case study: magna
Magna have cut costs and improved business flexibility through a document management and distribution workflow solution created by highgrove.
about magna
Magna are contract manufacturers of chocolate moulded seasonal products including Easter eggs, filled eggs, advent calendars, tree decorations and figures. Their customers include household names like Cadbury, Mars, Nestle, Kraft, Green & Blacks and Guylian.
Magna employ 350 permanent staff, rising to 750 staff during the Easter production period.
Their objective is to become the largest, most profitable, non-branded confectionery business in the UK.
business needs
Magna needed to improve their entire document workflow in order to improve efficiency and flexibility.
A key part of this was reducing the cost and time taken to produce documents. Specific areas that Magna wished to address included:
- Transferring documents from iSeries into pdf format
- Receipting of goods delivered to Magna
- More efficient invoice processing
- Adding Magna logo on all pallet labels
- Electronic distribution of documents, both internal and external
- Archiving business documents and reducing document retention cost
- Viewing archived documents on the main host system
- Extracting key information to reduce administration tasks and subsequently reduce cost
why magna chose highgrove
Magna chose a paperless office solution created by Highgrove. They selected it because it has:
- Options to fax, email, PDF and print
- Easy to use designer and forms, which can be changed in minutes
- Flexibility
- High quality documents produced
- A range of features, including the ability to extend functionality without compatibility issues
- Seamless integration with iSeries
- High volume barcode label printing to any printer
- Excellent value for money, with future cost savings
uses of the solution at magna
The solution created for Magna provides the following features:
- Produces specification documents from iSeries and auto prints related word and pdf documents for the packing, and recipe processes
- Produces purchase order prints and emails purchase orders to suppliers
- SMS notifications to members of staff to advise that goods have been receipted to a specific location and are available for collection
- Once delivery is receipted, it emails message of receipt and GRN to supplier and internal contact if required, auto archives the GRN note for viewing on the iSeries
- Creates RFID goods inwards label for auto indenting to factory
- Emails internal buyer if invoice matching discrepancy
- Current project in process to archive PL invoices and extract key information for matching
business benefits:
Key to the benefits brought at Magna are cost savings. Specifically highgrove has:
- Reduced costs on pre-printed paper, printers and postage
- Eliminated document retention costs
- Increased efficiency
The return on investment has been:
- 8 months on pre-printed paper, printers and postage
- 6 months on document retention costs
In addition, the solution has the following benefits:
- Emailing of documents for rapid delivery
- Easy storage and retrieval of documents
- Immediate availability of shop floor specifications, from any location
- Current project will reduce keying and admin errors by auto extracting information from purchase invoices
- Invoice queries solved quickly as supplier receives GRN at time of booking in
- Same paper, printer, forms used for all suppliers and customers
- Efficient internal ordering and receipting process through use of SMS reduces admin time and order/invoice queries
- Auto archive of documents, available for immediate retrieval
- Shop floor documents accessed with ease, no production delays
- Document changes can be made instantly
- More flexible approach for the business
Contact highgrove to see how one of our solutions could benefit your organisation.