IFS Applications has enabled Joint Medical Store to increase the efficiency of its operations. Easy access to high-quality information, improved cash flow, and tight links between distribution, procurement and financials are other benefits arising from the company’s decision to implement the component-based business software from IFS.
Joint Medical Store needed to meet the demands for medical supplies in Uganda to hospitals, clinics, doctors and pharmacies. A fully integrated ERP solution was required. As a non-profit organization, Joint Medical Store needed a solution that would reduce total cost of ownership, and reduce manual activities and unnecessary work load.
It is crucial for Joint Medical Store to know the status of customer orders and stock availability at any given time. They generate a lot of order lines and as such have many procurement, shipping and warehouse activities. Minimum stock levels and the need for a materials requirement planning system fully integrated with finance were the key drivers to Joint Medical Store’s decision on IFS Applications.
“With IFS Applications we have the required visibility with regards to demand and supply ability. With the B2B collaborative solution we are saving time and money as this has enabled us to stay one step ahead by providing customers and suppliers the visibility they need. They can easily access the required IFS functionality through our portal link on our website. Month-end reporting has improved drastically since we no longer need to collate information from different systems in order to attempt in getting a holistic view. Through IFS, we now own that holistic view,” says Jimmy Opio, General Manager, Joint Medical Store.
Visibility and flexibility also span across the teams. The Joint Medical Store management team and IFS management team were involved from project kick-off to go-live and both teams are still jointly involved in the ongoing success of Joint Medical Store.
Opio continues, “We faced some challenges which included our complex distribution and inventory management processes. We had aggressive dates for project completion and we required a warehouse management application that would accommodate hand-held devices. Jointly we successfully mastered the challenges mainly due to the fact that standard IFS closely matched our requirements but also because of our own and IFS understanding of our business processes and required solution.”
IFS Applications closely matched Joint Medical Store’s major requirements and the decision to select IFS was partly because of the close match to these requirements, but also because they felt comfortable in engaging with the IFS team. Due to the aggressive project completion dates, a big-bang approach was adopted. All business areas were to go-live at the same time.
“We knew that we would get the required support during and after implementation not only through our joint teams but also because of access from the start of implementation to the IFS web-based IFS Lifecycle Support system, which is visible globally to IFS support. The other factor which convinced us to partner with IFS is the fact that IFS as the owner of the software were involved during implementation and remains involved with us. IFS do not rely solely on a partner network. IFS rather retain accountability for their customers and this to us was a big driver in our decision,” Opio adds.
Joint Medical Store management team buy-in and commitment to the success of the implementation, played a big part in the success of the implementation. Both management teams worked at making the big-bang approach successful. The Joint Medical Store management team and IFS management team were involved every step of the way and still are today. IFS implementation methodology was followed.
The success of the big-bang approach was possible because of IFS technical capabilities and support during the implementation. The IFS team understood and adhered to the timelines. Institutional teamwork was created through separate combined core user teams from Joint Medical Store and IFS for all components. Periodic meetings between the teams ensured that everyone was moving toward the common project goals. Communication via the respective Joint Medical Store and IFS project managers also contributed to the success of the implementation. This also assisted in reducing ambiguity.
Immediate payback has come from a number of areas. Opio explains, “Firstly, with IFS we have one integrated solution. Previously, supporting multiple systems was getting increasingly expensive. Further benefits can be related to the improvement in cash flow as a result of faster reporting. In addition, procurement planning has taken a leap as now we have a bird’s eye view of the complete process and do not have to perform activities piecemeal. Also, inventory transfer between warehouses and replenishment at selling points has become automated and therefore very helpful.”
IFS enabled Joint Medical Store to expand access to all employees as well as customers and suppliers. The system is installed on a central server and information repository accessible to everyone via the web. Alerts have been set up in IFS Applications, enabling us to manage by exception instead of having to manage each and every step of our process flows. This reduces overhead and makes for a happier work environment. IFS also gave business critical functionality and visibility needed to maintain the required stock levels in our warehouses.
Joint Medical Store is a private-not-for profit non-governmental organisation, which was established in 1979 as a joint venture between the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau and the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau. Joint Medical Store is also licensed by the National Drug Authority to engage in the import, export and wholesale of medicines and related health supplies. Joint Medical Store furthermore provides advisory services on equipment use and handling. Information sharing is done through the Joint Medical Store info bulletin and monthly newsletter. Joint Medical Store also provides training to healthcare workers and sells medical equipment, spares, instruments and accessories.
Benefits
- Improved cash flow thanks to faster reporting
- Payroll process takes considerably less time and effort
- Improved information quality
- Real time access to information for all users
- All management reporting available on a real-time basis
- Month-end closure activities take considerably less time and effort
- Planning and visibility have increased
- Easy integration with third party software
- All inventory-related activities are on hand-held
- Collaborative solution for customers and suppliers
Software
- IFS Financials
- IFS Supply Chain
- IFS Human Resources including
- IFS Payroll and Employee Self-Service
- IFS Collaborative Solutions
- IFS CRM
