Report generation time cut by 80%, with one connected system end to end
Fobos One is a co-packing and co-manufacturing specialist based in Sztum, Poland, continuing a business founded in 1989. The company receives bulk deliveries of food products, including confectionery, cookies, chocolate, chewing gum, breakfast cereals, coffee, tea, and powdered drinks, and repackages them for the retail sector, working with international brands including Dr. Oetker, Mars, Wrigley, Mondelez, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, Carambar, and Lorenz. With around 150 employees, Fobos One exports to most European Union countries, as well as North and South America, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
The catalyst for change
Before implementing SAP Business One, Fobos One ran a mix of different IT systems for production reporting, warehouse movements, and accounting, putting pressure on an IT department managing multiple servers and programming languages. As the company worked to compete with global businesses running powerful ERP systems, it needed one cohesive system to cover and connect its processes.
Before implementing SAP Business One we were using a number of IT systems for production reporting, for recording warehouse movements, and for accounting. Our goal was to introduce one cohesive system that would cover and connect most of the processes in the organization.
The solution
Fobos One implemented SAP Business One directly with CompuTec, alongside CompuTec ProcessForce, CompuTec PDC, CompuTec WMS, and CompuTec Labels.
- SAP Business One gives Fobos One a single program and database, hosted on one SAP HANA server, replacing the multiple systems and servers it relied on before.
- CompuTec ProcessForce gives Fobos One the tools to handle manufacturing documents and schedule production on a Gantt chart, replacing manual spreadsheet planning.
- CompuTec PDC gives the shop floor a way to capture production data directly on mobile devices.
- CompuTec WMS integrates the warehouse with SAP Business One, so that when a Manufacturing Order is created, a request to issue goods is sent straight to the warehouse team's mobile devices.
- CompuTec Labels prints logistics labels and goods receipt and delivery documents automatically.
The Gantt chart is part of the manufacturing solution provided to us by CompuTec. We use several CompuTec solutions: CompuTec ProcessForce handles manufacturing documents, CompuTec PDC lets us capture data from the shop floor on mobile devices, and we use their warehouse management system, CompuTec WMS, which turned out to be a great option for us.
The results
With SAP Business One and the CompuTec Solution Suite connected, Fobos One collects data from most of its processes into a single repository, generates reports automatically, and analyzes data in real time to make faster decisions. The system can flag low stock automatically, triggering a reorder before Fobos One runs out. Freed from routine tasks, staff reported being happier after the implementation, with room to focus on more interesting and creative work.
Key outcomes:
- Report generation time cut by 80%, with reports generated automatically
- Real-time data analysis for faster decisions and easier process changes
- Data from most processes collected into a single repository, improving interdepartmental communication
- Automatic warehouse pick requests and low-stock reorder flags
- Staff reporting they were happier after the implementation, freed up for more interesting and creative work
- Uninterrupted remote work through the COVID-19 pandemic
I don't think we would have been in a position to allow people to work from home under the old system. Thanks to SAP Business One, all the office staff, including me, can work from home. Without it, there would have been problems completing orders on time and maintaining continuity of production.
