Propper Goes Mobile with Lawson Enterprise Software System
Leading apparel producer gains efficiency and greater control over inventory and distribution with Lawson implementation
SAN DIEGO (April 21, 2009) – Propper International, Inc., a leading apparel manufacturer specializing in military and law enforcement gear, is gaining business benefits through its use of the Lawson M3 Enterprise Management System from Lawson Software (Nasdaq: LWSN). Propper shared its story during the 2009Lawson Conference and User Exchange (CUE), which got underway April 20 in San Diego. Propper recently upgraded to the most recent version of the Lawson M3 Enterprise Management System and completed a rapid implementation of Lawson Enterprise Mobility at the same time. The mobility solution provides tools to help companies gain greater control and agility in managing inventory and distribution. Lawson also announced that Propper recently purchased the newly-released Lawson M3 Analytics package during the third quarter of Lawson’s fiscal 2009, which ended Feb. 28, 2009.
Following an accelerated three-month migration to the latest Lawson M3 7.1 application suite, Propper and Lawson completed the implementation of Lawson Enterprise Mobility in less than two weeks. The company started using the new mobility solution immediately and began realizing tangible business benefits. “By moving to the most current Lawson system, we can gain greater value from the integrated modular software offerings from Lawson, said Devin McCarthy, IT director for Propper. “The mobility solution is a great illustration of this. For example, we can now classify goods, scan items directly as they arrive on a truck and immediately know if an item is a back ordered item. We can move the merchandise to the front of the line to quickly fill a back order request.
McCarthy presented Propper’s story to attendees at the Lawson Conference and User Exchange yesterday. An excerpt of the Propper mainstage presentation is available at www.lawson.com/virtualcue. It is found within the “CUE Live link at that site.
Propper had been using an aging, heavily modified version of the Lawson system. Now on the latest Lawson system, Propper has gone to no modifications. “The system is designed around our industry-specific needs and best practices, added McCarthy. “The new version is easy to use and even allows us to configure it down to a specific user’s daily activities. We’re discovering issues faster, catching errors and improving accuracy, which all translates to greater customer satisfaction.
Propper is one of the largest suppliers of uniforms to the U.S. Department of Defense. It is a high-volume manufacturer with operations in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. The organization runs with a relatively small internal IT organization, so it’s critical that the company look for solutions that are simple to implement, own and use. Through the latest enterprise applications, team members now use hand held computing devices in the warehouse rather than having to move to a centralized PC to enter data. Based on its initial use of the mobility solution, Propper estimates it may achieve a 30 percent or greater improvement in throughput and improved efficiency through the use of the latest Lawson system.
“Propper did this the right way. They moved to the latest Lawson application set and then begin reaping the fast value we provide through industry-specific, modular software options, said Andrew Dalziel, global marketing director, Fashion, Lawson. “In this tight economy, companies truly need to maximize efficiency, and our industry expertise and focus helps put them in a better position to accomplish just that.
Source: Lawson
