IFS North America announced that Automated Packaging Systems (APS) has selected IFS Applications for implementation at 14 sites, including 10 in the U.S. and four in Europe.

APS will implement IFS Financials, IFS Distribution, IFS Manufacturing, IFS Maintenance, IFS Engineering, IFS Business Performance and IFS Human Resources at its world headquarters, manufacturing facilities, and sales offices in the U.S. IFS Applications implementations will also take place at its European corporate office and manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom, and offices in Belgium, France and Germany.

IFS Applications was selected to facilitate APS' rapid international growth because it is well-equipped to handle multi-language, multi-currency, multi-mode manufacturing operations. APS' team agreed that the IFS solution would allow its manufacturing business to standardize and streamline its existing business processes, which were managed outside of an existing ERP system.

"Throughout our selection process, IFS took the time to listen to our concerns, problems and issues," APS VP of Finance David E. Goessler said. "They then delivered tailored demonstrations that provided impressive solutions. In addition, we received personalized attention during the evaluation process that we believe will continue throughout the implementation process. The IFS team seems genuinely interested in forming a true partnership with APS and this aligns well with our business philosophy. And at the end of the day, we felt that IFS provided the most cost-effective solution that will help us achieve our business objectives."

"Automated Packaging Systems is an excellent example of how IFS' focused industry approach fits the customer's needs," IFS VP of Sales Mike Lorbiecki said. "IFS Applications provides the range of components necessary for APS to run a multi-mode, complex international manufacturing business efficiently, with personalized care from the IFS team. When it comes to the ability to handle diverse business models including engineer-to-order and configure-to-order, and to do so in a single enterprise application, IFS really has no equal."

Industrial manufacturing is one of IFS' targeted markets. IFS has a broad customer base in the industry, focusing on medium-sized to large manufacturers that need support for complex order-driven and mixed-mode manufacturing across the extended enterprise. With strong support for project management, engineering, advanced scheduling, product configuration, and after-sales support, IFS' component-based business solutions are designed to help companies improve quality, contain costs, and improve their competitive position in manufacturing industry segments such as machinery, defense, fabricated metal products, and plastics. Industrial manufacturing companies also benefit from IFS' lifecycle management solution, which goes beyond product lifecycle management (PLM) to provide better integration and management of three critical business areas-products, customers, and resources-throughout their lifecycles.