EPub: the Brains behind Brains

At SA Brains' head office near the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff over the last 12 months the regional brewer has introduced a dynamic new computer system as the foundation to its rapidly expanding business, aiming to help it plan ahead and meet the needs of its 250 pubs and 4,000 freetrade customers.

The single system approach replaces what Brains IT manager Kevin Roche describes as "a mushroom effect" at the company.

"We had introduced a multitude of systems and software to address individual business needs as they arose," he explains.

"We ended up trying to support more than 30 servers and software products from at least a dozen companies and we were finding it increasingly difficult to operate the business."

So he turned to drinks market specialist Alphameric for a solution.

"Alphameric knew the brewery business well and that was a major factor for us. It was also working closely with Microsoft to deliver a brewery-specific solution so we had the calibre of Microsoft as well as the experience of Alphameric behind the product," adds Kevin.

As well as Brains, regional brewers Wadworth and McMullen are also using the system which is designed to deal with all operations across the business, from brewing to delivery covering sales and distribution, accounting, estate management, customer relationship marketing, manufacturing, asset management, warehousing, wholesaling and the supply chain.

It also integrates with EPoS, sales order capture and other applications as needed.

So how does this help the licensee? From ordering your weekly stock and receiving the correct delivery on time to returning your empty kegs or ensuring your boiler is serviced, every aspect is now managed dynamically by the new software.

"Customer service is key to the Brains operation and this new system is improving that on so many levels," says Kevin.

"We have a fantastic platform to build on, too, and we can deliver other modules within this one solution to support and serve our licensees even more."

Alphameric's latest deal is a £1.1m contract with tenanted pubs giant Enterprise Inns to supply a business management solution for the 7,000-strong estate.

Based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Alphameric's Caterwide Dimension will deliver a fully integrated system to support Enterprise's head office and pubs.