Elastomer makes THE FINALS in IT Excellence Awards Christchurch-based Elastomer Products was one of two finalists in the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) category of the recent Computerworld Excellence Awards. This success honours the thorough implementation process developed with Geac for their changeover to Geac's StreamLine ERP system. You may never have heard of Elastomer Products, but chances are there are some of their products around you right now. The New Zealand-owned company manufactures and distributes an enormous range of components - everything from edge-trims for the furniture industry to seals and gaskets for refrigerators and stoves, automotive harnesses and seals for the window industry. Such a range creates many logistical challenges, especially as few of their products are off-the-shelf items. "The fact that StreamLine is able to manage all our complex manufacturing, distribution and financial needs in one totally integrated package has had tremendous advantages to us," says Mike Byrnes, Elastomer's Financial Controller. Not the least of these advantages was the way StreamLine was able to be seamlessly implemented throughout the company with virtually no costly downtime. The entire implementation process was changed and improved through the course of four "dry runs", the last of which was used as a training database for four weeks prior to full implementation. "Our objective was to ensure that customers were totally unaffected by the transition," says Mike. "We couldn't run the old and new systems in parallel so StreamLine had to work perfectly on Day One." The fact that it did - and was a finalist for the Computerworld Excellence Awards - is a tribute to all the people involved, according to Mike. "There's no way something like this can be done in the back room. It took the wholehearted acceptance and commitment of our team of 120 staff members under the leadership of (Geac Project Manager) Wayne Sims assisted by the consulting, training, and support teams in Geac's Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland offices.

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