Access Supply Chain is the perfect fit for kitchen manufacturer Adam Furniture

Emley, UK - 12th December 2007 Kitchen and bathroom manufacturer, Adam Furniture has implemented a new ERP system from Access Supply Chain and is already reaping the benefits in terms of improved order processing, reporting, stock control and materials management.

Adam Furniture is a £4 million, 60-employee organisation which has been manufacturing kitchens and bathrooms since 1973. The business is still owned by the founder's family and its factory, warehouse, showroom and offices are all located in Droylsden, Greater Manchester.

With only a Unix-based accounting package and a system of spreadsheets to support its business processes, the key drivers for a new system were improved stock information and materials planning.  However, the company needed a solution to manage much more than just materials, so a number of software suppliers were invited to the Droylsden site to demonstrate their systems.

"Access Supply Chain stood apart from the others," recalls finance director, Tracy Hannon. "They worked hard to understand our business and they had taken the trouble to load our data onto their system so the demo was very relevant to us."

For Adam Furniture, the last few years have seen an enormous increase in product range, plus a rapidly changing customer profile - broadening from just a dozen distributors to now include builders, property developers and the general public.  Just six months after the Access Supply Chain system went live, it is helping the company respond to the new demands in inventory levels, delivery schedules, customer service and more.

Previously when a sales order was received, the despatch department had to manually break it down into an appropriate list - carcasses, doors, cornices, plinths and so on - to be supplied by three or four different departments all on separate pieces of paper.

"Now, with Access Supply Chain, we can put orders in as complete units and the system generates picking lists automatically for despatch, giving us instant traceability," says Tracy.

The comprehensive reporting capabilities have provided crucial visibility. "We have achieved our original aim, which was to have up-to-the-minute stock information," says Tracy. "This means we can manage our stockholding much more effectively and the next step will be to reduce it. That will be a key financial benefit to us."

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