Workplace Service Firm Licenses Lawson's i OS-based ERP

Published: August 19, 2008

by Alex Woodie

Lawson Software announced that PHS Group, one of England's largest workplace service providers, recently licensed M3, its Java-based ERP suite most commonly deployed on i OS. PHS will install M3 on an i-based Power Systems server and utilize it as the new backbone of the company.

PHS Group is a diverse company with a diverse set of services. Its 30 business units across five divisions offers services ranging from cleaning bathrooms and collecting waste and recycling to storing documents and providing personal protective equipment.

A growth surge in the last five years that has increased PHS's revenues by an average of about 25 percent per year put a strain on the company's previous IT infrastructure. With plans to double the size of the company again in the next three years, a new ERP system was required--one that could scale.

PHS chose M3, the ERP suite for companies that need to "make, move, or maintain" things, and that participate heavily in a supply chain. With lots of offices to maintain and vendors to deal with, it would appear that the former Intentia application was a good fit for PHS.

Ian Featherstone, director of information systems for PHS, explained his company's decision. "With 20 operating businesses across five divisions, we needed a solution that could provide us with a central repository of timely information and reports," he said. "We chose the Lawson M3 system as it will help provide better transparency across our business units, from asset management through to financial management."

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