Implementing Infor SyteLine 10 for a Japanese Aerospace Fastener Manufacturer – Case Study
About the Company:
The client is a leading company in Japan that manufactures nearly every type of fastener used in the aerospace industry. With a focus on precision and quality, they adhere to strict manufacturing standards and conduct thorough product testing. Their global operations, however, faced challenges in aligning various business processes with their headquarter in United States.
Business Requirement
The client wants to implement the following modules in Infor SyteLine for its Japan location:
- Order Entry
- Purchasing
- Transfer Orders
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- Inventory
- Japan Tax System (Consumption Tax)
Additionally, they required system setups that aligned with their specific business processes in Japan, including Conference Room Pilots (CRP) and user training.
Project Details:
Technologies used:
Infor SyteLine 10
Japan
Challenges faced during the Infor SyteLine Implementation:
The company needed to implement Infor SyteLine 10 for its Japanese operations to streamline business processes, especially in the areas of invoicing and payment management. They addressed the following key issues:
Invoicing and Payment Offset:
Payments received from the USA headquarter were not easily offset against invoices from other branches. The manual effort involved was both time-consuming and prone to errors.
Language Barrier:
The “user manual” provided during the Infor SyteLine implementation was in a language other than Japanese, which caused difficulties for the local team to fully understand the processes and system functionalities.
Statutory Compliance:
The company needed to integrate Japan’s tax system, including Consumption Tax, into the Infor SyteLine setup to ensure full compliance with local regulations.
Solutions Provided:
To meet the client’s business requirements and resolve their challenges, Fidel took the following steps:
Custom Invoicing and Delivery Note Formats:
We developed customized delivery notes and consolidated invoice formats to meet the specific needs of their Japan operations. This allowed for clear, consistent documentation across the organization.
Fixing the Payment Offset Issue:
We addressed the problem of payment offsets by implementing system configurations that automatically managed payments from the headquarters and efficiently knocked off invoices from other branches. This eliminated manual work and reduced errors.
Corporate Functionality Implementation:
We enabled corporate-level functionality within Infor SyteLine to ensure seamless communication between the headquarters and the Japanese branch.
Language Support:
To overcome the language barrier, we installed a Japanese language pack within Infor SyteLine. Additionally, we prepared a “user manual” in Japanese to ensure that the local team could easily understand and operate the system. A linguistic consultant was involved throughout the implementation process to ensure clarity and communication.
Tax System Implementation:
We implemented the Japan-specific tax system (Consumption Tax) and aligned the financial statements to meet the statutory requirements of the country.
Result
The successful implementation of Infor SyteLine 10 provided the following benefits to the client:
Reduced Manual Work:
The automation of payment offset processes significantly reduced the manual effort required for managing customer and vendor payments.
Improved Reports:
Reports generated in Japanese made the system outputs more accessible and understandable for the local team, improving decision-making and operational efficiency.
Enhanced System Usability:
The Japanese language user manual helped users quickly adapt to the system, allowing them to confidently navigate Infor SyteLine processes and functionalities.
Clear Communication:
With the involvement of our linguistic consultant, the client was able to effectively communicate their business requirements and ensure that the system was tailored to their specific needs.
Overall, the implementation of Infor SyteLine helped streamline the client’s operations in Japan, resulting in more efficient processes, better compliance with local regulations, and improved user satisfaction.