“ At the end of my tenure , I want to be able to say that this business truly understands and embraces continuous improvement , the digital space and the potential of cloud software , AI and technology ”
— Calum Laird , Supply Chain Transition Manager , McAlpine Hussmann
to deal with - can look up the part and place an order directly from their phone , tablet or other device . They can then collect that from a local wholesaler , or our central warehouse in Auckland .”
The SAP integration means that information about part availability , stock levels and location can be updated across the entire system remotely . Laird expects this to be particularly useful in alleviating some of the pen and paper data entry that ’ s currently generating inefficiencies in the Auckland warehouse . “ We operate a 24 / 7 repair and service model , which is a huge part of our business ,” he explains . “ We have technicians come into our warehouse at three in the morning who need a part . At the moment , they have to write down what they ’ ve taken on paper , and then someone comes in the next day and has to go enter that information into the system to make sure the stock is accurate . The flexibility and agility this gives our entire service team , as well as our back end supply chain and warehouse operators , is fantastic . We have all this added transparency in real time .”
It ’ s an ambitious project . The full SAP and Salesforce implementation has a go-live date in the first week of October this year . The integration means that there ’ s still a great deal of data to be cleansed , gathered , entered into the new system and double checked for accuracy . However , Laird is confident that the transformation will pay big dividends for McAlpine Hussmann , and can ’ t wait to prove it to the team . “ We ’ re headed for a future where there ’ s direct interfacing between our customers , our suppliers and us , and working to make sure that the days of
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