Visibility Profiled in Manufacturing & Logistics IT

Manufacturing & Logistics IT Profiles Visibility Corporation in next issue

Visibility Corporation (www.visibility.com) is a leading developer and supplier of business software solutions designed for the unique needs of project-based, engineer-to-order and to-order manufacturers.

Visibility's Enterprise Application solutions help midsize manufacturers of complex products operate their businesses effectively.  Visibility has an extensive customer base throughout North America and Europe and has the strongest representation of ERP among complex manufacturers.

Project Accounting is a cost collection and planning tool that provides the ability to:

- Define and organize projects or master projects and project Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)

- Capture and report actual costs charged to a project through any linked transaction or activity

- Get real-time reporting for analysis of budget vs. actual cost amounts

- Predict final project costs and estimated completion amounts

- Extrapolate revenue to recognize from actual and estimate reconciliation

According to Thomas R. Cutler, leading manufacturing journalist, in the current issue of Manufacturing & Logistics IT, “Rollalong was awarded the ?40 million, seven-year contract to design and manufacture accommodations for Junior and Senior Ranks and Officers in Aldershot and Salisbury Plain under Project Allenby/Connaught, to upgrade British Army accommodation. Rollalong will be working in close partnership with Aspire, a joint venture between KBR and Carillion. Rollalong was selected by Aspire after searching the marketplace for a volumetric modular supplier who could deliver reduced risk, short build programs, quality, minimal site disruption and high performance accommodation.”

To accomplish the Aspire Project, a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for the Project-based manufacturer was required. The incumbent ERP vendor specifically lacked deep and broad Project Accounting and Project Inventory functionality which was of primary importance to Rollalong. Technologically, the incumbent system lacked the collaborative, automatic electronically-controlled process, and real-time capabilities derived from the .net architecture in the new VISIBILITY.net product selected. The project-based functionality was the central issue in the technology selection.

Project Accounting and Project Inventory functionality is considered a significant value-add by Rollalong because it enables the company to control the costs of the Aspire contract, as well as other contracts they perform in their business; additionally the new ERP solution allowed the company the ability to bill customers in accordance with commercial terms that are the norm for project-driven businesses, such as stage invoicing and retentions. Rollalong viewed these primary requirements as the keys to profitable contracting with appropriate cash flows over the life of the contracts.

The .net technology architecture and the capabilities derived from the new technology provided Rollalong with the conductivity and stability required as they invest in their next generation core IT systems.

Dean Williams Rollalong’s IT manager and Tim Cowhigg, Managing Director, were central in the decision-making process and noted that the Project Accounting module provided the tools needed to manage all projects on time and within budgets, including multiple budget revisions.

The Project Accounting module extended into every module within the enterprise system; providing the means to manage on a project basis. Additionally it also enabled each department to operate optimally with a mix of project and non-project work.

VISIBILITY.net is an integrated ERP solution and more. Offering unparalleled functionality and integrated workflow, this browser-based solution cost effectively delivers the power of .NET-based Web services for use with either a Microsoft SQL Server™ or Oracle® database. Conducting business any place, any time, any where is a reality, deployable with unprecedented flexibility.

Visibility

www.visibility.com

Mark Thornton