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The value of tech in engineering, construction and mining


Johannesburg, 20 Jul 2017
Jane Thomson.
Jane Thomson.

In 2015 Mail & Guardian reported that technology may very well save the mining industry. In engineering, construction and mining, this statement still rings true today. Gone are the days when spreadsheets were the optimum performance platform. Innovation drives growth, and falling behind means losing ground instead of breaking it.

According to Timothy Morgan, Business Controller at Atlas Copco Secoroc, a division of Atlas Copco South Africa, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology has become a critical part of the business operating model, ensuring efficiency, effective management, and financial control. "Integrated financial management and unified reporting in Infor M3 means we don't drop the ball."

Most businesses in this sector face distinct challenges. With historical systems intertwining with the use of new technology, customisations abound making future (essential) upgrades difficult. Efficiency and revenue must be maintained in a global market; therefore, it is crucial that every part of the business is visible to the group as whole - whether locally or abroad.

Timothy Morgan.
Timothy Morgan.

With five dedicated business areas (compressor technique, industrial technique, construction technique, vacuum technique, and mining and rock excavation technique), efficient operations are integral to Secoroc's success. "Atlas Copco has been a proud Infor customer since the 1990s, and the latest upgrade served to address these challenges," states Jane Thomson, MD at Softworx, an Infor partner. "Having eliminated the customisations, the software is now perfectly positioned for future upgrades, while integrating with the Atlas Copco systems across the globe."

The use of the right ERP technology in this sector offers various benefits, such as shorter lead times, maximised available-to-premise visibility, and international inventory management. With features such as electronic order entry capabilities, action messages, capacity planning, and production management tools, products and components are efficiently manufactured on time, as required.

Combining its tech-focus with forward thinking, Atlas Copco drives lean manufacturing principles, holding regular kaizen events to improve production processes and reduce manufacturing steps. "In fact, a recent kaizen exercise on the continuous flow line increased production capacity by 18%," adds Thomson.

With an ethos of continuous improvement, the company utilises the technology available to ensure that its global manufacturing capacity is ever-improving and increasingly dynamic. The aim is to continue to implement technology that will empower the company to evolve into a tightly integrated, global organisation with the agility to respond rapidly to customer needs, anytime, anywhere - all while creating a working environment conducive to productivity and passion.

"With the Infor M3 software, Atlas Copco functions as one unit, across the globe. A truly agile supply chain, enables us to identify the best solution to a client's need in an instant - and give them the best cost, by using the most efficient manufacturing plant in the best location," concludes Morgan.

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Softworx

Softworx was founded in 1995 as Baan South Africa. In December 2000, it became a member of the EOH Group and in 2011 it was appointed as the only Infor Gold Channel Partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. Softworx was then appointed as Infor Master Partner in 2014, one of only a few worldwide.

The company focuses on providing the right solutions to its customers. It delivers enterprise applications, enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, and drives extended best-of-breed solutions including; supply chain planning, extended warehouse management, asset maintenance, product life cycle management, information management (BI, data warehousing and analytics), and enterprise performance management (financial planning, forecasting, budgeting, consolidation and governance).

For more information, please visit www.softworx.co.za.

Atlas Copco

As a B-BBEE Level 4 empowering supplier, Atlas Copco is a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions. Its customers benefit from innovative compressors, vacuum solutions and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. Atlas Copco South Africa was established in 1956, however, the group's roots with Atlas Copco date back to 1926.

Its head office is based in Jet Park, Johannesburg and it has a strong presence throughout South Africa. The company's 1 000 employees serve its customers through five dedicated business areas: compressor technique, industrial technique, construction technique and mining and rock excavation technique.

For more information, please visit www.atlascopco.co.za.

Editorial contacts

Raynique Ducie
Perfect Word Consulting
perfectword@trinitas.co.za