Information Technology Startup

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

United Motors and General Fabrications is a mid-size firm with over 100 employees working across five departments. It was a venture started by Mr. M U Alam in 1981.

It is a service company based in Lucknow, UP; and is a one stop shop and provides a 360-degree solution for all issues related to automobiles. It provides hassle free routine automobile servicing by a team of trained technicians who analyze and diagnose people’s vehicular issues and deliver them with the warranted solution. The company is not only a service center but it also boasts of a warehouse fully stocked with auto parts which serves the customers looking for their cars to get it fixed right away. The functionality of a warehouse in close proximity to the service center is immense which cuts down the waiting time of customers and make the customer experience as painless and as convenient as possible. The service center also includes an auto repair shop that offers both mechanical and body work and operates in tandem with the warehouse to support with the necessary parts and materials.

The company has a legacy of 36 years, and has been able to create a loyal customer base and therefore wish to expand in other cities in future.

NEED FOR RESEARCH

The existing system in United Motors and General Fabrication is not integrated. The departments include Operations, Supply Chain Management and Finance. Communication of information between departments is done through emails and telephone calls. Order placements and data entry are done manually. Also, The company doesn’t have a website or media for publicity and marketing.

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The problems which the service centre is facing are:

1. Delay in service.
2. Lost orders because data from every department is not integrated.
3. Increased Errors as data needs to be manually entered in different systems.  
4. Coordination issues between departments.

ENTERPRISE RSOURCE PLANNING (ERP)

ERP systems form the information management backbone for companies of all sizes and in all industries. ERP software covers the gamut of operations from basic inventory control, customer orders and purchasing to advanced planning and scheduling, distribution management, financials and more.

The most powerful aspect of ERP systems is that they are fully integrated around a single database to enable cooperation and collaboration across the enterprise. This means that ERP systems help to break down the walls between departments and empower users to share information and tie their everyday activities more closely to company goals and customer service.