G&A Ltd, (part of Abbeycrest plc) the UK’s leading jewellery manufacturer and distributor, has selected Catalyst Solutions to provide the first VAR implementation of SAP’s Apparel and Footwear System (AFS) in the UK. Having decided to totally revamp its existing bespoke operations with a modern, integrated ERP system, G&A reviewed offerings from Baan, JBA and SSA before settling on the SAP solution offered by Catalyst. The total cost of the project - including license fees, implementation and hardware - will be approximately £1.5m

"The Catalyst/SAP solution stood out because of the ability of the software to cope with our more ‘individual’ needs and Catalyst’s demonstration of their ability to get their heads around the issues involved," said Ian Peterson, MD at G&A.

Catalyst will provide a full implementation across G&A’s business - including finance, sales & distribution and production. Catalyst’s breadth of expertise meant that G&A were able to fulfil all the requirements for the project from a single source, including hardware installation (Netfinity servers) and networking and back-office systems work.

"When we took the decision to modernise our IT systems. Y2K compliance was not an issue, rather it was shortcomings of the current system in not being able to keep up with developments in the business - Euro compliance, for example - that was a main driver for change," explained Ian Peterson.

"After the initial ‘beauty parade’ we concluded that the AFS variant of SAP’s software was best equipped to meet our needs. To increase our confidence that we had made the right choice (of software and partner), we undertook a blueprinting process with Catalyst on a stand-alone basis."

Catalyst’s AFS solution will provide a solid platform for the next phase of the group’s development at G&A, which will see increasing levels of international business, together with strict control of administrative overheads: "We needed a system that could facilitate our growth plans," said Peterson.

AFS is a version of SAP's software which has been developed to meet the needs of the fashion industry and, amongst other features, handles sized products and the issues of managing a complex, international supply chain.

The new, fully integrated system will give G&A the ability to deal with such issues as foreign ring sizes (facilitated by the grid structure within AFS), and the new multi-currency aspects of their business as well as greatly improving the flow and management of business-critical information.

The scope of the current project, centered at the Leeds HQ, covers G&A’s sites in Leeds and Birmingham - both of which should be live in the early summer of next year - supporting around 250 users.