for example).

People in these different departments all see the same information and can update it. When one department finishes with the order it is automatically routed via the ERP system to the next department.

To find out where the order is at any point, you need only log in to the ERP system and track it down. With luck, the order process moves like a bolt of lightning through the organisation, and customers get their orders faster and with fewer errors than before. ERP can apply that same magic to the other major business processes, such as employee benefits or financial reporting.

That, at least, is the dream of ERP. The reality is much harsher.

Let’s go back to those inboxes of old for a minute. That process may not have been efficient, but it was simple. Finance did its job, the warehouse did its job, and if anything went wrong outside of the department’s walls, it was somebody else’s problem. Not anymore.
With ERP, the sales persons are no longer just typists entering someone’s name into a computer and hitting the return key.

The systems screen makes them businesspeople. It flickers with the customer’s credit rating from the finance department and the product inventory levels from the warehouse. Will the customer pay on time? Will we be able to deliver the order on time?

These are decisions that sales staff never had to make before, and the answers affect the customer and every other department in the company. But it’s not just the sales staff who have to wake up.

People in the warehouse who used to keep inventory in their heads or on scraps of paper now need to put that information in the system. If they don’t, sales staff will see low inventory levels on their screens and tell customers that their requested item is not in stock. Accountability, responsibility and communication have never been tested like this before. Everybody now has to work as a team since the company wants to deliver a single picture of efficiency to the customer.

People don’t like to change, and ERP asks them to change how they do their jobs. That is why the value of ERP is so hard to pin down. The changes companies make in the way they do business is as important as the software. If you use ERP to improve the way your people take orders, manufacture goods, deliver them and charge for them, you will see value from the software. If you simply install the software without enhancing the way people do their jobs, you may see much less value than expected.

So its all about people, processes and the software, and you need to have a good software to begin with or else your efforts on people and processes might be wasted.
Until next week, and remember……keep it (A)FRESH!

Source:http://www.economist.com.na/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21450:how-can-erp-improve-a-companys-business-performance&catid=578:general-news&Itemid=60