IBM's Auto-Parts Inroads

Extending its reach into the automotive-parts industry, IBM and partner SSA Global recently implemented a joint solution to help Schukra, a subsidiary of Windsor, Ontario-based Leggett & Platt Automotive Group and distributor of automotive lumbar solutions, to streamline the company's invoicing, manufacturing-scheduling, package-tracking and billing processes.

Building on its nine-year relationship with SSA Global, Schukra selected SSA Global's SSA BPCS 8.2 ERP solution running on an IBM iSeries server platform combined with an IBM DB2 database. The company has subsequently reduced its materials-requirements planning time by 90 percent and data-recovery time by 30 percent. In addition, with the Web-based ERP solution, Schukra has cut order-planning activities from three hours to 20 minutes and product cross-checking times from one hour to five minutes. SSA Global is a member of IBM's PartnerWorld Automotive Industry Network. --C.M.