12 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Asset Management March / April 2021
MRI offers M & S a host of opportunities
UK-based M & S Logistics is taking its tank container operations to the cloud with MRI Intermodal SaaS platform . Headquartered in Sandbach , UK , M & S today operates a fleet of over 8,500 tanks , with regional offices in Asia , Brazil , China , France , Netherlands , South Africa , the UAE and the USA , plus a worldwide network of agents . While the COVID-19 pandemic required M & S to make various changes to business operations , not least to support staff in working from home , demand remained strong and international growth continued . M & S is actively pursuing further growth across Europe and beyond , and plans to add around 400 new tank containers to its fleet during 2021 . The company had been using specialist tank container operating and rental software from MRI Intermodal ( formerly RAM Intermodal ) for many years , hosted in the UK on servers run by a third party . Rapid business growth had put pressure on this hosting structure and in 2018 / 19 the company faced the decision whether to upgrade to new servers or move to the cloud , explains Rob Hughes , global IT manager at M & S . Key drivers for the decision were how best to ensure robust business continuity and the ability to scale up quickly to support future growth . “ Hosting the MRI software on an older server was also slowing down software updates and enhancements and we knew that we needed to address these issues ,” adds Hughes . The company turned to MRI as its long-term software partner to discuss cloud hosting and explore the benefits of migrating to the MRI SaaS platform . Designed ‘ from the ground up ’ and continuously enhanced over many years , MRI ’ s SaaS solution is dedicated exclusively to clients using MRI software . The platform is powered by data centres in the UK , Singapore and USA and all infrastructure is configured for industry best practice and specifically for the software solutions that it hosts . All hardware is owned , managed and maintained directly by MRI engineers , which allows for close continual control over network infrastructure and data security , delivering a secure , scalable , high-performance hosting environment . A major consideration in deciding whether to move to the cloud was cost , notes Hughes . “ The MRI SaaS platform is more expensive than our previous server infrastructure . There ’ s always a hesitancy with a big investment being in the cloud , but our senior team decided that the benefits outweighed the extra cost . “ Having worked for many years with MRI , we had faith in their people and technology ,” continues Hughes . “ The MRI team was
Rapid business growth put pressure on M & S to decide whether to upgrade to new servers or move to the cloud
with us all the way . They gave us a project timeline that they stuck to and were on hand throughout to make the migration process as smooth as possible .” Cloud hosting for the M & S tank container operating software went live in February 2020 . Having operated in the cloud for over a year now , M & S has seen clear improvements in the speed , performance , and security of its operating software , says Hughes . With the new cloud set-up , MRI engineers can resolve issues much more quickly in the background . The new web apps also look good and are easy to work with . “ We have been impressed with the results . Having successfully migrated our MRI Monitor4000 tank operating system onto the SaaS platform , we are now also planning to do the same with our MRI Rental4000 tank leasing software .” Data and cyber security are , of course , major areas of attention , even more so during the pandemic with staff working from home and relying on their own internet connections . The MRI SaaS platform has very robust security at the data and hardware levels and Hughes admits that managing the higher level of password security required has been challenging at times . With the help of MRI , however , M & S has now implemented Single-Sign-On ( SSO ) for its global team to alleviate this . Having settled in with the new cloud model , M & S is now looking at adding further value to its data with business intelligence tools , advanced analytics and interfaces to other systems . In the future , this could well include interfaces to customer portals and other third party platforms as the tank container industry accelerates the pace of digitalisation , like so many other sectors of supply chain , logistics and shipping . “ MRI SaaS provides us with a stable and scalable hosting environment for other apps to be bolted on ,” says Hughes . M & S is now testing out API interfaces and has already gone live in-house with a link between its tank operating and financial systems to generate new insights on job profitability and other key business metrics . Open systems and interoperability are very much the direction of travel for MRI across its software and cloud platform , says marketing manager Nicola Byers . “ We aim to support customers like M & S on their digitalisation journey with a ‘ plug and play ’ approach that makes it as easy as possible to interface with other systems . At MRI we remain focused on our speciality area of asset management software for intermodal logistics and other industries . As digitalisation advances , our ethos is to allow everyone to play to their strengths with APIs and other tools that enable connectivity across different systems and platforms .” “ Moving to the MRI SaaS cloud platform has helped us futureproof our business . We have the infrastructure we need to ride the next wave of digitalisation both inside our business and with clients , suppliers , and partners ,” concludes Hughes .
www . mriintermodal . com
Epicor – out of the box and into the cloud
Epicor is a leading provider of cloud ERP solutions , with industry and vertical capabilities to attain end-to-end solutions . The company specialises in distribution , discrete manufacturing , process manufacturing and building supplies industries . Mark Hughes , regional vice president , UK & Ireland for Epicor Software says customers benefit from out-of-the-box features to satisfy business needs and achieve greater efficiencies , while sharing best-practices and industry expertise through its people and software . “ Epicor Prophet 21 is unique in that it is the only cloud-based ERP solution designed specifically for distribution ,” he says . “ Many other ERP solutions claim to be ‘ distribution-specific ’ but require various bolt-ons and third party add-ons , which can have a detrimental effect on future upgrades and integrations . “ Additionally , other ‘ distribution platforms ’ are hosted in the cloud by a third party , rather than having a dedicated cloud environment . These differentiators drive significant financial savings for our customers ,” Hughes continues . The Epicor Prophet 21 team is made up of dedicated experts who combine both distribution industry understanding and distribution software knowledge , creating expertise for distributors when it comes to driving effective digital transformation . During the past 12 months many organisations have seen significant disruption within their supply chains , from factors that could not have been predicted or planned for . Industrial companies that rely on staying connected to global suppliers have in some cases been exposed to weak points in processes and effective supply chain management . Using Epicor solutions helps businesses move towards smart supply chains creating efficiencies in several ways . For example , providing increased visibility into sales and inventory , organisations can gather better insight to help supply chain teams make better purchasing decisions , or using artificial intelligence ( AI ) to suggest purchase orders , optimising stock levels and their associated costs , while also ensuring orders can be
Mark Hughes – Epicor Prophet 21 is unique in that it is the only cloud-based ERP solution designed fulfilled with sustainable lead specifically for distribution times . Epicor solutions also allow organisations to stay connected with their extended supply chain with real-time tracking of orders that are due to be delivered ; whether they on are a vessel , in a container or being shipped , enabling supply chain teams to distinguish when inventory is available and if action is required due to any issues . In addition , this links to sales and operations teams , as they have realtime visibility of when stock is arriving , so they can begin preallocating stock in advance of arrival , ensuring the right product goes to the right customers . “ Epicor has the functionality to integrate with customers and suppliers via EDI , critical to drive business growth in the digital age ,”
Hughes adds . “ This allows supply chain teams to integrate seamlessly with customers and suppliers , automating what was previously a manual entry process , to save time and achieve greater visibility by connecting to their ecosystem .” For 50 years Epicor has been providing solutions to help customers achieve complete supply chain management ( SCM ), over the years the company innovated its solutions with the latest technology , while keeping the focus on latest SCM principles . “ As a broader company wide solution we have always offered seamless integration with other key core areas to achieve end-to-end visibility ,” comments Hughes . “ As a result , Epicor helps businesses co-ordinate sales , customer services , production , warehousing , inventory , distribution , planning , procurement , finance and delivery teams to respond efficiently to customer demand while minimising costs and having greater control through increased visibility .” For bulk logistics chains , Epicor Prophet 21 is designed specifically for wholesale and distribution industries , where many customers immerse their operations around bulk inputs . Prophet 21 offers modules such as QuickShip , to integrate with third party courier services , as well as a built-in wireless warehouse management system for improved warehouse efficiency with bulk picking , packing and shipping mechanisms . In addition , many distributors supplying industrial goods offer value-added services , which Prophet 21 caters for . This includes a Service & Maintenance module , Manufacturing , Kits & Assemblies , and a Rentals module .
www . epicor . com