FDBusiness.com

Infor, provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, has announced that Ahmad Tea of London, an international tea company, has deployed Infor SCE to manage its 10,000 pallet warehouse in the Emirate of Ras al Khaimah, UAE. The application is expected to help improve productivity by enhancing information accuracy; reducing human error in picking; increasing the speed of operations and cutting time-intensive paperwork.

Ahmad Tea blends, packs and distributes its own brand of tea to over 70 countries.  Infor SCE is now successfully deployed across all its warehouse operations within Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone Authority (RAKFTZ), for the receipt of raw materials; picking for production; the receipt of finished goods; and the despatch of containers to customers.

Ahmad Tea handles approximately 200 pallets per day (inbound and outbound).  Data capture needs include ERP item tracking numbers and manufacturing / expiry dates. Given the scale of its warehouse operation and the limitations of its existing ERP system, it was clear that a dedicated warehouse management application was required.

Now with the integration of the ERP and SCE applications Ahmad Tea anticipates a number of benefits including: improved information accuracy, reduced picking errors, increased operational speed and less time spent on administration and paperwork.

Infor was selected as Ahmad Tea felt it had the best support infrastructure in the UAE. Infor partner Span was chosen as Ahmad also realised the crucial role of first-class local implementation and support for the project.

Future plans include new applications for generating key documents from SCE, and employing more advanced technologies such as 2D barcoding.

“Our Ras al Khaimah factory is one of the largest tea factories in the region, and we quickly realised that we needed a dedicated warehouse management system to support the smooth running of our operations, and to enable us to maintain the best business processes,” said Dr. Ali Afshar, General Manager, Ahmad Tea UK Ltd.  “Infor SCE was not only the clear choice from a functionality perspective but also because of the excellent support Infor has in the region with Span.”

“International businesses such as Ahmad Tea recognise the need for local knowledge and experience in order to get the very best out of any supply chain investment,” said Kamel El-Ghossaini, regional manager, supply chain solutions, Span Group. “Working with vendors such as Infor enables us to deliver world-class technology with local implementation excellence, resulting in faster time to value for our customers.”

“Global supply chains demand that businesses like Ahmad Tea have the strongest processes in place, throughout all areas of their operations,” said Mike Hibbert, channel manager, MENA Infor.  “In a rapidly growing region like the Middle East, this is all the more important to embed best practices. To do this, businesses need focused applications that are specialised by industry and that can be integrated to accommodate rapid growth.  Combined with the local expertise of Span this is exactly what Infor’s been able to offer Ahmad Tea as they continue to expand in the region.”