RAM shows its metal at Hammerite

Leading ICI Brand selects RAM to meet strict reporting requirements

Hammerite Products Ltd, one of the leading brand names within ICI's £2.1bn Paints Division, has selected RAM’s best-of-breed Fixed Asset Management solution to support its new Geac System21 software.

Hammerite is perhaps best known for its large range of specialist products which help DIYers, professional decorators and the automotive industry to rejuvenate, protect and decorate metal.

In a review of its total financial systems requirements, Hammerite selected a replacement ERP system (Geac System21), together with some specialist, integrated support products. Hammerite, which currently exports its products to over 50 countries, knew that one area of the business in particular, fixed asset management, needed very tight controls to meet its parent company's reporting requirements.

“Our new Geac System21 system has been a tremendous benefit to the business,” said John Liddle, Hammerite's Financial Accountant, “but we always knew that it was going to be difficult for an ERP vendor to satisfy our fixed asset management needs because we required more than routine inventory and depreciation functionality.”

“Firstly, we needed a very strong financial tool with powerful reporting capabilities. Secondly, the system needed to monitor our on-going investment in building or acquiring capital items. Finally, the need for a professional approach to asset auditing was considered desirable,” added Liddle.

Hammerite conducted a separate evaluation to find a suitable specialist fixed asset system supplier that could match its needs. It selected RAM because its products offered a high degree of flexibility, superior functionality and a proven ability to integrate with other business applications.

“It was apparent that the RAM system could satisfy all our asset accounting and monitoring requirements,” added Liddle. “The Fixed Asset Accounting module has made a huge difference to the time spent producing reports for the Group. The Project4000 module will manage up to 50 projects every year, helping the company to analyse its commitments and expenditure during the building of such assets as new production lines and machine tools. The Track4000 module has given us the opportunity to quickly and inexpensively verify the location of items on a regular basis.”

“The ease of use really impresses me the most,” said Liddle. “Features like the 'Asset Tree Viewer' which allows you to drill-down and navigate quickly through the register is an added time saving benefit that you would never expect to see in an inventory system.”

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