customisation and testing. Everything from analysis workshops and proof


of concept


sessions, through to testing and cutover support, needed to be done remotely. “These remote sessions generated an increased blurring of lines between customer and support partner, which forged the strong ‘one team’ collaborative working bonds that remain today,” said Jodie Derbyshire, Head of IT Change Programmes at William Jackson Food Group The project was able to go live at the start of March 2021 and was completed on time and on budget. Transitioning over to the new system, managing an intense hyper-care period before ramping up manufacture and supply to be launch ready was a significant undertaking and Jackson’s has been continually developing it since initial installation. The new efficiencies, business intelligence and continuous improvements from the platform will also enable Jackson’s to play its part in helping WJFG achieve net-zero emissions across its entire supply chain by 2040.


To meet the demands of the new deal, Jackson’s quickly realised it would need to undergo a


transformation project to overhaul its existing technology and supply chain.


By overhauling its core systems and implementing


Microsoft’s Dynamics 365


Finance and Supply Chain Management, Jackson’s has been able to: •


Modernise core processes from order to invoice,


material including procurement,


EDI automation, advanced forecasting, production planning, consumption and despatch.


• •


Create a solid technology backbone on which to launch its new business.


Gain from new efficiencies which will help contribute to William Jackson Food Group’s (WJFG) net-zero supply


chain emissions target by 2040.


• Successfully implement a modern solution that helped the company secure a multi-year deal.


Following on from the success of this transformation project, WJFG is keen to roll out further projects to its other food service businesses alongside Columbus. This includes a joint ‘analysis’ phase to cover all the WJFG businesses in scope, with the plan to then roll out the core ERP sequentially with further potential pilots for commerce and customer engagement capabilities.


A Tasti recipe for successful growth


Since 1932, Tasti Products has been producing a range of snacks in New Zealand and also contract manufacturing for large brand owners and retailers. The company has expanded rapidly over the years to support innovation, growth into new categories and new markets. The enterprise includes 19 production lines in Auckland in a building with a footprint of over 20,000m2. Recognising that its legacy


ERP system could no longer support the continuously expanding business, Tasti Products set out to find a solution that would allow it to scale in size and improve the speed in which business analytics could be performed. It wanted a manufacturing solution that was cloud-based and could offer end-to-end digital transformation. It turned to Rockwell Automation for a solution and the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform was suggested. It provides cloud- delivered smart manufacturing solutions,


including manufacturing execution system (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions along with quality, supply chain planning and management, asset performance management, monitoring,


production process automation and


analytics to connect people, systems, machines, and supply chains. Tasti Products is set to migrate to Plex’s cloud-based


solutions, implementing


Plex ERP which includes MES to drive its operations. The solution will provide a


connected plant floor, digital product tracking capabilities, and real-time data to support growth. “Tasti Products is in a period of healthy growth in New Zealand, as well as its exports to Australia and the USA and we needed to employ digital technology that will set us up for future success,” said Josette Prince, Managing Director at Tasti Products. “Plex gives us the automation integration,


mobile connectivity, modular solutions, and scalability that we need as we continue to expand.”


Bakery manufacturers can – and


often do – use different platforms for monitoring, tracing, and tracking. The Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform, however, allows all three platforms to work in harmony to provide real- time data, which can be used for genealogy reporting, recalls, audits, and analytical insights.


bakeryproduction.co.uk Kennedy’s Bakery Production April/May 2024 21


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