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Tristar Intech, started its operations in 1996 and as a specialized service provider, has been providing solutions in areas like expansion joints and joint sealing, waterproofing, water repellant, corrosion inhibitor and anti-graffiti treatment, thermal insulation, controlled dismantling of structures, structural rehabilitation and earth quake retro-fitment, industrial flooring, tunnel repair, etc.

The company started its operations at a smaller scale doing sealing jobs. However, as it started its expansion drive and diversified into other areas, it realized the difficulty in continuing with manual processes. According to Kusum Vasudeva, MD, Tristar Intech, the construction industry is booming, and this has led to a rapid expansion and growth in the business. This meant that the number of project sites also grew rapidly. At a given time, Tristar has around thirty-five to forty sites running simultaneously and spread across different locations.

Challenges
Tristar had already been using Tally system for financial function and CAD software for designing purposes. However, with the sheer number of sites running simultaneously the company required the ability to do overall project management and have an integrated view of processes even while being able to track each project. It required information on stock transfers, stock lying at site, status of progress at each site, costs incurred vis-à-vis budgets, etc. The key requirement for the company was project management and to be able to get information in real time from various construction sites. In a manual system, the whole process of feeding a report from one source to another is a very cumbersome job and takes a long time. Thus, failing in providing required information like inventory and stock levels, any immediate requirements, costs incurred, etc.

Solution
Tristar tried two software companies, both of which failed to deliver automation requirements. After two failed experiences, the company decided to go for ERP implementation with ESS.

Tristar started the implementation of 'ebizframe' ERP from ESS during the last quarter of 2006. Presently, functionalities that are used by Tristar are: project wise tracking, labor payment, project costing, PM/engineer wise project tracking, machine allocation, transfer of equipment/machine from one store to another, daily site report which gives complete information of one project, export/import of item, drill bit consumption, contractor payment/work done, sales/work order, stock status of items, manpower allocation, service bill, MIS (gives complete information project wise), job work allocated to subcontractor, MIS (gives complete information of one project for all engineer or single engineer date wise). All this is in addition to routine functions of sales, purchase, inventory, accounts, payroll, etc.

Benefits
Tristar has witnessed some initial benefits in terms of getting real time information, which is helping the company to have better control over its inventory levels, costs incurred for each projects, labor payments at each sites, etc. This is enabling it to have a better control over the projects. Apart from saving on inventory costs through better inventory management, the ERP is also helping Tristar for costing purposes. With various calculations fed into the system, the company can automatically arrive at how much square feet space a particular chemical can cover, which in turn helps in arriving at the costing for the entire space to be covered.

While improving efficiencies in various areas, Tristar aims to utilize the ERP for improving the overall project management. This, in turn, will reflect on reducing costs and improving profitability.

-Shipra Malhotra
shipram@cybermedia.co.in

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