The structure SAP [software] gave us really helped kick our aftermarket parts and service business into high gear. Jim Jacobson, Director of Information Technology and System Software, Universal Instruments
Universal Instruments is one of the worlds leading electronics productivity specialists, providing innovative circuit, semiconductor, and back-end assembly technologies as well as equipment, integrated system solutions, and process expertise to manufacturers in every sector of the global electronics industry. Universal Instruments is a global company with approximately 1,200 employees; manufacturing facilities in Shekou, China and Binghamton, N.Y.; and offices in 21 countries. But it wasnt always that way.
In the 1990s, things changed for us fairly rapidly, says Jim Jacobson, director of information technology and system software at Universal. In a matter of two quarters, our business was in China. We became a global company.
But there was a problem. The company didnt have the processes to sustain its new business model. Expansion and acquisition resulted in an amalgamation of systems and processes that failed to scale in a way that could accommodate the companys emphasis on business agility in a global market.
In the mid-1990s, Universal decided that something needed to change. Thats when we took a look at SAP, says Jacobson. Basically, we decided to scrap our legacy environment all together and go with a single-instance, global rollout of SAP software using standard, out-of-the-box best practices to manage our business.
Consolidation and Scalability
In 1997, Universal Instruments completed its implementation, installing SAP software for enterprise resource planning (ERP), financials and controlling, inventory management, human resources, and other core aspects of the business. This gave us three things, says Jacobson. It gave us a single platform for the entire organization, consistent processes for managing our core business, and the ability to consolidate financially. Today, every nickel that flows through the company goes through our SAP software. This has helped us cut our monthly reporting time by more than half. And we can do amazing things with the numbers analyzing information across regions, customers, and product mixes. This just wasnt possible before at least not with any degree of efficiency.
The SAP implementation also gave the company the agility and responsiveness it required to succeed in the fast-paced, rapidly changing global market. The scale happened, as Jacobson puts it. Whenever its been necessary, weve been able to scale the business using standard SAP functionality.
Take, for example, the companys new plan to establish facilities in Brazil. Things have heated up there and we need a presence, says Jacobson. Itll take about 30 days to be up and running, but its no big deal for us now because our business processes are no longer an impediment.
Universal Instruments is one of the worlds leading electronics productivity specialists, providing innovative circuit, semiconductor, and back-end assembly technologies as well as equipment, integrated system solutions, and process expertise to manufacturers in every sector of the global electronics industry. Universal Instruments is a global company with approximately 1,200 employees; manufacturing facilities in Shekou, China and Binghamton, N.Y.; and offices in 21 countries. But it wasnt always that way.
In the 1990s, things changed for us fairly rapidly, says Jim Jacobson, director of information technology and system software at Universal. In a matter of two quarters, our business was in China. We became a global company.
But there was a problem. The company didnt have the processes to sustain its new business model. Expansion and acquisition resulted in an amalgamation of systems and processes that failed to scale in a way that could accommodate the companys emphasis on business agility in a global market.
In the mid-1990s, Universal decided that something needed to change. Thats when we took a look at SAP, says Jacobson. Basically, we decided to scrap our legacy environment all together and go with a single-instance, global rollout of SAP software using standard, out-of-the-box best practices to manage our business.
Consolidation and Scalability
In 1997, Universal Instruments completed its implementation, installing SAP software for enterprise resource planning (ERP), financials and controlling, inventory management, human resources, and other core aspects of the business. This gave us three things, says Jacobson. It gave us a single platform for the entire organization, consistent processes for managing our core business, and the ability to consolidate financially. Today, every nickel that flows through the company goes through our SAP software. This has helped us cut our monthly reporting time by more than half. And we can do amazing things with the numbers analyzing information across regions, customers, and product mixes. This just wasnt possible before at least not with any degree of efficiency.
The SAP implementation also gave the company the agility and responsiveness it required to succeed in the fast-paced, rapidly changing global market. The scale happened, as Jacobson puts it. Whenever its been necessary, weve been able to scale the business using standard SAP functionality.
Take, for example, the companys new plan to establish facilities in Brazil. Things have heated up there and we need a presence, says Jacobson. Itll take about 30 days to be up and running, but its no big deal for us now because our business processes are no longer an impediment.
No comments:
Post a Comment