International Automotive Supplier Streamlines Supply Chain With IFS Applications
Tokai Rubber Industries, Japan, has been producing anti-vibration parts for the automotive industry for the past 12 years. Its Polish plant, TRI Poland Sp. z o.o., was opened in 1999 in Wolbrom, and provides parts for Toyota's factories in France, England and Turkey, as well as Honda in England and Isuzu in Poland. With approximately 100 employees, almost 90% of its production is exported.
With IFS Applications the company has integrated its supply chain, manufacturing and order fulfillment. It also added EDI functionality and a flexible MRP model.
The Challenge
With suppliers in Asia, production in Poland and distribution centers in France and the U.K., TRI Poland required scalable, flexible business applications that would meet the communication standards of the automotive industry, especially EDIFACT and ODETTE, while ensuring that the company's complex supply chain was as streamlined as possible. Moreover, TRI wanted to implement the solution at the same time as the Polish plant was set up so as to guarantee the efficiency of operations from the start.
Maciej Pisarski, logistics coordinator at TRI, explains, "We have a situation that is rare in Polish market. We work here, our products originate here and it is here that we must plan our production. However, 90% of our suppliers come from Asia and the rest are from Poland—and our main customers are from the West. Delivery times are often very extended, making planning really difficult. We had to be sure that the business software we purchased could handle the range of companies involved."