For many small and medium-sized business, production is still monitored "by hand" using Excel or Access and a lot of ingenuity. With growth, these kinds of businesses want to be able to use software to manage, schedule and monitor orders and production; simple software which can be adapted to their needs. Clipper from Clip Industrie provides an ERP-CAPM solution for companies of between 5 and 150 staff. To find out how this solution has been implemented at Almac, we met with Roland Gutknecht, CEO, and Yves Nanchen, Manager of Clip Industrie Suisse.
Comprehending, analysing, deciding and acting immediately, accurately and effectively; these are Clipper’s strengths.
"All-inclusive" software Clipper’s ERP-CAPM software is fully-integrated software. According to Yves Nanchen, it is "the shortest path from order to delivery". He explains: "There are no additional modules, when you buy the Clipper solution, everything is included, from commercial to after-sales management, which naturally includes management of procurement and production. These are open modules which are easy to configure to suit the customer’s needs. Users can use the modules as they wish".
A clear process Putting a production management and monitoring system into place requires very close analysis, as an error is not exactly easy to bear. Mr. Nanchen explained the process to us: "Often customers have heard about our solution but have never seen it in action. The first stage is therefore a demonstration and a discussion with the customer, lasting an hour and a half to two hours, to answer any questions and show them some solutions. Sometimes, we can see during this meeting that our software is not well suited. For example, for a service company which does not have a production stage, the system is too comprehensive for simple commercial use".
If the demonstration is conclusive, we can start putting the system in place. Clipper specialists spend two days with the customer to analyse and configure the system and the project starts. With the retrieval of data, the creation of good indicators and training, the transition takes three to four months. Mr. Nanchen told us: "We have already managed to carry out a successful transition in a few weeks, it is possible, but we prefer to work step-by-step to give our customers the time to integrate the new system seamlessly".
Outstanding results Whereas integrated production management is no longer as strange an idea as it was 10 or 15 years ago, a large number of small or medium-sized companies are wary of crossing over to a fully integrated system. Clip Industrie has carried out a survey on return on investment with customers who have switched their internal solutions to the Clipper software. The results are conclusive: 92% of companies have increased their overall productivity, 93% have noted a rise in profitability and almost 90% have seen a return on investment in less than 18 months (A brochure made by Clip Industrie containing the full results of this study is available to our readers. Contact [email protected] Tel. +33 04 42 50 62 9).
For Roland Gutknecht: "With growth, the volume of purchases and work in process increase, and management and monitoring follow this. Without a system like this, we simply would not be able to operate".
Can we say that Clipper frees up time for decision-makers? "Absolutely!" was Yves Nanchen’s reply. If we know that we can rely on an effective system which gives us the right information at the right time, all levels of the company will be freed up and can concentrate on value-adding activities.
To find out more about Clip Industrie and the Clipper software CLIP Industrie Yves Nanchen Rte de la Drague 65, Case Postale 1244 1950 Sion Tel +41 27 322 44 60 Fax: +41 27 322 44 69 [email protected] www.clipindustrie.ch
PS: Clip Industrie is looking for a champion in German-speaking Switzerland After having ensured its development in French-speaking Switzerland, Clip Industrie Switzerland is looking for a regional director for the German-speaking part of the country. With an understanding of the software sector and the industrial market in German-speaking regions, this person will be responsible for the technical and commercial aspects. If you are interested in this forthcoming position, please contact Yves Nanchen using the details given here above.
