St Hallett toasts a new system
Publish Date: July 29, 1996
Author:
Leading Australian wine maker St. Hallett Wines has implemented a new computer network to manage its financial and wine production systems.
Installed by a national computer company Protech Australia, the network will allow Barossa Valley-based St. Hallett Wines to more effectively monitor its productivity and profitability.
St. Hallett Wines managing director Bob Mclean said the new network was part of the company's commitment to communications.
"I am a very keen advocate of effective communications, whether it's in the print media, the medium of talking to someone else over a bottle of wine or, in this case, the communications of information technology.
"We do not claim to be pioneers in this medium, but we do have the desire to be the best there is in communications, both outside and within our company, and intend making use of the best available materials."
St. Hallett Wines, which is internationally recognized for it's award winning Old Block Shiraz label, has installed the Unix Network in conjunction with implementing new production and accounting software from Ezy Systems in Victoria.
Protech Australia is a $50 million-a-year company with its headquarters in Adelaide. The company's SA office was selected to install the Unix Network after a competitive quoting process.
The company has implemented a Unix network with seven PC terminals as well as the backup server for the Ezy Systems software.
The new network also contains a Unix-based Advanced Print and File Server-which emulates Windows NT- for centralized storage of files and documents as well as distributed printing throughout the winery.
Key factors in the selection of the new systems and suppliers were:
- MULTI-USER support from existing PC's
- HIGH reliability for hardware and software
- EFFICIENT data recovery procedures and systems
- STRONG data security for accounting and production software systems
- DIAL-UP accesses for authorized staff
- GOOD system and hardware support for the winery, 70km north of Adelaide.
Criteria such as high system reliability and prompt support are vital for the winery in its 24 hour-a-day, seven-day operations during the four months of vintage, from February through May.
St. Hallett Wines has embraced new technology as a core part of its wine-making process and its application of computer technology.
The company is one of the first Australian wineries to establish a presence on the Internet, through its Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.sthallett.com.au.
As well as producing its own premium range of wines, St. Hallett's state of-the-art production system is also used to provide contract production services to other boutique wineries in the Barossa Valley.
Finance manager John Hahn said the new Unix network would deliver significant efficiency gains to the winery.
"We have been growing at the rate of 25 per cent per annum over the past few years, so the new system offers improved efficiencies for the future," he said.
Source: The Adelaide Advertiser
