Universal Paper and Plastics (UPP), one of South Africa’s leading manufacturers of paper and plastic products, has improved inventory management, gained better control over its business processes and enhanced its access to management information by implementing Sage X3 and Sage Inventory Advisor.
The business management solution was implemented by Parity Software and supplied by Sage. UPP is a family business with a legacy of more than 50 years, originally established by a business builder who emphasised providing high quality products at the right price.
Today, UPP is one of South Africa’s top suppliers of kitchen towel, napkins and serviettes, toilet paper, doilies and other paper and plastic FMCG products. David and Jonathan Sher, the great grandsons of the founder and directors at UPP, realised five years ago, that they needed to implement modern technology to support the growth of the business.
As a self-funded family business, UPP needed a business solution that would offer value for money and a rapid return on investment. It also needed an integrated business solution that would support the speed of the decision-making at an agile, privately owned enterprise. They specifically wanted a system that could provide strong inventory management capabilities.
Says David Sher: “We used to get only financial and sales information from our old DOS system and needed an integrated solution stretching from manufacturing to inventory management. We chose Sage X3 on the strength of value for money, its network of business partners and its ease of use.”
The implementation of the system has enabled UPP to improve financial controls and streamline business processes, he adds. In addition, the company has far more visibility into its business from the factory to the finance department, with consistent and reliable information across the board.
Sage Inventory Advisor – a solution that helps companies reduce excess inventory – has helped UPP to improve stock control and demand forecasting. This has enabled the company to vastly reduce wastage while ensuring that it always has enough inventory to meet demand. Sage Inventory Advisor also reduces the time spent on forecasts.
UPP has been happy with the way that the Sage X3 package has evolved with its business and with the technology landscape, says Jonathan Sher. The company is currently implementing the latest version (Version 7) of the software and is looking forward to the functionality it will provide for mobile and web access from nearly anywhere, he adds.
“The FMCG environment moves at a rapid pace, so companies like UPP need up-to-date business information and frictionless processes to keep up,” says Riaan Wolvaardt, head of Sage X3 Consulting at Parity. “Sage X3 is modular and flexible business system that gives them the agility they need to succeed.”
“Business builders like the Sher family follow their dreams and pursue their passions and, on this, South Africa’s prosperity is built,” says Keith Fenner, vice-president: Sage Enterprise Africa and vice-president: Sage Middle East. “We are happy to enable customers like UPP to focus on their business and to leapfrog to the future.”
