Microsoft Business Solutions

Customer Solution Case Study

Packaging Provider Supports 100
Percent Growth with No dditional
!verview
Country or "egion# $nited States
%ndustry# Packaging
Customer Pro&le
South&eld Packaging' (ased in
Stamford' Connecticut' provides
custom packaging' shrink wrapping'
(ar coding' and ful&llment services
to clients on a contract (asis)
Business Situation
*he company deployed a range of
disparate %* systems to support its
key (usiness processes) *hese
could no longer provide su+cient
visi(ility of packaging operations
across the company)
Solution
South&eld Packaging deployed a
new (usiness management
software solution (ased on
Microsoft, Business Solutions-
.apta,' now part of Microsoft
/ynamics0)
Bene&ts
(ility to monitor packaging
pro1ects e2ectively
3ul&llment and purchase order
costs reduced (y 40 percent
100 percent growth with no need
for additional administrators
%mproved information analysis
5Centrali6ed access to a range of key
operational data has allowed us to reduce
the di2erence (etween customer 7uotes and
&nal pro1ect costs to less than two percent)8
Mark Mel&' 9.ecutive :ice President' South&eld Packaging
!ver the years' $)S);(ased South&eld Packaging
deployed a num(er of disparate %* systems to support
(usiness processes such as inventory management and
&nancial reporting) *he company' which provides a
range of packaging services' wanted a new' fully;
integrated system to support real;time reporting across
the organi6ation) *o achieve this' it deployed the
Microsoft, Business Solutions-.apta, <now part of
Microsoft /ynamics0= (usiness management suite with
support from Microsoft Certi&ed Partner Colum(us %*)
*oday' many manual administrative processes have
(een automated' supporting a 100 percent growth in
(usiness with no increase in administrative personnel) %n
addition' the new system supports the sharing of pro1ect
information with South&eld Packaging customers'
helping them manage their operations more e2ectively
and cementing the company>s already e.cellent
reputation for customer service)
Situation
South&eld Packaging' (ased in
Stamford' Connecticut' provides
custom packaging' shrink wrapping'
(ar coding' and ful&llment services to
clients on a contract (asis) *hese
processes re7uire specialist
e7uipment and skills and are often
too e.pensive for manufacturers to
conduct in house)
*he South&eld Packaging client list
includes many leading hair care'
cosmetics' and health and (eauty
product manufacturers)
!ver the last ?0 years' South&eld
Packaging has grown dramatically) *o
help it manage key (usiness
processes' such as inventory
management and &nancial reporting'
it deployed a range of disparate
technology systems)
South&eld Packaging previously used
the Microsoft, :isual 3o.Pro,
data(ase development system to
manage its inventory) @hile this could
track goods e2ectively through the
supply chain' it was not integrated
with the company>s &nancial
management system' or shipping
systems' making it di+cult to report
on the performance of the company)
Billing and purchase order
management processes were also
handled separately and shipping
paperwork was used to generate
invoices manually) Purchase orders
and receipts were also created (y
hand' further adding to the
administrative (urden)
Mark Mel&' 9.ecutive :ice President
at South&eld Packaging' says# 5Most
inventory passing through our
facilities is owned (y our customers'
so we don>t need to track its &nancial
worth) @hat we needed was a way to
e2ectively report on how much
material we use' how many packages
we process' and how many are
shipped) @e also wanted to eliminate
manual' paper;(ased administration
and that would have (een impossi(le
with the previous system) @e needed
to upgrade our infrastructure to
increase operational e+ciency and
support our plans for future growth)8
Managers at South&eld Packaging
(egan to evaluate technologies that
could integrate data from all its
critical (usiness processes' from
warehousing and packaging' to
shipping management) nother key
goal was to esta(lish a standard
purchasing policy that would reduce
costs and help to ensure the 7uality of
materials)
Solution
/uring the evaluation process'
South&eld Packaging and Microsoft
Business Solutions reselling partner
Colum(us %* investigated a num(er of
availa(le technologies' including a
stand;alone manufacturing resource
planning <M"P= application) %t also
considered upgrading its e.isting
:isual 3o.Pro system)
fter careful analysis of re7uirements
for the new solution' the Microsoft
Business Solutions-.apta, (usiness
solution' now part of Microsoft
/ynamics0 was selected as the most
appropriate technology) South&eld
worked closely with Colum(us %* to
create custom programs that
integrate &nancial' manufacturing'
and inventory systems across the
company)
Mel& says# 5!ur re7uirements for
making operational data availa(le
online re7uired some custom
development' which was fast and
simple using Microsoft .apta) Now'
South&eld Packaging managers and
customers can view real;time
inventory and production reports
online)8
*he ma1ority of products in the
South&eld Packaging supply chain
(elong to its customers) s a result'
the progress of goods through the
packaging process impacts greatly on
client operations)
Mel& say# A@e must (e a(le to report
on the customer;owned products that
pass through our supply chain) *his
helps our clients operate more
e2ectively and allows us to link our
production and inventory information
with &nancial data) By doing this we
can achieve a comprehensive view of
our (usiness activities in real time
and enhance our operational
e+ciency overall)8
*he Microsoft .apta system is (eing
used (y ?0 employees across
warehousing' accounting' and %*
management functions) Because each
department is fully integrated into the
new system' managers can achieve
visi(ility of resources' production' and
other key re7uirements across the
(usiness)
*he new (usiness management
system is supported (y a range of
Microsoft solutions' including the
Microsoft @indows, ?000 Server
enterprise operating system and a
centrali6ed Microsoft SBC Server0
?000 data(ase that holds all critical
operational information)
Because users at South&eld
Packaging are familiar with the
Microsoft !+ce System of desktop
productivity applications' they could
get up and running on the new
system with minimal training) Mel&
says# 5*he Microsoft .apta user
interface is highly intuitive and
consistent across all modules) s a
result' we have ma.imi6ed the
(ene&ts of our technology investment
from day one)8
Bene&ts
Enhanced Monitoring of
Operational Activities and
Improved Customer Service
3or the &rst time' South&eld
Packaging is a(le to monitor
individual packaging runs and provide
real;time progress updates for
customers) Because pro&t and loss
information can also (e viewed in real
time' the company can respond
7uickly to ine+cient performance at
its production centers)
Mel& says# 5!ur clients need to know
how their products are progressing
through the packaging process) *he
5*he Microsoft
.apta user
interface is highly
intuitive and
consistent across all
modules) s a
result' we have
ma.imi6ed the
(ene&ts of our
technology
investment from
day one)8
Mark Mel&' 9.ecutive :ice President'
5!ur re7uirements
for making
operational data
availa(le online
re7uired some
custom
development' which
was fast and simple
using Microsoft
.apta)8
Mark Mel&' 9.ecutive :ice President'
South&eld Packaging
capa(ilities of Microsoft .apta allow
us to access this information and
share it with customers e2ectively'
helping them plan their packaging
re7uirements and logistics operations
more e2ectively)
59.cellent customer service has (een
a hallmark of South&eld Packaging
since our inception) %f we provide our
clients with the information they need
more 7uickly and accurately' we add
value to the services we provide)
Microsoft .apta has made this much
easier for us to achieve)8

%n addition' increased visi(ility of
packaging operations helps the
company streamline its working
practices and address ine+ciencies
across the organi6ation)
Automated Management of
Operations Reduces
Administrative Costs by 50
ercent
*he cost of administering purchase
orders and ful&llment processes has
fallen 40 percent since the
deployment of Microsoft .apta) *his
is (ecause administrative processes
previously handled manually have
(een integrated into a single user
interface) %n addition' the automation
of (usiness management processes
has allowed South&eld Packaging to
handle a 100 percent increase in
(usiness without hiring additional
administrative sta2)
Mel& says# 5/uring the last si. years'
Microsoft .apta has supported
enormous growth across the (usiness)
%n fact' the si6e of the company has
dou(led while the num(er of
administrative personnel has
remained static' demonstrating a 100
percent increase in the productivity of
our managers)8
Increased Accuracy of Customer
!uotes Enhances Competitive
Advantage
Most of the pro1ects undertaken at
South&eld Packaging are o(tained on
the (asis of (ids and price 7uotes
delivered to customers (efore
pro1ects (egin) Because Microsoft
.apta is tightly integrated with
operational data across the company'
it supports the delivery of more
accurate customer 7uotes and
increases client satisfaction
considera(ly)
Mel& says# 5$sing Microsoft .apta'
we have (een a(le to streamline the
process of preparing customer
7uotes' which used to (e handled
manually) %n addition' centrali6ed
access to a range of key operational
data has allowed us to reduce the
di2erence (etween customer 7uotes
and &nal pro1ect costs to less than
two percent)
5*his increased accuracy not only
helps us to operate more e2ectively) %t
also sets e.pectations more
e2ectively for our customers'
increasing the level of satisfaction for
our services across the (oard)8
"etter Reporting on "usiness
Activities Supports the #ecision$
Ma%ing rocess
5$sing Microsoft
.apta' we have
(een a(le to
streamline the
process of preparing
customer 7uotes'
which used to (e
handled manually)8
Mark Mel&' 9.ecutive :ice President'
South&eld Packaging
@ith support from Colum(us %*'
South&eld Packaging has deployed a
new report screen that displays a
range of key operational data) *his
includes all programs in production'
the cost of packaging per unit' and
analysis of pro&ts and losses in real
time) *his information helps the
company address ine+ciencies
7uickly and supports the decision;
making process at all levels of the
organi6ation)
&igh Availability for Critical
Management Applications
*he new Microsoft .apta system is
fully integrated with the underlying
technology infrastructure that
supports it) s a result' applications
run 7uickly and relia(ly and the
company no longer e.periences
unplanned downtime)
Mel& says# 5@e owe the relia(ility of
our infrastructure and the availa(ility
of our critical Microsoft .apta
applications to the high levels of
integration (etween Microsoft
products) Because we are sure that
the operating system' data(ase' and
applications are part of the same
software family' we can (e sure that
incompati(ility issues and unplanned
downtime will never a2ect us)8
Integration 'ith the Internet
rovides (reater Collaborative
Opportunities
Since the initial implementation'
South&eld Packaging has integrated
the capa(ilities of Microsoft .apta
with the %nternet) s a result' clients
can now check the status of
packaging operations ?D hours;a;day'
from any %nternet;connected PC)
Mel& says# 5!ur %nternet service
provides customers with online
inventory and status reports for their
packaging pro1ects) *hese updates'
which are generated from the
Microsoft .apta data(ase' cement
our already e.cellent reputation for
customer service and give clients the
information they need to plan and
work more e2ectively)8
Microsoft Business
Solutions
Microsoft Business Solutions o2er
integrated (usiness applications and
services that allow small and midsi6e
organi6ations and divisions of large
enterprises to connect employees'
customers' and suppliers for
improved e+ciency) *he &nancial
management' customer relationship
management' supply chain
management' and analytics
applications work with other Microsoft
software' including the Microsoft
!+ce System and the @indows
operating system' to streamline
processes across an entire
organi6ation) *his gives (usinesses
insight to respond rapidly' plan
strategically' and e.ecute 7uickly)
Microsoft Business Solutions are
delivered through a worldwide
network of channel partners that
provide speciali6ed services and local
support tailored to a company>s
needs)
3or more information a(out Microsoft
Business Solutions' go to#
www)microsoft)comE(usinesssolutions
3or More %nformation
3or more information a(out
Microsoft products and services' call
the Microsoft Sales %nformation
Center at <F00= D?G;HD00) %n
Canada' call the Microsoft Canada
%nformation Centre at <FII= 4GF;
?DH4) Customers who are deaf or
hard;of;hearing can reach Microsoft
te.t telephone <**JE*//= services
at <F00= FH?;4?KD in the $nited
States or <H04= 4GF;HGD1 in Canada)
!utside the 40 $nited States and
Canada' please contact your local
Microsoft su(sidiary) *o access
information using the @orld @ide
@e(' go to#
www)microsoft)com
3or more information a(out
South&eld Packaging %nc) products
and services' visit the @e( site at#
https#EEspime.)net
L ?00G Microsoft Corporation) ll rights reserved)
*his case study is for informational purposes only)
M%C"!S!3* MM9S N! @""N*%9S' 9NP"9SS !"
%MPC%9/' %N *O%S S$MM"J) Microsoft' :isual 3o.Pro'
@indows' and the @indows logo are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation or
Microsoft Business Solutions pS in the $nited States
andEor other countries) Microsoft Business Solutions
pS is a su(sidiary of Microsoft Corporation) ll other
trademarks are property of their respective owners)
/ocument pu(lished /ecem(er ?004
Software and Services
Products
PMicrosoft SBC Server ?000
Solutions
PMicrosoft Business Solutions-
.apta