Supply chain software offers sweet benefits

Cadbury Trebor Bassett division increases visibility

Monkhill Confectionery, a division of Cadbury Trebor Bassett, has implemented software across four manufacturing sites to improve supply chain transparency.

The chocolate and gum manufacturer needed software flexible enough to cover more varied products, tighter production timescales and shorter production runs.

It chose Lawson QuickStep software to reduce the time, cost and risk associated with an enterprise software implementation, but to deliver the same benefits.

Monkhill Confectionery will be able to expand its use of Lawson applications as its business evolves, by adding features, components and specific configuration as part of a continuous improvement program.

Monkhill financial director Simon Barber says a full ERP implementation was too time consuming and expensive.

‘We lowered the cost of ownership of this software by cutting the implementation time more than 50 per cent with consequent savings in consulting and internal resourcing costs and reduced risk,’ he said.

Cadbury Trebor Basset systems integration manager Tim Langlois says it is vital to have complete supply chain visibility and the flexibility to grow in the future.

‘We had several business needs, from accurately predicting supply and demand from production to the shop floor, to managing a complex supply chain, which could also meet business requirements around traceability and accountability,’ he said.

Monkhill Confectionery has four manufacturing sites, including the head office in Pontefract and sites in York, Leeds and Cleckheaton. The initial project will encompass 100 users.

The company manufactures well-known sweets such as Barratt Refreshers, Flumps, Fruit Salad, Black Jacks and Butterkist Popcorn, but also manufactures confectionery products on behalf of supermarket chains.

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