The electronic e-hub, Mincom Axis, will enable Joy Global through divisions Joy Mining Machinery and P&H Mining Equipment, to share information with customers and suppliers more efficiently and better manage equipment throughout the complete asset life cycle.

It will also serve as a common Internet connection point for Joy Global’s operations in North America, Chile, South Africa and Australia, which use different business enterprise resource planning systems.

“We want to continue to drive improvements that ensure Joy Global is easy to do business with. We have been re-engineering our business and have enhanced processes inside our own walls,” Joy Mining’s director global process management Mark Shaver said.

“Joy Global has been a leader in the successful adoption of e-business since 2000. The next step for us is to interact with our customers and share information with them. It’s not just a matter of doing transactions electronically. That’s old school.

“We want to share information to strengthen the alliance between buyers and suppliers. This was a key factor in our decision to go with Mincom Axis. Previously we received information in disparate way such as spreadsheets, faxes and emails. That process had to be automated via the internet.”

Mincom Axis went live at Joy Global on 30 June 2004, less than four months after being selected as the solution provider.

Joy Global vice president information systems, Sean Bradley, said the complete e-business capability of Mincom Axis would yield a return on investment (ROI) within the first year of operation.

“We expect to see improved order accuracy, aligned processes, reduced manual handling and less administration – all adding up to a stronger, more competitive business at a global level," Bradley said.

"The ROI doesn’t end there. We expect efficiencies to flow right along the supply chain, so we can focus on improving service to our customers while also improving internal efficiencies, and integrating with our suppliers. It simply makes good business sense”

In recognition of the costs of building and maintaining an e-hub internally Joy Global instead chose a hosted e-hub to “front-end” their disparate business systems. This enabled access to a global, proven solution at a fraction of the price and without the risk, complexity and delay involved in building such a solution.

According to Mincom chief executive officer Alan McElrea, Mincom Axis leverages pre-built infrastructure and connectivity to deliver a fast and affordable approach to electronic trading. He said the hosted e-hub frees a customer from the costs and complexities of ongoing development and operation of an in-house alternative.

“This makes e-business more accessible to any organization. Mincom Axis is readily affordable, placing e-commerce within the reach of smaller enterprises," McElrea said.

The Mincom Axis e-hub will enable Joy Global to extend access to its e-commerce capabilities to all of its customers and suppliers, from the largest and most sophisticated to small and medium sized enterprises with only email or access to a web browser.