Established in 1993, Fortuna Engineering Private Limited is one of India’s top three manufacturers of engine connecting rods. With an ambitious vision to become the leading connecting rod manufacturer in India with complete in-house design capabilities by 2012, Fortuna has consistently followed a 3-pronged strategy focused on Quality, Cost, and On-Time Delivery. The company has recorded an impressive 25% CAGR growth over the past eight years and was the first connecting rod manufacturer in India to receive ISO TS-16949 certification from BVQI.
Today, Fortuna is known for its high-quality, self-certified in-line supplies and serves major Tier 1 OEMs including Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Cummins India, Mitsubishi India, and Piaggio, among others.

Location: India
Industry: Manufacturing (Automotive Components – Engine Connecting Rods & Camshafts)
Customer Since: 2012
Solutions Used: IFS Applications (Version 7.5 SP6, later upgraded to IFS Apps 10)

Business Challenge

Before implementing a comprehensive ERP system, Fortuna was heavily reliant on manual processes for nearly all departments except accounting and customer invoicing. This created several operational challenges:

• Lack of traceability and accountability across functions
• Poor cash flow visibility, with difficulty in identifying bottlenecks such as excess inventory
• Data redundancy and inefficiency in accessing real-time information
• Usability concerns, as existing tools were not user-friendly for staff across functions

Solution

After evaluating multiple ERP vendors, Fortuna selected IFS Applications for its user-friendly interface and deep functionality tailored to manufacturing.

The project went live in 2012 with IFS Applications 7.5 SP6 (India localization) and was later upgraded to IFS Applications 10. The implemented modules included:

• IFS Manufacturing: Product BoM, shop order creation, quality control, shop floor reporting
• IFS MRP/MS: Material planning and scheduling
• IFS Distribution: Customer order management, purchasing, supplier scheduling, inventory control
• IFS Financials: AR/AP, general ledger, budgeting, cash flow, consolidation
• IFS Operational HR: Human resource management
• IFS Maintenance: Preventive and breakdown maintenance, work orders
• Taxation: Support for Excise, Service Tax, and Sales Tax

Impact

The IFS implementation had a transformative impact on Fortuna’s operations:

• Enhanced traceability and accountability across the value chain
• Real-time access to critical data for faster and more informed decision-making
• Significant productivity improvements and reduction in data redundancy
• Optimized inventory levels, leading to better cash flow visibility and control
• Improved ease of use, making it easier for teams to adopt and benefit from the system