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Fuller, Smith and Turner, the renowned West London brewer and pub
retailer, has, since 1845, established a deserved reputation as a
well-managed company with a quality product. Its beers include ‘London
Pride’, ESB’ and ‘Organic Honey Dew’ and are enjoyed and appreciated
across the country and around the world.
Such has been the focus of the £140 million turnover largely
family-owned company on excelling in the cask ale sector that the
prize-winning London Pride is now the number one selling premium cask
ale in the UK.
Fuller’s ales reach the beer drinker through the company’s own estate
of some 250 outlets - hotels and managed or tenanted pubs; sales to
other breweries and pub-owning groups; and to retailers and the free
trade. Additionally, Fuller’s has a thriving wholesale wine business
supplying wines to its own estate and the free trade.
Meeting the needs of customers in the UK and around the world and
managing the estate is a complex challenge – at the centre of meeting
this challenge for over a decade has been Strategix.
Fuller’s has been a customer of Strategix partner IBM since the early
nineties. The relationship was founded on the original recommendation
of one of the major consultancies. But as Colin Simpson, Group Systems
Manager, explains, the way Strategix systems are used in the business
has evolved considerably over time with an extensive re-implementation
some three years ago achieving an even tighter fit with the business.
first steps
Simpson explains: “The initial implementation was very much
driven by the need for an integrated order through to stock through
to accounting system. However, such was the enthusiasm from the
Finance function for Strategix and its implementation that it left
other users behind in making best use of the system. We then
started asking ourselves: How can we get better value out of
Strategix in other areas?”
The result was that Fuller’s set up a cross-functional team
representing finance, sales, logistics, production and other
functions, to re-implement the system across the board.
extending the system
The resulting 12 month project extended the Strategix system to
many more areas of the business. Vehicle scheduling (through
Paragon) was interfaced to Strategix as was Northgate’s PS
Enterprise Payroll; the existing XN Corporation EPOS systems in the
pubs were re-interfaced (and are currently going through complete
replacement with Zonal systems and another re-interface); Fullers’
financial consolidation, budgeting and business intelligence
systems (based on Cognos tools and said to be one of the best of
any brewer’s) now feed data directly from Strategix.
business improvements
The result, Simpson reports, has been `great change in the way
we do things`, with much improved corporate reporting across
functions, better purchase order processing and improved telesales
order taking.
working in partnership
One of the key benefits of the Strategix system Simpson says is
that he `never has to worry about the system whatever Fuller’s chooses
to do with it`. The beauty of Strategix, he emphasises, is that,
`unlike many systems it is completely open and easy to develop and
extend`. This is important particularly as Fuller’s has had
subsequently to develop various brewing-specific systems - for example
in altering the system to cope with varying rates of Beer Duty
payable, and with ullage (the allowances the brewer is allowed to make
for spoilage and waste) – that are not available as packaged
applications.
“We have third-generation families working here, and tradition is
strong, so we have to appreciate the effect on others when we are
making changes to tried and tested methods,” notes Simpson. “We are a
company where the business drives IT and not the other way round.
Strategix understands this and has always worked with us to make the
system perform better in ways that our people understand and
appreciate and so ensure that we get true value out of the
investment.”
Fuller’s is currently evaluating the best way of introducing an
e-commerce system to allow pubs to order beer, food and dry goods
online. This will involve an external exchange interfacing with the
Strategix systems. CRM and ERP manufacturing applications are also
under consideration, as are the replacement of some existing
applications with Strategic modules.
Simpson sums up: “It’s a very reliable and effective system (downtime
in over 10 years of operation has been minimal) that has grown and
changed with us easily. We have a great working relationship with
Strategix - our technical teams talk as peers - and Strategix listens
carefully to our challenges. All-in-all we’ve still got a long way to
go together.”
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