Confectionery retailer and manufacturer Thorntons is
overhauling its back-end IT systems to support its continued
expansion into the UKfood retail market.
The revamp of its supply chain systems will help the company as it
expands the number of business partners it works with, said Frank
Watts, group IT director at Thorntons.
"We are moving into a number of new channels such as supermarkets,
and when you are talking to the 'big guns' they expect you to have
state-of-the-art systems."
The company is rolling out the Gold suite of software from Aldata
to improve efficiency and support its business growth plans. It is
also upgrading its Oracle ERP system to version 11i and moving its
warehouse systems onto a Manugistics platform.
The Gold software covers applications for head office, store,
forecasting, replenishment and supply chain management.
It will be used to help Thorntons, which has 568 outlets and
produces goods for retailers such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer,
integrate retail demand with manufacturing planning, said
Watts.
"As an integrated manufacturer and retailer we have very specific
needs and we are going to use Gold to control our supply chain," he
said. "We have tried to do forecasting before but the systems have
been too old."
The web-based Gold software, which replaces a host of home- grown
legacy applications, will be rolled out over the next 18 months in
conjunction with Thorntons' IT outsourcing partner EDS.
Each stage of the roll-out will be reviewed with the benefits
compartmentalised to ensure Thorntons achieves a return on
investment, Watts said.
"We have a number of key performance indicators that will be
measured with a strict success criteria," he said.