National Microsoft-focused specialist services and solutions provider Dac Systems, in partnership with established Enterprise Information Management solution provider Intervate, has integrated much needed technology to boost operational efficiency and transform the inner-workings of The Government Printing Works (GPW), a 124-year-old institution and South African security printing specialist.

GPW is based in Pretoria and serves as the printing works for a range of official documents such as passports, smart card ID documents, birth certificates, as well as tender bulletins and government gazettes.

The GPW presently operates one of the most advanced passport manufacturing facilities in the world. It has also commissioned laser-imaging technology with the capacity to incorporate unique and high-value security features into documents at economical costs.

The historic security printing service and government institution required the services of an experienced and established technology house to address several challenges.

These challenges included disconnected or non-interfaced systems, as well as systems that did not meet the requirements of all business areas or functionality. “As such, business processes were based on the functionality of the systems and did not allow for the efficiency and effective operation of the company,” explains Gary Carter, Practice Director at Dac Systems.

The lack of interface certainly had an impact on operations. Data transfer between systems had to be done manually and business processes were based on functionality of the systems and therefore did not allow for the effective operations.

Microsoft implementation

As a specialist provider of turnkey solutions and Microsoft product, Dac Systems implemented Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008. The service provider followed Microsoft’s Sure Step implementation methodology to ensure that it complied with the unique print production estimating and scheduling requirements.

With the implementation and integration of these systems, GPW had the resources and infrastructure to ensure that systems comply with government guidelines and policies reporting, that issues like over-billing and/or double-billing by vendors can be avoided, that lengthy processes related to invoices is eliminated and financial penalties associated with missing prompt-payment discounts can also be a thing of a the past.

Rassie Barnard, spokesperson for GPW explains that the integrated ERP solution has removed manual-interfaces between various modules.

“It is now far easier to access data and information. Activity within the business process in AX is transparent and has added significant value to operations,” says Rassie Barnard, GM: Financial Services.