Standardization on Microsoft technology for projects & remote users

ALSTEC Ltd. is an engineering company for business areas requiring specialist mechanical handling solutions. ALSTEC provides services for Airports, Logistics, Defense, Nuclear and Thermal Power industries. The headquarters are in the UK with sites all over the world. Formed 2 years ago from an investor buyout, it was formerly part of ALSTOM.

ALSTEC inherited 100 legacy applications based on a 20-year-old mainframe system with numerous databases. Management knew that infrastructure would not enable them to compete in today's market – automated business processes based on one platform were essential to improving efficiency, productivity, service and response times. The company replaced all accounting, project management, time recording, purchasing, goods receiving, stock management and reporting software with one integrated solution.

 

Choosing the perfect partner and software
Columbus IT Partner was ideal for the project with experience implementing similar projects, on time and to budget.

They already had developed functionality for project accounting, too. Axapta was the only solution that met all of the criteria for the project:

• Detailed yet flexible financial and project functionality.
• Maximized electronic data availability, eliminating paper transactions and reports.
• A platform that can be further developed by ALSTEC IT staff.
• Microsoft technology.
• Web functionality for remote users.

The system's flexible interface allows access to the same business logic using browser, application client, machine-to-machine or remote device. This enables the operation of many diverse projects in remote locations.

 

High return on investment – especially for customers
The platform has shown efficiency improvements in purchasing and finance, with longer term gains expected in projects. For example, the electronic purchasing process eliminated duplication and transcription errors, reducing processing time.

Axapta enables ALSTEC's business sectors to work more closely with their customers, while the fast access to information allows them to maintain a competitive edge in their target markets. New business in service areas has even been secured because the system allows ALSTEC to satisfy customer needs for accurate and up-to-date information.
In addition, the innovative Web technology provides daily performance information on projects, fulfilling the demands for reports and analyses.