Two years ago, Nestlé UK completed one of the largest ERP systems in the country, since then however the IT team have been getting used the more mundane “business as usual” approach to work.
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Information systems director Nigel Pells explained to Computing magazine that for five years, his Nestlé team were consumed with the “big idea” of ERP (enterprise resource planning), integrating operations among 6,000 users in 18 factories. Once that was completed however, the real challenge was “what to do next?”
Despite the obvious switch to ebusiness however, Pells stressed that this is not the primary focus of the company. “Now is there is a culture of continuous improvement,” he explained.
Several ebusiness initiatives are in place between Nestlé with suppliers and customers however Pells stressed: “The “e-world” is important to us, but it will not revolutionise our business. It’s just an aid to greater efficiency. The timescales are longer than people would have you believe. Remember you still have to get the goods to the customer. The Internet doesn’t change that.”
Long term, the goal within the IT team at Nestlé UK is part of an initiative to globalise the company’s systems. From its Swiss head office, Nestlé has embarked upon a Global Business Excellence Programme to standardise processes in all its subsidiaries. The project is expected to take a further five years to complete, and cost £1.2bn to achieve.
In its annual report, Nestlé stressed: “Our improvement priorities are clear: first, the internal opportunities; second, business-to-business; and third, business-to-consumer.”
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