England's Tea major readies to brew new PLM

ENGLAND: In a latest announcement Taylors of Harrogate, one of the country’s leading tea and coffee merchants, has extended its investment in Infor Process Essentials to improve the efficiency of its total supply chain operations from design to delivery.

The new solutions, set to go live in summer 2009, would help boost productivity through better scheduling and ensure the maximum shelf-life is provided for customers.

Taylors has invested in advanced supply chain and product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions that help the company reduce costs, improve service and accelerate time-to-market.

The solutions selected include Infor SCM Demand Planning and Infor SCM Advanced Scheduler which help improve demand visibility, the efficiency of operations and reduce inventory working capital. Taylors also selected Infor PLM Optiva - a PLM solution - to improve knowledge sharing, collaboration across departments and boost the success of new product launches.

In line with its investment in advanced forecasting and scheduling solutions, Taylors of Harrogate is completely overhauling its supply chain operations, improving its ability to anticipate demand changes, plan promotions and schedule production to meet demand peaks, as per a press release.

A particular challenge, as it added, is the need to manage shelf life, maturation times and storage restrictions for its products which include household brands such as Yorkshire Tea, Taylors of Harrogate Coffee and the Yorkshire Tea cakes and biscuits rangeHaving already experienced a major return on investment from Infor ERP System21, Taylors of Harrogate had every confidence in selecting Infor’s advanced supply chain and product life-cycle management solutions.

The flexibility of the solutions was fundamental to the decision as they can evolve with the changing requirements of the business.

“Our family business enjoys a reputation for quality and excellence. Our Yorkshire Tea blend is one of the fastest growing teas in the market, with 10 million cups enjoyed every day, ”comments Lindsay Botto, operations director, Taylors of Harrogate.

“To keep pace with our continued growth we needed to explore new options which would enhance our business processes. With a proven track record for success in the food and beverage industry coupled with strong, flexible solutions, we are confident that Infor’s SCM and PLM solutions will form the backbone of our enhanced production and supply chain operations moving forward,” he added.