SBS Harnesses Complexity with Infor

Oslo – July 15, 2014 – Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, today announced that Scandinavian Business Seating (SBS), a manufacturer of Scandinavian designed office chairs, has deployed   Infor M3 to improve efficiencies, enhance usability and support international expansion.   The application will help SBS harness the complexity of its product configurations and Just in Time (JIT) manufacturing processes, and achieve visibility across the entire supply chain which currently serves SBS in nine countries.  

News points

• SBS is a leader in office seating with 7% market share and sales of 420,000 units per year.  It sells a wide range of products from individually customised chairs to mass produced seats for new office builds through its three brands, HAG, RH  and RBM.
• SBS’ products can be unique, incorporating complex product configurations.  To harness this complexity, meet customer expectations and ensure efficient service levels, the company relies upon JIT manufacturing at its two plants in Norway and Sweden.     
• All SBS’ entities across nine countries are fully integrated on Infor M3, enabling consistency and economies of scale to be achieved.
• Mashups are used within Infor M3 applications so that contextualised, relevant information is now available on the user’s screen. This means users do not need to spend time searching for the right information.
• Infor M3 facilitates information visibility by generating an alert immediately after a product is completed to maximise efficiencies and enhance customer service.  
• SBS’ deployment of Infor M3 means that it now benefits from an enhanced user interface and greater usability.
• A key benefit of Infor M3 is the flexibility to support many different combinations and iterations of products.
• Substantial time savings have already been achieved across picking, goods received, dispatch and inventory by making Infor M3 available on PDAs in SBS’ warehouse.

SBS Quote

“We operate in an industry which is highly fragmented but predicted to consolidate significantly over the next few years,” comments John Tronsaune, Vice-President, IT, Scandinavian Business Seating.  “In Infor M3 we have a tool which will allow us to capitalise on this as we have 100% confidence that we can set up new entities, irrespective of geography, quickly and easily.  Infor M3 allows us to scale with the flexibility to support our complex product manufacturing in the most efficient manner possible.”  

Infor Quote

“Infor M3 has the potential to help organisations to capitalise on opportunities by equipping them with the real-time information visibility to react to events and make decisions quickly,” comments Henrik Billgren, Infor M3 product manager.  “For growing companies such as SBS, the ability to establish a new entity quickly and easily means that they can hit the ground running and maximise return on their investment.”