Great Plains Case Studies

The Irish Management Institute runs approximately 200 training courses annually at its management training and conference facility at Sandyford, Dublin, the most extensive in Ireland. The Institute has 75 staff and employs some 200 external contract lecturers. It has 1000 customers and its turnover is in the region of €15m.

With increased competition from newcomers to IMI’s marketplace, the organisation needed a system that would provide better analysis and reporting and streamline its operations.

Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains Edition®

Benefits

Improved management information on programme and lecturer performance, resulting in better analysis and decision-making
Streamlining of processes, e.g. integration of registration and billing
Ease of use, including fast, convenient reporting
Robustness of Microsoft Great Plains, with reliable support from Mentec

LEEDS RUGBY CLUB MAKES CONVERSION TO GREAT PLAINS

Leeds Rugby Ltd

Leeds Cricket, Football & Athletic Co. Ltd, an established sports club based at Headingley and undergoing extensive expansion.

Leeds CF & A needed an integrated financial accounting environment capable of fulfilling the club’s specialist requirements, including match-day accounting

Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains Edition®

Benefits

Faster integrated financial accounting, reducing the workload associated with the match-day accounts
Elimination of manual re-keying of data from stand-alone ancillary systems, improving accuracy as well as saving time
Convenient web-based requisitioning across the company
Real-time visibility of financial information, enabling better decision making

CENTRAL TELECOM SELECTS GREAT PLAINS TO DRIVE GROWTH AND IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

TCentral Telecom

Central Telecom is the UK's largest independent voice and data solutions provider, specialising in call centre applications.

With its business expanding rapidly, Central Telecom wanted to integrate its accounting, stock management and field services and improve its customer service, and needed a system that could provide real-time information and support for its demanding service levels and enable the addition of new online customer facilities

Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains Edition ®

Benefits

Greater visibility of financial and service information through the integration of the Great Plains system and its drill-down and reporting features
Enhanced efficiency for service calls, through faster part ordering and invoicing and better communication
Real-time tracking of service calls, stock items and vehicles
Enhanced customer service, including new online eService facilities, in line with Central Telecom’s service policy
Reliability and scalability of a Microsoft product, customised and supported by trusted partner Sytation

GREAT PLAINS GIVES THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND A MODERN I.T. LANDSCAPE

The National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland, founded in 1854 and situated in Merrion Square, Dublin, houses the national collection of Irish art and European master paintings and runs numerous ancillary businesses. It receives around 750,000 visitors each year, has 150 staff, and its Government budget allocation is approximately €9m.

The gallery needed to replace its legacy financial accounting software with a modern system that would meet its increasingly complex financial accounting requirements.

Microsoft Business Solutions, Great Plains Edition®

Benefits

Automated consolidation
Enhanced audit trails and reporting
Reporting on the basis of cost centres as well as nominal codes

GREAT PLAINS IS A TESTED SOLUTION FOR IRELAND’S STATE LABORATORY

The State Laboratory

Ireland’s State Laboratory, situated near Dublin in Celbridge, Co. Kildare, provides analytical services and expertise to Irish government departments and other official bodies. It carries out a wide range of compliance, quality control, forensic and other tests, and is an EU National Reference Laboratory for food contaminants of animal origin.

The State Laboratory’s continuing expansion, the government’s Management Information Framework programme and the requirement for accruals based accounting made it necessary to upgrade the financial accounting system.

Microsoft Great Plains – Great Plains Edition®

Benefits

Supports the State Laboratory’s growing volume of business
Facilitated the transition to accruals-based accounting and compliance with the government’s Management Information Framework
Ease of use facilitates training

MENTEC GIVES NIFAST A PLATFORM FOR GROWTH

Nifast

Nifast provides consultancy and training in health, safety and risk management

To replace Nifast’s legacy bespoke IT system and replace its isolated, geographically dispersed components with a single integrated platform

Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains Edition® running in an integrated, centralised thin-client structure based on Citrix MetaFrame, and including the training services module to support Nifast’s training business

Benefits

Company-wide visibility and management of data through replacement of multiple standalone systems by Great Plains and integration of geographically separated offices via Citrix
Support for business-critical record handling
Comprehensive administration of training across multiple locations, including sales and student tracking, via the training services module
Reliability and robustness of Microsoft Great Plains, supported by leading Microsoft partner Mentec
Remote access for consultants via laptops has provided even more flexibility than expected

LEADING HEATING AND PLUMBING SUPPLIER UNDERPINS ITS EXPANSION BY SELECTING MICROSOFT GREAT PLAINS

Arcon

Arcon is a leading Irish supplier of heating, plumbing and bathroom fittings

Arcon needed to replace its cumbersome legacy IT system and add new functionality to maximise efficiency and underpin the company’s planned expansion

Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains Edition®, running on Microsoft Small Business Server

Benefits

Time-cost savings through process automation and integration of business operations
Improved financial management through better analysis, reporting and communication
Support for Arcon’s continued growth
Microsoft’s reputation for reliability and the support of local partner Mentec

LEADING PROVIDER OF BUILDING MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEMS SELECTS MICROSOFT GREAT PLAINS FROM MENTEC INTERNATIONAL

The Grant Group

The Grant Group, a leading provider of building management and control systems, has selected Mentec International to supply and implement Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains Edition®, the fully integrated financial management and field-services solution, to support its business operations.

With excellence of service a key business driver and an increasing number and variety of environment sites to support over long contract periods, the Group’s continued growth created a pressing need for a solution that would enhance efficiency and cost control by fully integrating financial management and field-based services.

Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains Edition®, for core financials, project management and field services. The Field Service module will enable easier tracking of parts, labour and expenses and automates many staff allocation and invoicing processes. Great Plains also provides an intuitive interface for field communications, scheduling and real-time management of technician workloads.

Benefits

Better financial visibility cost control and profitability
Enhanced service delivery through more efficient scheduling and communications
Comprehensive process automation, including rapid creation of quotes and contracts
E-mail for invoicing, statements, remittances and purchase orders
Strengthened competitiveness through improved service offerings and refined tendering
Expert support from Mentec, a leading Great Plains vendor
Reliability of Great Plains system, backed by Microsoft's quality and unparalleled R & D resources

LEADING FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY MAKES STRATEGIC INVESTMENT IN ITS BACK-OFFICE SYSTEM

NCB

NCB is a leading Irish financial services company operating in the institutional, retail and corporate investment markets.

NCB identified the need to reduce the cost of back office processing, drive operational efficiencies and develop more flexible reporting capabilities.

NCB replaced its tier 1 ERP solution with Microsoft Great Plains. The solution was integrated with NCB's trading and other line-of-business systems.

Significantly reduced total cost of systems ownership
The system is fully integrated with NCB's line-of-business systems and legacy data
Custom reports can now be generated in a fraction of the time previously required

MENTEC IMPLEMENTS MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS® AT LEADING DISTRIBUTION AND FMCG BRAND MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Stafford Lynch

Established in 1974, Stafford Lynch is one of Ireland's leading distribution and FMCG brand management companies. Their portfolio includes leading household names such as Schwartz, Tetley, Canderel and Vileda to name but a few.

Stafford Lynch required a new ERP solution that would provide them with greater system stability, provide increased automation of manual processes and provide flexible reporting facilities.

Stafford Lynch implemented Microsoft Great Plains to replace their legacy back office solution. The project included a transition to MS SQL Server, specific functional configurations were also carried out on the system.

Greater system stability
Increased automation of manual processes
Flexible reporting facilities
Ability to send and receive orders electronically through the use of EDI

MENTEC IMPLEMENTS MICROSOFT GREAT PLAINS AT GOLDEN DISCS GROUP

Golden Discs

With 31 stores nationwide, Golden Discs is Ireland's largest music retail chain. The group has captured approximately 25% market share since its foundation. Having built its business on a reputation for excellence in customer service, Golden Discs cater for a broad spectrum of customers, supplying all major brands of music, video, DVD and games.

Golden Discs required a new accounting system that would provide increased functional flexibility, significantly improved system reliability and the ability to automatically consolidate till receipts from each of their retail outlets back to head office on a daily basis.

Golden Discs went live on Microsoft Great Plains in early 2002. Using Great Plains integration manager, Mentec delivered specific configuration in the area of electronic point of sale (ePOS) to enable head office to automatically carry out daily consolidation of sales information from over 30 stores.

Improved functional flexibility
Improved system reliability
Automatic consolidation and reporting of store-level sales information on a daily basis

McDONALD'S MASTER DISTRIBUTOR IN IRELAND SELECTS MICROSOFT GREAT PLAINS

Metroplex Ireland Ltd

Metroplex Ireland Ltd is sole distributor for McDonald's in the Republic and Northern Ireland region.

The immediate issues of Y2K and Ireland's adoption of the euro, and the need for a more streamlined system with proper backup.

Mentec's implementation of Microsoft Business Solutions® - Great Plains Edition

Y2K and euro compliance
Faster and more accurate processing and dispatching, thanks to process automation
Substantial operational cost saving
Reduction in manual order taking, allowing staff to focus on fulfillment
Feasibility of implementing a hitherto absent full backup system
Built-in intelligence for picking and dispatching that recognizes local variations in scheduling or day-to-day stock variations such as frozen versus fresh produce
The ability to manage forced orders, optimizing use of delivery capacity
Scope to extend and innovate, for example by developing e-commerce and self-ordering websites linked to Great Plains

MENTEC ASSISTS STARTUP DISTRIBUTION COMPANY TO SECURE KEY CONTRACTS WITH MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

AU Logistics

Au Logistics distributes travel brochures, on behalf of tour operators, to travel agents throughout the UK and Ireland. Established in 2002, the company's client list already includes operators such as Thomas Cook and First Choice Holidays.

As a start-up venture, Au Logistics set an ambitious target of delivering twenty five million brochures in its first year of operation. Each service level agreement also included specific requirements in areas such as delivery targets, stock replenishment turnaround and graded distribution.

Au Logistics selected Microsoft Great Plains for their accounting and distribution solution. As a start-up operation, the system would be core to their operations and would need to grow as the business expanded. The installation included the financial and distribution modules as well as custom configuration.

Flexible accounting, distribution and information management system that will scale as business operations expand
System allows company to monitor performance in line with customer service level agreements
Web-based self-service solution for over 6,000 travel agents to manage their own travel brochure stock replenishment.

MENTEC IMPLEMENTS MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS AT LEADING UK TILING RETAILER

Tiles R Us

F & R Dunlop Services Originally established as a builder’s merchant in the 1980s, F & R Dunlop Services, trading as Tiles R Us, has become the largest independent tile and bathroom retailer in the UK, with a network of almost 100 stores nationwide.

Rapid expansion of the company put the incumbent accounting system under strain, creating a need for a more powerful solution. In particular, the company needed stronger reporting and analysis and good integration with its line-of-business systems.

Mentec implemented Microsoft Business Solutions® for financials, integrating it with the group’s existing electronic point of sale (EPOS) and warehousing systems and its historic data, with capability for further extension via web services.

Benefits

Rapid, flexible reporting across the company’s geographically dispersed branches
Improved efficiency, accuracy and speed as process automation replaces manual tasks
Extensibility of Microsoft Business Solutions will facilitate planned functional enhancements using web services

SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHER UPDATES ITS GREAT PLAINS SOLUTION AND CHOOSES MENTEC

POPE WOODHEAD STAYS WITH GREAT PLAINS FOR CONTINUED SUCCESSFUL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Pope Woodhead

Customer Overview

Pope Woodhead is a global business consultancy with headquarters near Cambridge that works primarily with the pharmaceutical industry. Among its clients are world-leading firms Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline.

Business Situation

Pope Woodhead needed an advanced, integrated project management tool to enable it to monitor its progress on projects, and produce timely and accurate reports.

Solution

Mentec upgraded the company’s incumbent Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains Edition®, to version 7.5 and migrated the system to Microsoft SQL Server.

Benefits

Enhanced reporting and tracking
Quicker and easier month-end accounts
Automatic alerts on budget overruns

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ELLIS WILLIAMS ARCHITECTS CEMENTS ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS GREAT PLAINS SOFTWARE AND MENTEC

Ellis Williams

Customer Profile

Ellis Williams Architects is an architectural practice whose projects include leisure and retail developments for clients such as Virgin Cinemas, the conversion of redundant flour mills into the largest contemporary UK-based art gallery outside London, and numerous sporting complexes.

Challenge

EWA’s incumbent system only allowed one year’s accounts to be opened at a time. The company needed a system that would allow it to store and cross-reference historic costs to allow monitoring of project expenses over a given period.

Solution

Mentec implemented Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains Edition®, including the Project Series module for billing and time-recording, integrated with the Financial and Distribution modules for accounting and inventory operations.

Benefits

The Project Series module fulfils key billing and time-recording needs
The ability to open multiple sets of accounts makes the system more user-friendly and efficient
Time-cost savings on administration
Integration with EWA’s continental European offices

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DSS UK SELECTS GREAT PLAINS FROM MENTEC AS A PLATFORM FOR GROWTH

DSS

Company Overview

DSS UK Ltd carries out hi-tech printing technology maintenance and is a premier service provider to the large-format print market.

Challenge

DSS wanted to achieve specific growth and operational targets using a strategy of fast-track implementation, future proofing and minimal bespoke work or customization, based on a reliable, scalable product.

Solution

The solution consists of finance, warehousing, order entry and service management systems, and comprises Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains core accounting modules plus the Field Service module, allowing planned process automation by combining GPRS and Great Plains.

Benefits

Fast-track implementation
Smart EDI interfaces
Future-proofed for growth without increasing infrastructure
Telecommunications savings of £30-40,000 per annum
Provides platform for industry best practices

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INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN"S CHARITY SELECTS GREAT PLAINS FOR ITS ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS

Plan International

Company Overview

Plan is one of the largest international child-centered development organisations. Plan works with children, their families and communities in 45 of the world’s poorest countries.

Challenge

Plan wanted to provide a sound infrastructure for global financial control of its organisation's many projects in over 45 countries.

Solution

Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains Edition®

Benefits

Monthly routines are now run on a local office basis, automatically extracting the key information required at international headquarters
Regional information consolidation for reporting purposes
Organisation-wide consolidation, reporting and analysis for the internationally dispersed board of directors
Ease of use at local project level, aided by Mentec’s customised solution

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SPORTS AND LEISURE MANAGEMENT TRANSFORMS ITS BUSINESS USING MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGIES

Sports and Leisure Management

Company Overview

Sports and Leisure Management is a specialist contractor providing managed services to local government since 1987. Currently managing 32 sports and leisure centres in Leicestershire, it employs 1700 people.

Challenge

SLM wanted to gain control of its purchasing processes in order to do less fire-fighting, and to view the company's financial information in real time in order to make more informed business decisions.

Solution

Migration from a Multisoft solution to Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains Edition® running on an integrated Microsoft platform. Mentec also introduced Microsoft's FRx® Forecaster, a planning, budgeting and forecasting tool, which links directly with the Great Plains solution.

Benefits

Significant cost savings
Improved business decisions
Faster reporting
Improved staff motivation

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Michael O’Mara Books

Michael O’Mara Books was formed 20 years ago and is one of the UK’s leading independent publishers. The company releases around 40 non-fiction titles a year, with an annual turnover between £4.8 and £5m. The books are published in a variety of languages and sold throughout the world.

To maintain accounting efficiency and support its growth, the company needed to upgrade its obsolescent hardware and software.

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains Edition ®

Benefits

Immediate time and cost savings following the software and hardware upgrade
Improved functionality, especially faster and more powerful reporting
User friendliness of the Microsoft interface
Competitively priced, high-quality service from Mentec

Relational

With revenues of USD500m, Relational is a services company covering North America that provides advanced solutions for hardware financing, procurement, asset management and disposition of used equipment.

With ongoing company growth, Relational required a flexible, integrated solution that would automate sales processes and exchange data seamlessly with financial and proprietary business systems.

Relational implemented an integrated solution that seamlessly connects Microsoft Business Solutions CRM, Great Plains and two industry-specific leasing applications.

Improved insight into all sides of the business
Tighter financial control
Increased revenue
Expanded business opportunities