Wynn's profits from openness in IFS applications™

Wynn’s has deployed IFS Applications as its central business information system since 2001. Since then the component-based business applications have enabled smoother, more efficient back office processes and a clearer overview of the documentation related to its products.

IFS applications crucialto process-oriented business

Wynn’s is a strong process-oriented company. The larger part of lubricants and additives are made and bottled in-house. The products go to end-users through a diversified distribution network. “We work with five production lines, supporting various products and package methods,” says Deblaere. “IFS Applications plays a crucial role in every aspect of the production process, starting with the products components that are stored in IFS. Moreover, operators at every production line receive their instructions through the company intranet on a terminal. Deblaere continues, “Before, we had a product bible lying at every production line with all kinds of product specifications: which package, which label and what boxes belong to a particular product. Now all this information is stored in IFS Applications and we are able to make it available via an intranet solution that has the same visual characteristics as the book. Operators can click on a production order and find all the relevant information including images of the bottle or label, or the way pallets are stacked, etc. The main advantage of this is that we are able to centrally archive all item data and make it available for employees. Moreover, the subsequent steps that have to be taken to prepare a production line for another product can be displayed on the product line terminal.”

Back office support- and savings

After implementing IFS Applications, Wynn’s managed to drastically improve its back office efficiency. For sales personnel in both the Netherlands and Germany, Deblaere built a portal in which it is easy to retrieve all the relevant data on clients and sales. “Also in this case we generate information from the IFS system,” according to Deblaere. “Sales employees can contact the portal through a VPN connection. In this way they have access to all the information they need: from client addresses to sales information and targets. This approach has enabled us to close our back offices in the Netherlands and Germany. In addition, our sales employees have direct access to all the information they need, but they do not work directly in our IFS system.”

Customs declarations made easier

Wynn’s also built a system to automate customs and excise duty declarations with data from the IFS business software. “When we deliver outside the European Union, the origin of raw materials can affect customs tariffs,” says Deblaere. “As a manufacturer, you have to be able to prove the origin of materials. For every declaration, we collect data from IFS.” Wynn’s also automated the shipping to customers of so-called Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). As soon as IFS shows that a customer needs new copies of these information sheets, the system reports this and automatically sends the sheets by email.”

Open systems ease business development

Every extension that Wynn’s has developed since the IFS implementation underlines the flexibility of IFS Applications. “Flexibility and openness are, without a doubt, the decisive characteristics of IFS,” Deblaere emphasizes. “For us it is fairly easy to adjust the system if necessary, so we can link it to our own extensions. The main advantage is that we have one central information system  that contains all our data. There’s just one true version, which is our starting point when we generate data for various applications and various end-users. In this way we are certain that the data  used is always correct and reliable.”

Benefits

• Open, agile business applications that enable business to develop
• Single data repository ensures accurate, reliable data 
• Smoother, less costly back office processes
• Easier access to sales information
• Enhanced documentation capabilities