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Tecpro
5.3.1 Technical Dimensions
Through its eBusiness implementation Tecpro has developed an integrated
Management Information System [MIS – see sidebar] and introduced automation
into the supply chain.
An internal system restructuring took place, including an upgrade of the
original accounts package to a windows based system supplied by Intact Software
Ltd. Additional modules provided additional functionality, such as:
- bill of
materials
- quotations
- sales
order status
- production
planning
- daily
ship plans
Because of the
ease of use and the ready acceptance of the Intact package by Tecpro personnel,
it was decided to expand its capabilities and add in additional modules
for:
- time recording
- staff
details
- job costing
- interface
with clock card systems
The latest network
time recording system was put in place to streamline job costing. This product
interfaced with an employee clock card system to allow accurate monitoring
of staff movements and activities.
This allowed:
- instant
head count in the event of a fire alarm
- status
of all employees available at manager or supervisor
PC’s
- facilities
for pre-booking holidays
- integration
with the job costing module of the Intact software
to accurately account for time spent on each job
- integration
with the payroll system to allow for automation
of pay once the clocks have been signed of by management
In an effort
to reduce the amount of paper work and associated administration costs,
Tecpro invested in a high-speed scanner and OCR [Optical Character Recognition]
software. All delivery dockets could be scanned and filed electronically
upon arrival. OCR allows the files to be stored as editable documents rather
than pure images. A scanner database was installed and integrated to the
Intact database for instant document retrieval. Tecpro have requested permission
from the Revenue Commission to allow supplier invoices to be legally recognised
as the ‘sole copies’ dramatically reducing the filing workload.
In addition, to reduce all traditional paper-based documents such as Purchase
Orders and Sales Orders, facilities were installed to submit files directly
from employees PC’s via email or fax [using WinFax Pro]. All payments
to suppliers, which accept electronic orders, are automatically transferred
to an online banking and payment system. This is what James Neary calls
‘persuasive charm’.
Suppliers who integrate into the new supply chain system benefit from timely
payments. Others, who still use traditional paper based methods, incur more
of a delay due to the administrative overhead in processing their paperwork
and orders. The web site itself is situated on a server at the UK based
hosting company, WebFusion (tecpro-ebiz.com). It provides information on
products, new developments, contact information, and offers registered customers
a secure facility to place orders online. This function is integrated with
the Intact software to automatically generate an order within the system.
To facilitate the demonstration of product prototypes and assist as a powerful
sales tool, Tecpro invested heavily in CAD and 3-D animation software. This
would allow speedy demonstration of new products and concepts to both existing
and potential customers.
Tecpro are, by the very nature of their business, extremely security conscious.
Not only do they hold a sizeable stock of equipment, but the intellectual
property that they have invested both time and money in, is of considerable
value. In addition, the company had to offer a high degree of protection
to their customers too. The new Tecpro service offering was going to house
both prototypes of their customer
products, along with critically sensitive specification data on dedicated
servers. To assure customers of the safety of these valuable assets, Tecpro
had to build a state of the art security system.
For internal system security a multi-layer infrastructure was deployed including:
- Access
router with network address translators to control
access
- Router
[router – see sidebar] password authentication
to allow connections from valid networks only
- Firewall
[firewall – see sidebar]– Wingate Proxy
Server
- Virus
protection software on all servers provided by McAfee
- Access
Control Lists [ACL – see sidebar] to restrict
access into systems
To compliment
the software security system, Tecpro also invested in a CCTV system. Cameras
situated both internally, and surrounding the building, would capture instant
views of any activities. The system acts as a psychological deterrent to
employees who are aware their movements may be recorded and observed at
any time. In addition, any attempt at breaking into the premises would be
averted by a state-ofthe- art security system backed up by a security company
patrolling the premises.
Security of mission critical data for Tecpro and their customers is just
one aspect of their dedication to customer service. Along with security,
Tecpro formulated a comprehensive back up procedure to ensure the integrity
of all data. Their procedure is as follows:
- complete
daily backups onto a dedicated back up server
- additional
backups onto 70Gb Hot-Swap hard disks
- every
day backups are placed onto different disks to minimise
loss of data due to disk failure
- weekly
hard disk backups are placed at a mobile off site
location
Training was
to play a great part in the rollout of the ebusiness initiative. In addition
to the web master and web manager programs attended by James Neary and Karen
McCartney, CCA provided training on all hardware, security and anti-virus
software. Intact also delivered a training program to all staff operating
the accounting and MIS systems.
Tecpro had an existing IT staff member who also received training on all
systems and continues to manage and run the IT department. The tight integration
of all the packages with the web server resulted in minimum maintenance
and hence reduced the need for extra IT staff to manage the systems.
In order to run the systems Tecpro purchased additional hardware:
- two very
high specification servers (BDC).
- two 3Com
24 port 10/100 switches
- a HP7400
scanner unit
- a high
specification digital camera (with 4.3million pixels) for capture of
high quality digital images of products under development for inclusion
on our website or for sharing with Customers involved in cooperative
developments
5.3.2
Timelines
| Application
for funding |
September
2000 |
| Application
approved |
January
2001 |
| CAA
ebusiness plan |
October
2000 |
| Intact
web strategy |
November
2000 |
| Intact
accounts package installation |
May
2001 |
| Additional
Intact module installation |
June
2001 |
| Security
system installation |
Jan
2001 |
| Network
time recording system installation |
June
2001 |
| Web
site roll out with online ordering |
September 2001 |
5.4 Budget
| Costs |
Total
€ (,000) |
| Feasibility
study and ebusiness plan |
67.5 |
| Process
development – developing ebusiness systems and processes |
184.50 |
| Staff
Training |
133.30 |
| Marketing
costs |
31.8 |
| Capital
investment |
157.50 |
| Total |
573.90 |
| Grant
Assistance Approved |
163.8 |
| Grant
Assistance drawn down |
110.46 |
5.5 Setbacks and Difficulties
When all the components of the system were installed and integrated, the
system was ready to go live. There was, however, a problem. The information
load produced by all the MIS, supply chain automation and web services put
a far greater load on the hardware than had been anticipated. The system
was slowly but surely grinding to a halt. Tecpro then had to make additional
investment in high specification hardware and network bandwidth to cope
with the workload. Purchasing several high-end workstations and upgrading
their network was costly but necessary to finally roll out the ebusiness
project to customers and suppliers.
The project also suffered from delays during the implementation phase. The
workload on both Tecpro employees and consultants was severely underestimated.
As the internal Tecpro team ran the project in conjunction with their daily
responsibilities, their time was split between the two activities, and both
began to suffer. This was also apparent for the consultants who suffered
from over committing resources that were simply not available at the time.
This resulted in a delay of several months before the project was finally
rolled out.
5.6 Rollout
In September 2001 the project went live. All administration staff were fully
trained on the accounting and MIS systems. Employees working in manufacturing
were made aware of their new clocking in and time management
responsibilities along with new security procedures. “It took several
months of constant reminders to get the required compliance but there was
no resistance”, stated James Neary. Several customers and suppliers
who had been involved with the project from the outset could now place and
receive orders online. Some major customers have their own dedicated server
at Tecpro, allowing them instant access to download specifications and documentation
pertaining to their individual orders. In addition, these customers had
access to their accounts information.
Suppliers were encouraged to accept orders directly from the Tecpro MIS
system and rewarded with prompt electronic payments.
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