ABEL & COLE INVEST IN MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX TO SUPPORT
FAST GROWTH
25 April 2008
Abel & Cole, one of the UK’s leading organic food delivery companies has announced an investment of over
£425,000 in Fresh Dynamics from Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Index Computer Systems Limited (Index,
part of K3 Business Technology Group plc). The solution will supply a 90 user software and services system to
one of the best known organic brands in the UK.
Abel & Cole has invested in the entire Fresh Dynamics AX suite of modules which includes finance, trade &
logistics demand planner, production portal & website order functionality. Fresh Dynamics harnesses the power
of the Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP solution. Fresh Dynamics is a highly adaptable, modular solution developed
exclusively by Index for the Fresh Produce industry that provides unparalleled access to data to ensure rapid
order processing, improved pack house production, and sophisticated quality control.
The Dynamics technology includes procurement modules that will assist Abel & Cole with stock and quality
control as well as help improve the company’s transportation planning and expenditure. The deployment of the
Fresh Dynamics solution suite is fundamental in helping Abel & Cole with their continued growth and
development.
Abel & Cole employ over 340 staff in 6 offices throughout the UK. The company was founded in 1988 and
annual sales now stand at £28 million. The deployment of Fresh Dynamics is a three phase process. The first
phase went live at the start of September 2007 with Dynamics AX financials replacing the company’s existing
financial package; Sage MMS. The second phase is scheduled to go live at the end of August 2008 and
involves the organisation migrating to the Dynamics AX stock management, purchasing and production, sales
order management, and HRM (Human Resources Management) modules. The final phase of the project will
happen in late 2008 and will involve the implementation of an additional CRM system with a demand planning
functionality.
Chris Gort, IT Manager, at Abel & Cole explains; “Fresh Dynamics was chosen by Abel & Cole as the result of
a rigorous selection process. The main reason we needed a new ERP solution was the aggressive growth of
the business that was stretching both the internal IT team and the current bespoke in-house system to the
absolute limit. Fresh Dynamics was the only product suite that offered us the right combination of functionality
and flexibility.
The Fresh Dynamics modules that were offered to us were a perfect match for our internal IT architecture
coupled with the unique integrated development environment which is easily licensed and employed by our inhouse development team. We look forward to having an improved end to end supply chain, including batch
driven inventory, simple and concise production planning and accurate purchasing and forecasting systems.
The pricing was also very competitive in comparison to the other mid-market ERP vendors we met with.”
Index has a wealth of experience, spanning over 17 years. “I am delighted that Abel & Cole has chosen Index
Systems to supply their IT solution” says Bernard Godward, Managing Director for Index Systems. “This is an
important deployment for Index and a major IT development for Abel & Cole. Our expertise in the ERP market
as well as in depth knowledge of the latest Microsoft technology provides significant benefits for Abel & Cole,
including application integration, information access and customer service”.
Paul White, Director, Microsoft Dynamics UK, said: “Working with Index we have been able to deliver Abel &
Cole a first class technology solution which has streamlined and automated the company’s financials, customer
relationships, business services and supply chain. It is great to see such an innovative company as Abel &
Cole using such forward thinking technology.”
Notes to editors
About Index Computer Systems Limited
Index was acquired by K3 Business Technology Group plc in Dec 2007. Since 1990, Index has provided IT
solutions to help companies meet their unique business challenges. Specialising in the Fresh Produce
sector and covering all parts of the organisation, Index’s solutions combine extensive business
knowledge with technical expertise to help companies gain control over their processes, streamlining
the flow of data and providing senior management with the information they need to effectively drive
their business. This experience, combined with the power of Microsoft Dynamics AX, provides a New
Generation ERP Solution.
About Abel & Cole
Abel & Cole is a pioneer of organic food retailing in the UK. With over 800 products sourced from the
very best organic producers and suppliers, Abel & Cole provides an ethical, environmentally-friendly
alternative to the supermarket. The company supports UK farmers, growers and producers, by working
in partnership to plan crops and other produce in advance and by guaranteeing an agreed fair price.
About Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of financial, customer relationship and supply chain management solutions
that helps businesses work more effectively. Delivered through a network of channel partners providing
specialized services, these integrated, adaptable business management solutions work like and with
familiar Microsoft software to streamline processes across an entire business.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions
that help people and businesses realize their full potential.