Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition integrates business processes at Macdonald Steel

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South African steel supplier Macdonald Steel has implemented Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition to integrate its business processes for increased productivity and efficiency.

Macdonald Steel is one of the most respected suppliers of specialised steel products to the mechanical engineering industry in Southern Africa. Based in Durban, the company provides clients with a diversified stock of steel and metal products that are used in everything from cars, ships and trains to high-tech engine components, cooking utensils, nuts and bolts. Besides its Durban operations, the company also has branches in Pietermaritzburg and Gauteng.

Macdonald Steel was previously working off of Ohio software to manage their manufacturing and Pastel for their financial statements. Both systems are stand-alone systems and information had to be manually posted out of Ohio into Pastel for financial reporting. This was a labour-intensive and time consuming process and the lack of system integration significantly decreased the company’s business efficiencies.

The addition of a third Macdonald Steel branch in Wadeville, Gauteng, placed added pressure on the existing operating systems and further exacerbated the problems of inefficiency and time wastage, leading the company to address their system challenges as the company grew.

At the beginning of 2012 Softline Accpac implementation partner, Antinomy Business Consulting, approached Macdonald Steel with the newly launched Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition. The pricing combined with the implementation methodology appealed to the Macdonald Steel Board and it was chosen as the solution of choice for Macdonald Steel’s operating environment.

“We had already considered Syspro, Pastel Evolution and SAP Business One, but our final decision to go with Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition was based on the fact that the solution best fit our needs within our budget,” explains Raven Brijrajh.

Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition, launched in South Africa earlier this year, providing a predefined, yet adaptable, implementation framework to customers interested in deploying a cost effective ERP solution in a reduced timeframe that offers standard business requirements and processes. Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition provides a client with the option to expand and enhance their ERP solution as the company grows by simply tapping into the existing features of Sage ERP X3, using minimal IT resources.

“Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition is an integrated system that will increase overall time proficiencies at Macdonald Steel,” says Antinomy’s Sales and Marketing Director, Lee Mounter. “Authorisation procedures will improve and group buying will become more efficient, which are key business requirements for the company. The system’s customised reporting will also assist Macdonald Steel management to uphold the accuracy and integrity of their reporting,” Lee Mounter explains. “Raven Brijrajh and his team are specifically excited about the Developers Tool Kit, which forms part of the new system, with which they can write their own reports, integrating them back into the system,” says Lee Mounter.

The installation at Macdonald Steel is the first Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition implementation by Antinomy. The project commenced at the end of June and the system is expected to go live at Macdonald Steel in October this year.

“One of the major challenges facing ERP solution providers today is the implementation of an ERP solution in a predefined timeframe and within the initial budget expectations,” says Keith Fenner, Senior Vice President of Sales for Africa, Softline Accpac and Sage MMD Africa. “In order to meet this challenge, Sage launched Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition, which offers the same fully functional ERP suite but includes a predefined implementation framework that is designed for the African business such as Macdonald Steel,” concludes Fenner.