George Adams opts for ERP

UK-based meat processor George Adams is planning to roll out an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in five of its factories in a £1 million bid to improve its production procedures.

Adams has chosen the Tropos fast-response ERP solution from software company SSI, which will be introduced first into its Ruskington plant in Lincolnshire, before being extended to four other sites. Adams makes sausages, pies and other savoury meat products.

As well as the SSI software, the company has installed fixed and mobile data capture hardware from Intermec, flat panel screens from Nematron and business intelligence tools from Cognos, all of which enable it to track the work-in-progress (WIP) throughout the plant.

Site director Mark Wood said that being able to track a huge number of material movements in real-time is crucial to the success of Adams' operation.

As a supplier to the major supermarket chains, Adams is faced with rapidly changing demand for its products, and a requirement for very short delivery lead times - often much shorter than the time taken actually to manufacture the product. He said the new system would allow the company to manage this process far more efficiently, reducing waste and saving money.

"I'd like to be able to sit at my desk, look into the factory via my PC and see at a glance how production is going,"​ he said. "Tropos will help us get total control of the production process in real-time - and that's crucial to our success".​