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French Groupe Gascogne selects Infor M3

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that Groupe Gascogne, a French industrial company in the wood-paper-packaging sector chosen Infor M3 as part of a project to restructure its various units around a single solution.

With 1,700 employees, 13 production units in Germany, Greece, France, and Tunisia, Groupe Gascogne is the only fully integrated French player in the entire wood-to-paper transformation chain. The group has four complementary and integrated activities (wood, paper, bags, and flexible), and is the leading multi-specialist wood operator in France, the world’s leading producer of natural rubbed kraft paper, one of the European leaders in industrial and consumer bags, as well as one of the world’s leading producers of packaging and protection complexes. It is listed at Euronext Growth.

Christophe Lagardère, CIO of Groupe Gascogne, says: “This project’s main objective, which started early 2017, is to harmonize all our existing business processes to increase our efficiency. Infor M3 will replace several solutions developed in-house, improving the traceability of different products and material flows, the quality of our products and, ultimately, our customer service.”

Infor has been selected following a bid process that included a dozen vendor and integrator teams, to cover the demands of the entire functional scope from purchases through finance, production, planning, sales, maintenance, shipping. The solution will serve 900 users spread across the entire group’s activities and located on 15 sites (including 13 production sites).

Infor M3 solution is particularly well-suited to the needs of process manufacturing industries, which rely in particular on the following aspects: cost reduction, ease of integration, operational efficiency, speed, and business specificity.

“The combined professionalism of Infor’s teams and the systems integrator Hetic3 enabled us to benefit from the potential of the Infor M3 solution, which reassured us and reinforced our choice. Moreover, its functional richness and its flexibility in terms of configuration, as well as its modern and extremely intuitive user interface, convinced us further,” adds Lagardère.

A first deployment including a functional scope common to all activities of the group, namely finance and maintenance management, is planned on the pilot site of Dax, France. The production phase of all other domains should follow from January 2020 and spread out over two years.

In addition, the ability to develop APIs to allow Infor M3 to interface with third-party manufacturing execution or production supervision systems was a decisive point in the final choice of Groupe Gascogne.

Finally, the company is planning to deploy, in a successive phase, the preconfigured Infor Birst cloud analytics platform, acquired by Infor in 2017, to insure the coherence of all the data gathered by Groupe Gascogne and to integrate their analysis.

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Infor customers include:

  • 19 of the top 20 aerospace companies
  • 9 of the top 10 high tech companies
  • 18 of the 25 largest U.S. healthcare delivery networks
  • 18 of the 20 largest U.S. cities
  • 19 of the top 20 automotive suppliers
  • 17 of the top 20 industrial distributors
  • 15 of the top 20 global retailers
  • 4 of the top 5 brewers
  • 17 of the top 20 global banks
  • 9 of the 10 largest global hotel brands
  • 8 of the top 10 global luxury brands

For more information: 
Richard Moore
Infor
+447976111243
richard.moore@infor.com

 

Source: Infor

French Frames Manufacturer Morel Chooses Infor M3 Fashion ERP to Support its International Expansion

After having set the Infor solution in France and Switzerland last year, Morel continues its implementation to ensure all its subsidiaries can rely on a centralized, modern, reliable and scalable information system.

Paris, France – May 7, 2019 – Infor, a leading provider of industry-specific cloud applications, today announced that Morel, a French family-owned company specializing in the design and manufacturing of eyeglass frames, is extending its deployment of the Infor M3 Fashion solution to nine subsidiaries abroad.

Morel, founded in 1880 and based in France (Jura), is a fashion company with a strong identity, completely independent, and whose growth in France and internationally is illustrated by the acquisition of its distributors abroad (Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Portugal). The goal is to ensure a presence and optimal representation in each territory, taking into account that 75% of the company’s turnover is generated internationally.

The Infor M3 Fashion ERP implementation project started in 2016 and found its first peak in April 2018 with the effective implementation of the solution on the French site of Morel, which employs nearly 130 people. Infor’s partner Hetic 3 (formerly HELANT), a true Infor M3 specialist, took charge of the project from the commercialization phase, to replace a home-made solution whose flexibility and functionalities no longer suited Morel’s ambitions.

“The M3 Fashion project is a strategic initiative coming straight from our top management,” says Laurent Chevalier, IT director at Morel. “The competition from suppliers of low-cost eyeglass frames has been such that many French players active in our sector have disappeared. Thanks to our strong identity, our ability to constantly offer new products – nearly 1,500 new catalog items per year – and a coherent, robust and sustainable IT project, we have been able to cope with the strong competition and increase our activities considerably.”

Morel’s international ambitions also prompted the company to select a tool that could be deployed in each of its regions, to adhere to local laws and obligations – particularly in tax matters – and to communicate with headquarters efficiently and quickly. This is to ensure administration, workflow planning and business relationships (including via Infor’s e-sales module) are perfectly aligned with the company’s requirements for excellence.

“We are a very dynamic, high-tech company (3D injection, screwless frames, etc.), with varied business processes, always at the forefront of design trends, as well as in terms of planning and product development. The fact that we are still in business today in this particularly competitive sector, we owe to our brand identity but also, I am sure, to the vision of our management in terms of information systems. We need a solution that is perfectly adapted to our activities in the fashion industry,” continues Laurent Chevalier. “From a generic, single-company, single-language, single-site, in-house solution that met the needs of the market as we knew it 30 years ago, we went to a modern, flexible, scalable solution. The Infor M3 Fashion solution offers a friendly user interface and rich and precise features, especially in terms of style management. This implementation definitely marked an essential step in the development of our company.”

From an Infor perspective, the project is part of a strategy of constant development in vertical industry sectors, demonstrating Infor’s capacity to meet specific needs and to adapt to the requirements of the sector and the customer, be it an on-site or cloud deployment.

“A customer like Morel perfectly illustrates our ability to respond to very specific requests with a dedicated solution – in this case dedicated to the fashion sector, and highly scalable,” says Laurent Jacquemain, senior vice president and general manager, Southern Europe, Infor. “With our partner Hetic 3, we have been able to set up a progressive deployment project, first in the home market of Morel, then internationally, with deployment in nine territories abroad between now and 2021 that will help Morel to manage its activities with efficiency and agility.”

Learn more about Infor’s dedicated solution to Fashion industries: https://www.infor.com/fr-fr/products/cloudsuite-fashion.

More information about Morel: https://morel-france.com/fr/.

About Hetic 3

Part of HELIOS Group, Hetic 3 is a major partner of Infor for the distribution and implementation of Infor M3. Its functional business knowledge, combined with Infor M3 ERP expertise, brings real added value and a guarantee to clients. With around 70 consultants working across nearly 130 customers, its main activities revolve around three main areas: distribution, integration and third-party application maintenance.

 

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About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Infor customers include:

  • 19 of the top 20 aerospace companies
  • 9 of the top 10 high tech companies
  • 18 of the 25 largest U.S. healthcare delivery networks
  • 18 of the 20 largest U.S. cities
  • 19 of the top 20 automotive suppliers
  • 17 of the top 20 industrial distributors
  • 15 of the top 20 global retailers
  • 4 of the top 5 brewers
  • 17 of the top 20 global banks
  • 9 of the 10 largest global hotel brands
  • 8 of the top 10 global luxury brands

 

Source: Infor.com

Growing Dairy Company Emmi Digitises with Infor

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, has announced that dairy manufacturer Emmi is rolling out the enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution Infor M3 to some of its subsidiaries in order to streamline its internationally expanding business operations. The first go-live took place at Emmi’s UK site at the end of 2018. Emmi Canada and one of its US subsidiaries will follow this year, and the subsidiary in the Benelux in 2020.

Emmi originates from Switzerland, where it is the country’s largest dairy processor, and has a global reputation as a producer of premium dairy products and cheese. In Switzerland, the company produces and markets a comprehensive range of dairy products primarily for the retail trade and the food industry. Elsewhere, it focuses on brand concepts and specialities, such as the Emmi ready-to-eat cheese fondue, cave-aged cheese specialities, and the various CAFFÈ LATTE cold coffee products. The company employs around 6,100 people worldwide.

Some of Emmi’s international subsidiaries lacked up-to-date business software, and needed a professional, standardised ERP solution to support their rapid growth. Emmi chose not to invest in multiple solutions that would have been difficult to integrate, going instead for a single solution for these international locations.. Emmi took a year to survey the needs of the various locations. Out of four possible solutions, Infor M3 met all requirements most closely, and Infor was also able to make a successful business case for the international rollout. Infor M3 was also considered to be easier to use than the SAP system that is used in the head office in Switzerland.

‘As well as extensive food & beverage industry functionalities, Infor M3 has a strong record in the dairy industry,’ says Kees van den Houten, Benelux country manager at Infor. ‘Emmi is a well-known player on the consumer and business dairy market, with international offices and production locations. These subsidiaries grow through acquisitions, and each has its own way of working, which makes it particularly challenging to facilitate further growth and streamline business operations. I’m proud that Emmi has chosen Infor to help achieve this.’

Infor M3 is easy to use, with all the advantages of a mature ERP system. This very comprehensive system – with specific features for the food industry – can be fully integrated, so that it can also work with financial and purchasing systems. This gives Emmi complete control over its business operations, making it easier to produce sales forecasts and reports. In addition, special attention is paid to quality control in the production and logistics processes, and to tracking and tracing – essential aspects in the dairy industry.

Infor’s subsidiary Infor Alfa-Beta specialises in the food & beverage industry, and was the right implementation partner for Emmi. After an inventory of the capabilities, it was decided that the first implementation should take place in the UK. Infor Alfa-Beta proceeded in its characteristic way: The implementation was planned and conducted in partnership, in view of the express desire that as much knowledge should be transferred as possible so that subsequent implementations could be carried out more and more independently. Infor Alfa-Beta’s own implementation team and an Emmi deployment team from Switzerland tackled this in a ‘pressure cooker’ project. Go-live of the pilot rollout was achieved in a record time of four months, to complete satisfaction. At the beginning of 2019, implementation started at Emmi in Montreal, Canada, and will then continue in California, where Emmi has its own production line and currently does not use an integrated ERP system. Emmi Benelux is next, in 2020. This location has a greater volume than the other sites.

Simon Berweger, senior project manager Corporate Development at Emmi, on the collaboration: ‘We’re enthusiastic about Infor M3. The software does what we expected of it, and is already a valuable addition. It’s also very user friendly, even for people who lack strong computer skills. From the go-live in the UK, we can already see that certain activities are taking a lot less time than before. Together with Infor Alfa-Beta, we decided to take a lean approach to the project to achieve the first go-live quickly. We really wanted to meet this first deadline to set a precedent for the further rollout.’

‘We have high expectations of what M3 can offer us in the future. Right now, we’re focusing on managing the implementation. When the last go-live is over and everyone has mastered the system, we’ll look at how we can further optimise it for our business, improve processes, gain new insights, and achieve more cost savings.’

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About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Infor customers include:

  • 19 of the top 20 aerospace companies
  • 9 of the top 10 high tech companies
  • 18 of the 25 largest U.S. healthcare delivery networks
  • 18 of the 20 largest U.S. cities
  • 19 of the top 20 automotive suppliers
  • 17 of the top 20 industrial distributors
  • 15 of the top 20 global retailers
  • 4 of the top 5 brewers
  • 17 of the top 20 global banks
  • 9 of the 10 largest global hotel brands
  • 8 of the top 10 global luxury brands

 

Source: Infor.com

Midsona Feeds an Appetite for Growth with Infor

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that health food and personal care specialist Midsona has gone live with the first phase of its roll out of Infor CloudSuite Food and Beverage. As part of an aggressive, acquisition-based drive for growth, this phase will see Midsona standardise on Infor technology in the cloud replacing five ERP systems throughout the group. This will not only deliver savings in terms of software licence costs and a reliance on external consultants, but also accelerate operations and reporting throughout the Group.

Infor M3, which is the foundation for Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage, is already in use throughout Midsona in Denmark, with Sweden set to go live, followed by Finland and Norway. These deployments are the culmination of an extensive business process re-engineering project that has led to the creation of a common, standardised platform throughout the Midsona Group.

Following a thorough review of the market, Infor was chosen on the basis of a competitive total cost of ownership, and an existing base of Infor expertise within the Danish Midsona companies. The comprehensive nature of the Infor offering, tailored to the needs of Midsona and including Infor BIInfor d/EPM, and Infor Factory Track, delivered as a service in the cloud, was also a key factor in Midsona’s decision.

“With five ERPs in place across the group, we faced a great deal of unnecessary complexity, explains Christoffer Filippini, IS / IT Manager, Midsona. “This was expressed by the same product appearing under different SKU references throughout the group, resulting in long transaction times. Instances such as these made the decision to standardise an obvious one, especially as we continue to acquire new companies. Powered by Infor CloudSuite Food and Beverage, our common business platform will make it easier, faster and more cost-effective to bring new acquisitions on board as we continue our drive to double in size over the next three years.”

“Large scale cloud deployments such as this one at Midsona demonstrate the many benefits of cloud at enterprise scale,” said Johan Made, General Manager for the Nordics, Infor. “Firstly, there is the financial saving of rationalising five ERP systems to one consistent base. But beyond that, the ability of cloud-based systems to handle localisation differences, deliver easier and faster technology upgrades to support growth and to remove the need for customisations and expensive external consultants, creates a compelling business case for businesses looking to develop a platform that can support digital initiatives that help create a dominant position in their markets.”

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Drakes Supermarkets selects Infor for business expansion

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced South Australian-based Drakes Supermarkets (Drakes) has selected and commenced implementing Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage (CS-F&B) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) suite. Infor CS-F&B and IBP will provide Drakes with a SaaS-based enterprise system delivering end to end visibility, scalability and optimisation throughout Drakes’ Wholesale and Retail business, allowing Drakes to improve serviceability to both retail and wholesale customers, as well as take greater control of their future through tighter control of their supply chain.

The Infor solution will provide Business Users with consistent, accurate and readily-accessible data across the enterprise, with workflow standardisation and increasing levels of automation. Drakes’ investment into their expansion includes the construction of a brand new, state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Edinburgh North that will serve both their retail operations and wholesale customers and will be capable of warehousing ambient, fresh, chilled and frozen goods.

“After a robust selection process, Drakes chose Infor for our ERP as Infor demonstrated a strong knowledge of our business, both for our existing retail operations, as well as our wholesale needs, which resonated strongly with our management team. With our program having already launched with the Infor Consulting Services team, we are now on our way to meeting our commitment of launching our Wholesale warehouse in the middle of 2019 and supporting the ongoing expansion of our company” said Scott Lintern, CFO, Drakes.

“Drakes are embarking on one of the most exciting and significant ventures in Australian retail – taking control of their own destiny, building a wholesale business and becoming one of the most technologically advanced retailers in the country,” said Brett Egglestone, Vice President of Infor Retail, ANZ. “Drakes are known for their customer centricity and support for the local community – Infor certainly welcomes the opportunity to partner with Drakes through the deployment of Infor’s finely-tuned industry-specific solutions delivered in the cloud, and to assist Drakes with their customer focus and maintain them at the forefront of technology.”

About Drakes Supermarkets

Drakes Supermarkets is the largest independent grocery retailer in Australia and specialises in supermarket retailing and soon to add Wholesale operations. Operating in over 60 stores across South Australia and Queensland, the company has an annual turnover in excess of $1 billion and employs over 5,500 staff nationally. The company’s strength lies in operating on the principles of a family business and supporting local manufacturers and suppliers. Drakes Supermarkets has kept its focus on the important aspects of the business. THE CUSTOMER. This is the company’s competitive edge, along with its family values and Australian heritage.

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Stokke Takes to The Cloud with Infor

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that Stokke, the Norwegian manufacturer of children’s furniture and prams, has invested in Infor CloudSuite M3. Deployed throughout operations in Europe, the US and Asia, the application will help enable Stokke to reduce complexity and ensure IT strategy is dedicated to business development rather than technical maintenance.

Deployed by local Infor implementation partner Merit, Infor CloudSuite M3 is the latest iteration of the relationship between Stokke and Infor. 2007 saw the manufacturer move from M3 Movex RPG to a java-based version of the application.

As Stokke has grown, complexity across its IT infrastructure has also increased. This has led to a critical need to ensure that Stokke is on up-to-date technology systems, in order to avoid lengthy and piecemeal upgrade projects frustrating the development of the business. Deployed via the cloud, Infor CloudSuite M3 will not only help ensure Stokke is using current technology but will also aid substantial savings compared to managing the complexities of on-premise software, in house.

“Our decision to go to the cloud was both compelling and simple,” explained Rolf Waage, ICT director, Stokke. “We have a global IT department of just nine people, so we don’t want to deal with data centre issues or matters such as back up, storage or application management. That is what our technology partner should handle. Whilst we have seen some additional improvements in functionality such as role-based homepages, this decision has been much more about improving the availability and alignment of IT resources as Stokke continues to innovate in the market.”

“Manufacturers such as Stokke face very real issues of scale, where the management of a range of applications and points of infrastructure can distract the IT department from supporting the innovation within a business,” said Johan Made, managing director, EMEA north region, Infor. “Cloud technology offers a compelling alternative to the inflated costs and lack of agility that can arise from managing it all in house. This leaves the IT department free to drive innovation and help to transform the processes within a business, creating a keen competitive advantage.”

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Finest Shoes Puts Best Foot Forward with Infor and Venistar

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialised by industry, today announced that Finest Shoes, an Italian footwear manufacturer and owner of the Atlantic Stars brand, has selected Infor M3 Fashion with Infor Accelerator for Fashion. As part of a strategy to expand internationally, the application will be deployed by Infor partner and digital fashion specialist Venistar, and is expected to support strategic decision making, enhance visibility and boost production at the fashion footwear brand.

Following the acquisition of a majority stake in the business by private equity firm Alcedo, Finest Shoes needed to modernise its systems and establish a foundation for future business growth. Specifically it required integrated ERP capabilities which could support the specific requirements of the fashion industry, and could scale as the company pursues expansion into new markets.

Infor M3 Fashion, supported by Venistar, was selected based on its deep industry-specific functionality and ability to scale. Infor Accelerator for Fashion speeds up the implementation process and establishes a clear set of best practice guidelines from the outset.

“As the fashion industry globally is seeing substantial growth right now, expanding market share means addressing an increasing number of challenges and complexities,” comments Sonia Lorenzet, Chairman, Finest Shoes/Atlantic Stars. “Through our deployment of Infor we will be provided with full integration and visibility of everything from finance and administration through to stock management, production and distribution, together with business intelligence to allow us to make more informed decisions about the business. This is invaluable as we pursue our expansion plans and consolidate our brand.”

“For fashion businesses, the question as to whether to modernise systems is not so much as, but when,” comments Franco Dama, Channel Sales Director, Infor. “Clearly those who recognise both the opportunity and the challenges ahead, and establish the right systems to address both, will be in the best position to react to customer demand and deliver new styles which will boost revenue and brand awareness. Our applications have been designed in recognition of the specific complexities inherent in the fashion industry and therefore allows fashion companies to capitalise on growth opportunities to win market share.”

“Italian fashion & luxury businesses are seeing increasing pressure to bring new collections and styles to market faster than ever,” comments Roberto Da Re, CEO, Venistar. “To keep pace with this demand, innovate and build brands in a competitive sector, fashion businesses must continually modernize and for many, this means digitalisation. Through its deployment of Infor M3 Fashion, Finest Shoes is set to build upon past success to thrive as a market leader as it embarks upon its international expansion in the coming years.”

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com

Infor Announces $1.5 Billion Investment Ahead of Potential IPO

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced an agreement to receive a $1.5 billion investment from shareholders Koch Equity Development, LLC (KED) and Golden Gate Capital.

This investment builds on KED’s investment of more than $2 billion in early 2017, and it represents an important milestone as Infor considers a potential IPO in 2019 or 2020, subject to market conditions.

“Koch and Golden Gate Capital have been phenomenal partners for Infor, and all of our 17,300 employees are excited about this milestone as we prepare for the next stage of growth,” said Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor.

Under Phillips’ leadership, and over the course of Infor’s partnership with KED and Golden Gate Capital, Infor has invested approximately $2.5 billion in product design and development over the last five years and delivered more than 475 new products, 1,870 integrations, and 20,700 industry features in its CloudSuite product line. Infor CloudSuite is now the only fully multi-tenant ERP suite spanning front and back office applications, as well as logistics with global support (in terms of languages, currencies, and localizations).

“Koch was a customer of Infor before we became an investor in the Company, and Koch Industries’ companies continue to move their most mission critical applications to Infor CloudSuites,” said Jim Hannan, Koch Executive Vice President and CEO of Enterprises for Koch Industries, Inc. “Infor’s innovative products have helped lead our digital transformation as we continue to deploy them globally for 120,000 employees.”

With over $3 billion of revenue in fiscal year 2018, Infor became the first company to move mission critical ERP application suites to public clouds for entire industries. Infor’s CloudSuites are the foundation for digital transformation for more than 9,500 customers in 110 countries. Infor applications span financials, manufacturing, supply chain, human resources, and customer relationships.

Over the last five years, Infor has consistently gained market share in cloud applications, and 70% of its software license revenue is now derived from cloud applications.

Fundamental to Infor’s strategy is its ability to engineer each CloudSuite for a specific industry. Infor eliminates the need for expensive customizations and runaway consulting engagements. Customers routinely lower costs by 25% or more by retiring mods, eliminating big bang upgrades, and reducing infrastructure costs after moving to CloudSuite.

Infor has expanded its presence in key industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, retail, the public sector, and hospitality. Over 72% of all hospitals in the U.S. run Infor applications, as well as 19 of the top 20 automotive suppliers and 8 of the top 10 fashion brands.

“Companies see the value in shifting their enterprise applications to the cloud but can’t make that transition until critical industry features are replicated there. Infor built these previously bespoke features as standard cloud services and now has access to valuable data across business functions to build predictive analytics and insightful correlations on our Coleman AI platform,” said Phillips.

Infor CloudSuite is also future proofed for innovation. Infor applications run on public scale clouds and open source infrastructure not tied to a single data store and scale out at lower costs using commodity compute and storage on demand. Vertical integration is a legacy of on-premise computing, and modern applications leverage global, commodity infrastructure.

Leadership Quotes

“Infor has undergone a remarkable evolution over the years. We remain strong supporters of the Company’s strategy and leadership team as they pursue their next phase of growth and continue to enhance the operations of businesses across a range of sizes and industries,” said David Dominik, Managing Director of Golden Gate Capital, which made its first investment in Infor in 2002.

“Koch continues to be impressed with Infor’s hyper-scaled, versatile technology, both as an investor, and as a customer of their software solutions,” said Matt Flamini, KED’s President. “Our confidence in the Infor team comes not only from their financial performance, but from the real world results we’re seeing as we implement Infor solutions throughout Koch Industries.”

“Infor’s emphasis on innovation and commitment to delivering solutions to its customers underpins the success of CloudSuites, which offers an unparalleled combination of industry-specific functionality and scalability. We are extremely excited about the opportunity ahead as the Company continues to deliver transformative new products and features,” said Rishi Chandna, Managing Director of Golden Gate Capital.

“Infor has used its partnership with Koch as an opportunity to co-innovate across the wide range of industries in which we operate,” said Brett Watson, Senior Managing Director of KED. “This investment is the result of a shared vision to continue creating innovative solutions that help companies operate more efficiently and effectively.”

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. With 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Infor customers include:

  • 19 of the top 20 aerospace companies
  • 9 of the top 10 high tech companies
  • 18 of the 25 largest U.S. healthcare delivery networks
  • 18 of the 20 largest U.S. cities
  • 19 of the top 20 automotive suppliers
  • 17 of the top 20 industrial distributors
  • 15 of the top 20 global retailers
  • 4 of the top 5 brewers
  • 17 of the top 20 global banks
  • 9 of the 10 largest global hotel brands
  • 8 of the top 10 global luxury brands

About Koch Equity Development, LLC (KED)

With offices in Wichita and London, KED focuses its efforts on strategic acquisitions and industry agnostic principal investments. Significant principal investments completed include Getty Images, Global Medical Response, Meredith/Time Inc., Solera Holdings Inc., The ADT Corporation, and Transaction Network Services. Since 2012, KED has invested more than $10 billion of equity in principal investments.

Since 2003, Koch companies have invested nearly $100 billion in acquisitions and other capital expenditures. With a presence in 50 countries, Koch companies employ nearly 120,000 people worldwide, with about 65,000 of those in the United States. From January 2009 to present, Koch companies have earned more than 1,300 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service.

About Golden Gate Capital

Golden Gate Capital is a San Francisco-based private equity investment firm with over $15 billion of capital under management. The principals of Golden Gate Capital have a long and successful history of investing across a wide range of industries and transaction types, including going-privates, corporate divestitures, and recapitalizations, as well as debt and public equity investments. Other notable software investments sponsored by Golden Gate Capital include BMC Software, Vector Solutions, Neustar, Inc., LiveVox, and 2020 Technologies. For more information, visit www.goldengatecap.com.

Koninklijke Zeelandia Groep chooses Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage

Infor, a leading provider of industry-specific cloud applications, today announced that Koninklijke Zeelandia Groep, producer of ingredients for bread and pastries, has chosen Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage for a standardization project at two of its divisions in order to save costs and increase efficiency. The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) suite consists of Infor M3 as the enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, extended with an advanced planning functionality, customer life cycle management and Birst for networked analytics. The Czech Republic and Slovakia are the first two countries where the implementation will start. It is expected that the solution will go live here in the summer of 2019 and serves as an example to encourage the transition in other countries.

Koninklijke Zeelandia Groep is an inventive Dutch family business with branches in 31 countries and over 3,200 employees. For over 100 years, the company has developed, produced and distributed bread and pastry ingredients. The range consists of over 2,500 items, which are delivered in over 100 countries.

Last year Zeelandia began an ERP selection for some of its companies. Due to the decentralized organization structure, increased complexity in the processes and IT infrastructure and a large number of custom-made solutions, the need arose for a more standardized approach. Zeelandia was looking for a partner with standardized solutions and found a good match in Infor.

Infor beat Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and IFS to the deal. The extensive food and beverage functionalities – such as for planning & scheduling, inventory management and traceability; the breadth of the global solution, Infor’s knowledge about and experience with the cloud and its innovative view on digital transformation with a view to future developments played an important role in Zeelandia’s choice.

Because Zeelandia is decentralized, all the countries are responsible for their own choice of software solutions. By concluding a group contract with Infor and establishing a modern, scalable platform, the company wants to make it easier for other Zeelandia branches to join and to support growth. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Infor M3 replaces the ERP solution Epicor iScala.

‘We’ve found an innovative software partner in Infor. This allows us to focus on achieving company value rather than focusing on the IT for our ERP solution, and we’re building a platform which allows us to be ready for future developments,” explains Örjan Leuvenink, Corporate Director ICT & Information at Koninklijke Zeelandia Groep. “Infor’s industry-specific solutions are perfectly in line with our goals. We explored and quantified them together with Infor, allowing us to obtain a clear business case, which helps us with our future expansion plans. We made a conscious decision to move to the cloud in order to increase flexibility, make it easier to extend this solution to other Zeelandia companies that want to do so and reduce the traditional IT management tasks. Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage helps us to comply with the complex laws and regulations, and offers excellent traceability. If required, in just a few clicks we can see where a certain ingredient is processed, and if necessary, we can quickly take action. We’re also very positive about Infor’s commitment, the time they have invested and their knowledge. We’re very satisfied with how the project has started out.’

“Suppliers such as Zeelandia recognize the advantages of standardized processes, an implementation accelerator and industry-specific solutions that can facilitate a future-proof platform for flexibility and growth,” explains Kees van den Houten, Regional Director Benelux at Infor. “Our solution will be delivered in cooperation with Amazon Web Services (AWS) via a monthly subscription, and it offers the most cost-effective and proven cloud services on the market. We’re delighted that we can help such a great family company with Dutch roots to increase their success.”

About Infor

Infor builds business software for specific industries in the cloud. With 17,000 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

Infor M3 Facilitates Growth for Dutch Cheesemaker

Infor, a leading provider of industry-specific cloud applications, announced today that Dutch cheesemaker, Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten, is live on its new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, Infor M3, to support its plans for growth. In addition to extensive Food & Beverage industry functionalities, Infor M3 has a strong reputation in the market.

The dairy cooperative, Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten, is made up of a group of 250 dairy farms with two production sites in Rouveen and Molenschot and has more than 200 employees. The milk from these dairies is used to make specialty cheeses. The majority of the farms are in Rouveen where most of the cheese is made, except for the Blue cheese and organic Roodschmier, which are made in Molenschot. The company has a rich dairy history and promotes innovation in its business. In this way, new cheeses are continuously being developed.

When the milk quotas ended in 2015, the amount of milk that the cooperative had to process increased sharply and the cheese producer grew by about forty percent. Due to the 31-year production restrictions being lifted, Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten decided to investigate opportunities to respond commercially. The company doubled the number of milk products to 20 in total. This also created the need for a professional ERP system that could facilitate growth, provide insight into the entire supply chain, help to guarantee quality and support the company in preparing for the next phase of growth. The company also wanted software that it could trust to handle its complexity, provide reliable tracking and tracing, and also quickly provide reliable and consistent information. All of which is possible with the new system because there is a single source of information, and costly, error-prone manual work has been eliminated from the process.

The shortlist of Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten initially consisted of four vendors, but after a detailed comparison, two of them quickly fell off the list. In the end, they chose between Oracle and Infor. Crucial to their decision were the specific Food & Beverage functionalities for fresh products, the knowledge and experience of Infor and implementation partner Alfa-Beta Solutions in the cheese market and the right price and quality.

Once Infor was chosen in March 2017, the on-premises implementation began after the summer of 2017. Following an implementation period of half a year, the solution went into effect in February 2018.

“We are very satisfied with the cooperation, and the choice we have made. Infor M3 is one of the best software solutions in the cheese market thanks to its industry-specific functionality. All the basic options that we need are therefore standard in the solution,” said Bert Gubler, financial director for Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten. “Moreover, thanks to the knowledge and experience of Alfa-Beta Solutions and Infor with the cheese industry, we did not have to explain our processes. This has positively influenced the speed of implementation.”

He continued, “We knew that implementing an ERP system was unavoidable for us in realizing our growth plans, to guarantee our professionalism and quality and, where possible, to make improvements by facilitating the exchange of data. Changes, however, also evoke resistance because the daily way of working suddenly changes and an ERP implementation is also quite difficult in itself, especially since we had no experience with it. Some things can still be improved, but we are already very satisfied with how the process has gone. The focus is now on the optimum use of all capabilities. We have dedicated a year to that and then we will look at opportunities for expansion. We now have a solution which will help us to grow.”

“Infor M3 has a strong reputation in the Food & Beverage market, which has to contend with an increasing level of complexity, compliance and changing customer requirements,” says Kees van den Houten, regional director Benelux at Infor. “Companies such as Rouveen Kaasspeciliateiten embrace technology that is specifically tailored to the needs of their industry, because the time-honored one-size-fits-all approach no longer fits. In doing so, they opted for a reliable implementation partner such as Alfa-Beta Solutions, which has excellent expertise and years of experience with this type of implementation. Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten can now rely on a modern solution that meets the most important challenges in the cheese and dairy industry. We are pleased to be part of the new growth phase of the company.”

About Infor

Infor builds business software for specific industries in the cloud. With 16,500 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.