Introducing QB-Ask - December The right data management solution can convert your existing, static data into income generating information. QB-Ask, a data management solution from QBCon, will amalgamate your existing databases to make information easily accessible. By analysing the data and selling the information, your business can generate income without providing any additional products or services. Read more...

Better Prices for MassCash Customers - November Investing in a new price management system from QBCon will make business even healthier for MassCash Namibia and its retailers. The new system will computerise the price collection from various manufacturers, giving independent retailers the chance to personally maintain prices from manufacturers and/or suppliers to make more profitable decisions when purchasing products. Read more...

On Site Maintenance With Q-CMMS - November On site, out of mind is a problem that many construction companies face when it comes to maintenance. A computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) can help your company keep track of preventative maintenance on equipment, even when you're not on site. Read more...

Chemtech Improves Turnaround Time With Lab-i - November Well-known South African laboratory Chemtech Laboratory Services stepped into the 21st century with Lab-i, a LIMS system from business solution provider QBCon. Chemtech is currently managing its laboratory with a labour-intensive, manual program. Lab-i will help Chemtech improve turnaround time. Read more...

ERP: Supplier Gap Analysis - October Chances are you want to invest in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to save your business money by increasing productivity through automation. However, to many businesses simple processes become harder because of an off the shelf ERP system. A decrease in productivity and profit due to new software is more often than not the result of miscommunication between the business and the vendor. Read more...

Locate And Maintain Equipment With Q-CMMS - October The goal of any maintenance manager is to ensure optimal productivity and profit. Information on equipment life cycles and their performance in specific locations give managers control over maintenance, improves the facility’s operational efficiency and reduces costs. Read more...

Enterprise Integrates With EasyAsk For Faster Data Retrieval - October An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system like QBCon Enterprise is designed to automate your business processes, from purchasing right through to sales and invoicing. Because an ERP system records all transactions on a database, you can always prove that all your business processes are in keeping with the latest corporate governance models and access information easily during auditing. Read more...

EasyAsk: Make The Most of Laboratory Automation - September By integrating your existing LIMS with EasyAsk, a user-friendly business intelligence (BI) tool, you can use stored data from your existing database to analyse your laboratory's output, productivity and profitability. Read more...

New Call Centre Management System Goes Live At Europ Assistance - September With the push of a button the first part of a new call centre management system went live at Europ Assistance (EA). The new system, called ICE (In Case of Emergency), provides better service delivery and instant access to relevant information. Read more...

Lab-i Improves Turnaround Time Per Sample - September Like any business, laboratories have to develop their business while controlling the quality of operations. An increase in samples and business means many laboratories opt for a laboratory information management (LIMS) system to streamline laboratory operations while reducing expenditure. Read more...

Uninterrupted ERP Transformation For PMP - September Investing in a software solution that can be updated and improved over time can save your business millions over the years. QBCon recently proved that an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that is constantly updated could continue simplifying business processes without ever interrupting workflow. Updating existing software also saves businesses additional software investment, maintenance costs and training. Read more...

Cleaner Claims For Healthcare With EasyAsk - August The healthcare sector can reap the same benefits from a business intelligence (BI) tool as businesses. BI tools have for a long time helped business to access information quicker and make better business decisions. A hospital is a business and a good BI can improve customer service and lower costs. Read more..

Ampaglas Reaps Maintenance Benefits From Q-CMMS - August South African plastic sheeting company Ampaglas recently invested in a computerised plant maintenance management system (CMMS) from QBCon. The QBCon team did a complete analysis of Ampaglas' needs and installed a fully customised Q-CMMS. The project was completed in June, and Ampaglas is already reaping the production benefits. Read more...

Lab-i Cleans Up Laboratory Paperwork - August During the economic slowdown keeping your finger on the pulse of the latest technological developments can save your business a lot of money. Like any other business, laboratories are keeping abreast by replacing traditional paper trials with laboratory information management systems (LIMS). Read more..

EasyAsk Integrates With SQL - July Many businesses across all industries rely on Microsoft SQL databases to gather and organise data. The data is used in reporting and plays a pivotal part in responsible and effective decision-making. Read more…

Lab-i: Customer Service Module - July Each laboratory is different. Not only do different laboratories run different tests, each laboratory has unique customer service requirements. Off-the-shelf laboratory information management systems (LIMS) generally limit the amount of services a laboratory can provide. With a customised LIMS system, like Lab-i from business solution provider QBCon, you determine your laboratory's client satisfaction. Read more…

Europ Assistance Integrates Avaya With ICE - July Businesses around the world rely on Avaya to provide a complete telephone management system. However, in most businesses the telephone management system functions independently from other business tools. Europ Assistance recently approached business solution provider QBCon to develop a web-based management system to act as an Avaya interface tool. QBCon was tasked with integrating a custom-developed service system called ICE with Avaya. Read more…

Q-CMMS Reduce Production Costs with Root Cause Analysis - June A computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) is an essential part of the modern plant. With the right CMMS, a plant can increase production and profit by reducing downtime due to maintenance. However, despite regular services, machines often break without warning. Paying specialists to determine why a machine broke down is expensive. The longer it takes to determine why a machine malfunctioned, the greater the production loss. Read more...

Access Hidden HR Information with EasyAsk - June Reducing administrative costs are a big concern for human resource departments. They work with large volumes of people’s data, but don’t always know how to access and utilise the hidden HR information to maximize human capital. Read more…

Why Do You Need Lab-i? - June A laboratory information management system (LIMS) is a software package designed specifically for laboratories. LIMS allow laboratory management to keep track of samples, compile reports and increase productivity. Although this technology has been around for quite some time, many laboratories are still unaware the benefits of LIMS. Read more...

Access Hidden HR Information with EasyAsk - June Reducing administrative costs are a big concern for human resource departments. They work with large volumes of people’s data, but don’t always know how to access and utilise the hidden HR information to maximize human capital. Read more…

Access Your ERP Faster With EasyAsk - June Report analysis and decision making constitutes a large part of a manager's responsibilities. Your company relies on an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to draw reports that business decisions are based on. Although an ERP system is the most effective way to analyse each aspect of a business, the reporting process is not always immediate enough to add value in a fast paced business environment. Read more...

Why Is Sample Tracking Important? - May A laboratory information management system (LIMS) is a software package designed specifically for laboratories. LIMS allow laboratory management to keep track of samples, compile reports and increase productivity. Although this technology has been around for quite some time, many laboratories are still unaware the benefits of LIMS. Read more...

QBCon Drills Deeper in the Word CMMS - May Business term abbreviations are often misunderstood. If you are in the manufacturing industry you will probably recognise the abbreviation CMMS, but how much do you really know about these systems? In this article QBCon will explain why this little abbreviation can change the way you manage your plant. Read more...

Workforce Optimisation Using EasyAsk® - May Corporate efficiency is directly linked to the competency of staff. Ensuring all employees are challenged according to their unique abilities will maximise individual performance and profit. Read more...

Make Your Research Data Work Harder With EasyAsk - May With the right Business Intelligence (BI) tool, the same data can continue adding value to your business. In a market research environment collecting and analysing data is a costly and time-consuming process. In the past drawing up reports based on data analysis and presenting these reports were the final services rendered to clients. Once a client received the report, valuable information would collect dust in archives. Read more…

Lookout For The Hidden Costs When Implementing an ERP - May Many companies that invest in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems expect better business processes, increased productivity and greater profit margins. Although a good ERP system can offer all of these benefits, companies are not realistic about the financial implications of the installation. Read more...

Which LIMS Will Suit My Laboratory? - May A laboratory information management system (LIMS) is a software package designed specifically for laboratories. LIMS allow laboratory management to keep track of samples, compile reports and increase productivity. Although this technology has been around for quite some time, many laboratories are still unaware the benefits of LIMS. Read more…

Inventory Control with ERP - April Inventory control is a challenging part of business management. Keeping track of stock from the moment it enters your business through to the final sale is nearly impossible without the right software. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems generally promise inventory control, but rigid software can become an inconvenience to businesses that have uncommon stock trade. Read more...

Ampaglas Reduce Production Loss with New CMMS - April Ampaglas has been an industry leader in technological advancements in the plastic sheeting industry since 1973. They were the first company in South Africa to manufacture flat and profile polycarbonate and twin wall polypropylene sheets and will continue to be a market leader with a new plant maintenance system from QBCon. Read more...

West Rand Engineering Changes Its Manufacturing Environment With New CMMS - April A Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is a tool no modern manufacturing plant should be without. West Rand Engineering (WRE) enhanced its plant maintenance and safety-related activities by replacing their existing, outdated CMMS. Having a reliable CMMS is imperative to the effective management of any manufacturing plant. A functioning CMMS ensures that maintenance and engineering managers can examine repair history, identify trends and improve the reliability of equipment. Read more...

Custom Made For Your Laboratory - March In an age of mass production it is virtually impossible to find anything unique. Clothes, cars, toys and pens all look the same in every country, despite the fact that cultures and individuals differ. The business world is not immune to mass production, and neither is your laboratory. Laboratory information management systems (LIMS) were originally designed to bring the best out of laboratories. However, mass production soon stepped in and standard, expensive LIMS systems were implemented in laboratories with different needs. Read more...

Reporting and EasyAsk - March Report analysis and decision making constitutes a large part of a manager's responsibilities. Your company relies on an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to draw reports that business decisions are based on. Although an ERP system is the most effective way to analyse each aspect of a business, the reporting process is not always immediate enough to add value in a fast paced business environment. Read more...

Departmental ERP - March Most organisations are comprised of different departments. Successful organisations understand that each department requires a unique set of tools to perform to the best of its ability. One of the most important tools departments rely on to increase productivity is an effective software solution. Read more...

LIMS: Saving You Time - March A successful manager knows how to apply the skills of his employees to the benefit of a business. Many laboratories still rely on dated methods to keep track of test results and samples. These methods mainly involve skilled laboratory staff wasting hours documenting and filing their findings. For as long as it takes to fill out forms, laboratory employees are getting paid skilled labour wages to do a clerk's job. Read more...

Sample Tracking With Lab-i - February Keeping track of hundreds of different samples from various clients in a laboratory is challenging. Different samples from different clients need to be tested by various analysts, often in different labs. Keeping track of a sample using the traditional paper trial is costing your laboratory thousands in wasted paper and wasted time. Read more...

Custom Made For Your Laboratory - February In an age of mass production it is virtually impossible to find anything unique. Clothes, cars, toys and pens all look the same in every country, despite the fact that cultures and individuals differ. The business world is not immune to mass production, and neither is your laboratory. Laboratory information management systems (LIMS) were originally designed to bring the best out of laboratories. However, mass production soon stepped in and standard, expensive LIMS systems were implemented in laboratories with different needs. Read More...

How Intelligent is Your Business? - February Intelligence is defined as the ability to reason, plan and solve problems. Humans use intelligence to cope with daily challenges. The more intelligent a person, the better their ability to respond to a situation. When it comes to decisions that can affect long term profitability in a company, intelligence plays a major role. Organisations define intelligence in terms of Business Intelligence (BI). BI refers to the ability to realise business success by accessing relevant data quickly and easily. Read more...

Is Not Investing in a LIMS System Costing You Money? - January A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is a software program that aids in the automation of almost every process in a laboratory. A good LIMS system can save your laboratory time and money and documents each process, ensuring that you can account for everything that goes on in your laboratory. Read more...

QBCon congratulates Prof Tebello Nyokong - January QBCon would like to offer our sincere congratulations to Professor Tebello Nyokong from the Rhodes University on winning the Africa-Arab State 2009 L’Oréal-Unesco Award for Women in Science on 10 November 2008. Read more...

QBCon’s Pointers for Choosing an ERP - January With so many standard Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems options available, you may feel like you're in a minefield with no indicators to lead you in the right direction. Choosing an ERP is no easy task if you don't know how to evaluate your options. Since ERP systems may seem complex, it can be difficult to evaluate different options. QBCon will highlight these pointers to make your choice easier. Read more...

AFGRI Goes Off the Grid - January History repeated itself on 29 November 2008 when QBCon installed QBCon Enterprise at the new Pierre van Ryneveld Farmcity the night before the retail branch had to open. In 2007 AFGRI found themselves in a predicament when their communication network was not installed in time for the opening of a new Farmcity. AFGRI foresaw a possible repetition of the situation and took the necessary precautions by installing a satellite connection. An added procedure, to prevent disaster if everything else failed, was to install QBCon’s stand-alone Point of Sale (POS) systems. Read more...