Tecpro

3 Opportuniy / Problem Definition and Objectives

With lower labour costs in the Far East having greatly impacted the global electronics industry, Tecpro recognised a need to develop ebusiness capabilities if it was to survive.

The company highlighted a number of problems within its operations:

• inefficiencies in day to day operations, specifically the administrative overheads in managing their supply chain
• recording and tracking time spent on individual jobs performed within manufacturing
• producing accurate quotations for new orders
• cost effective production of prototypes for customer orders
• over reliance on the use of paper based filing systems

Prior to the implementation of their ebusiness system, Tecpro had a very basic IT infrastructure. Fundamentally, this consisted of a DOS (Disk Operating System) based accounts package to manage finances. In order to address its problems and grasp the opportunity to secure and continue their success, the company needed to address its operational problems and define an ebusiness strategy.

Tecpro’s overall rationale was to:

• increase their profile in international markets
• improve the speed and rigour of the design and specification process
• decrease lead time through improved internal efficiencies, communication and automation
• develop value added services

4 Decision

Tecpro have historically relied on two main principles:

• if you are going to do something, do it well
• all investments are judged on the basis of actual need or like. When the like converts into a need, with ROI justification, then the investment is authorised.

Embarking on an ebusiness initiative was to be no different. The company realised that this project was imperative for future survival and, to ensure this, would make a significant investment. Along with consultants from CCA,

Tecpro outlined the following objectives:

• electronic external trade (sub suppliers)
  • generation of Purchase orders (POs) from web
  • develop capability to generate authorised and secure electronic reports
  • electronic delivery to supplier
  • electronic PO acknowledgement
• electronic external trade (customers)
  • interactive website to accept orders for standard and semi standard Tecpro products
  • introduce capability to allow customers to customise test equipment and electronically place order
  • efficient and secure transfer of 3D CAD [Computer Aided Design]
  • electronic order acknowledgement, quotation and delivery date issue to customer
  • secure linking of website to accounts system allowing customers access to their invoices and statements
• electronic operations (internal)
  • develop intranet to:
    • expedite and control development of quotations
    • integrate data from materials, labour and production databases
    • improve engineering and production interface for enhanced new product introduction efficiency
• electronic operations (external)
  • development of net based customer links to monitor Tecpro test equipment usage to trigger maintenance activities and software upgrades
  • implementation of secure links to specific customers to facilitate interactive involvement in their product design