UK-based Burts Potato Chips has deployed a new ERP system to improve its supply chain and financials.
The Devon company supplys snacks to farm shops, cafes and deli's, as well as high street retailers including Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
Burts has deployed Access SupplyChain and Access SelectPay, with the 85-strong company having aspirations to grow into a £20 million-turnover firm over the next three years.
Burts said Access' supply and financial ERP modules would address its requirements for tighter controls over its financials, production processing and stock control.
"Access SupplyChain is helping us to scrutinise every area of our business. It's already saved us thousands of pounds through greater efficiency and faster access to information," said Mike Cosby, finance director for Burts Potato Chips. Cosby said the firm's previous Sage Line 200 system could not provide "the level of analysis and management reporting required".
Burts says it is benefiting from "significant time and cost savings" and has "considerably reduced manual processing".
Cosby said, "We no longer carry out monthly stock takes as inventory is reconciled in real-time saving us around £12,000 a year.
"With Access SupplyChain we can view the stock position on the system in real-time too and know it's 99% correct. This has given a real boost to our customer service as we have full confidence in the accuracy of the information we're providing."
Burts is now conducting a perpetual inventory with barcoding, improving accuracy and speed.
The new system is also playing an important role in managing wastage. "Access SupplyChain gives us instant visibility of production costing, enabling us to analyse and reduce product wastage. Not only does this have a financial benefit, it also has a positive environmental impact," said Cosby.
Burts Potato Chips is able to readily carry out variance analysis, from purchase price to production costs, as well as retrospective stock valuation and comprehensive sales and product analysis - all of which was "previously very cumbersome", it said.
In addition, said Burts, reporting is faster with easy access to information. Cosby said, "We can easily create up-to-the-minute production reports allowing us to analyse activity in an instant. We also have full warehouse location visibility which we didn't have before."
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