Challenges Solved
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Product complexity skyrocketed from two simple items to eight with up to fifteen interdependent customisation options.
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The legacy order system required manual data entry, causing frequent pricing and production errors.
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Inventory management was unreliable — components were often over- or under-stocked.
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Departments lacked transparency and accurate cost data.
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The business had limited budget, so solutions had to be lean but scalable.
ERP Implementation
Styleline Blinds
by Ian Dempsey
3 min read
Following the successful LEAN transformation, the same manufacturer needed to address a growing bottleneck: the lack of a system capable of handling increased product complexity. I led the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation, ensuring the new system could integrate operations, improve accuracy, and enable data-driven decision-making.
Approach
Using previously developed value-stream maps, I defined functional requirements and engaged vendors. Together with the internal team, we:
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Deployed the system in phased stages, starting with Order-to-Cash, followed by Procure-to-Pay, and finally automation and reporting.
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Designed integrations linking product configurations to supplier components and pricing logic.
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Built real-time dashboards to provide order-level financial visibility.
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Facilitated training and change adoption, ensuring all departments adapted smoothly to each phase.
Business Value Delivered
The transformation delivered significant impact:
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Order entry errors dropped from 20% to below 5%.
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Production speed and accuracy increased as conflicting order data was eliminated.
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Inventory control improved through a Kanban system and automated replenishment.
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Reporting visibility gave management live profitability insights by product and order.
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Decision-making became proactive rather than reactive.
The Highlight
This project reinforced the value of collaboration. While we had to run old and new systems in parallel, the team’s adaptability and commitment ensured success. The ERP system didn’t just modernise operations — it gave the company the data intelligence to plan strategically for growth.
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