Clarkston-Potomac Molds New Business Processes for Leading Aluminum Producer With Rollout of SAP R/3.DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 30, 1999-- Mid-Market firm leads ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) An integrated information system that serves all departments within an enterprise. Evolving out of the manufacturing industry, ERP implies the use of packaged software rather than proprietary software written by or for one customer. integration for leading producer of aluminum and alloyed castings, optimizing process industry functions with the R/3 PP-PI Application Clarkston-Potomac, a mid-market strategic and IT consulting firm Noun 1. consulting firm - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting company business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a , announced today that is has helped a leading producer of aluminum and alloyed casting products complete a rapid implementation of the SAP(TM) R/3(R) (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : SAP) enterprise business solution. The implementation included innovative solutions using the R/3 Production Planning Production planning The function of a manufacturing enterprise responsible for the efficient planning, scheduling, and coordination of all production activities. for Process Industries application to meet the unique needs of the manufacturer's operations. Clarkston-Potomac, a SAP National Implementation Partner, TeamSAP(TM) member and recipient of the SAP America, Inc., Award of Excellence, again demonstrated its understanding of middle-market issues and unique process industry requirements. The implementation took place over a six-month period, following a three-week assessment and Business Blueprint blueprint, white-on-blue photographic print, commonly of a working drawing used during building or manufacturing. The plan is first drawn to scale on a special paper or tracing cloth through which light can penetrate. defining the project scope and focus. Objectives for the conversion to SAP R/3 included improved business and operations planning, increased flexibility for competitive advantage, and the elimination of Y2K See Y2K problem and Y2K compliant. Y2K - Year 2000 concerns associated with the company's previous VAX (Virtual Address eXtension) A venerable family of 32-bit computers from HP (via Digital and Compaq) introduced in 1977 with the VAX-11/780. VAX models ranged from desktop units to mainframes all running the same VMS operating system, and VAXes could emulate PDP models system. The client also sought to end its partial dependence on host systems operated by its parent organization. "Our goal was to deliver a fully integrated approach to managing the production and quality of aluminum products using proven SAP R/3 components," said Art Guin, project manager at Clarkston-Potomac. "By moving data and processes from multiple, isolated systems to an enterprise-wide solution, our client will recognize streamlined activities and other efficiencies that impact the bottom line." Clarkston-Potomac helped its client implement the Sales & Distribution, Materials Management Materials management is the branch of logistics that deals with the tangible components of a supply chain. Specifically, this covers the acquisition of spare parts and replacements, quality control of purchasing and ordering such parts, and the standards involved in ordering, , Financials, Controlling, Production Planning for Process Industries (PP-PI), Plant Maintenance and Quality Management components. The firm managed the project from the client's domestic site and supported technical development from Clarkston-Potomac's offshore facility in India. SAP provided an additional specialist to support the effort. An interface was developed to feed data from a device that analyzes the composition and purity of metals directly into the SAP R/3 solution. The "go live" date was May 31, 1999. Clarkston-Potomac used both AcceleratedSAP(TM) and its own ValuePath(TM) methodologies to complete the project on-time and on-budget. AcceleratedSAP delivers a phased approach that encompasses concept and design, system construction and configuration, installation and integration, testing, and end-user training targeted to SAP stakeholders Stakeholders All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government. and champions. ValuePath supplemented the project with additional focus on knowledge transfer to the internal project team and change management initiatives. The SAP PP-PI application was recommended to help manage resource, recipe and process planning. PP-PI is becoming increasingly popular with process manufacturers as a way to make production more efficient and improve quality control. "SAP PP-PI serves as an excellent integration point for businesses to exchange manufacturing-related information between R/3 and manufacturing systems and devices," said Richard Crossan, SAP Plant Centric Solution Architect. "The R/3 and shop-floor knowledge of companies like Clarkston-Potomac brings the mixture of skills necessary to successfully integrate R/3 with manufacturing operations Manufacturing operations concern the operation of a facility, as opposed to maintenance, supply and distribution, health, and safety, emergency response, human resources, security, information technology and other infrastructural support organizations. . The role filled by Clarkston-Potomac embodies the spirit of the SAP Plant Centric strategy." About Clarkston-Potomac Clarkston-Potomac (www.clarkstonpotomac.com) is a global business and technology consulting firm that serves companies across a diverse mix of industries. Ranked by Inc. magazine as one of 500 fastest-growing U.S. companies, the firm combines the expertise of a larger consulting organization with the agility of a smaller one to deliver high-value services scaled to the middle market. Offerings include strategic business and IT planning, process management, enterprise-wide solutions, front office solutions, supply chain solutions, application integration, e-commerce, training and change management. All services are delivered through a proven methodology designed to facilitate rapid results. Established in 1991 by former Big 6 consultants, the firm's global headquarters is in Research Triangle Park Research Triangle Park, research, business, medical, and educational complex situated in central North Carolina. It has an area of 6,900 acres (2,795 hectares) and is 8 × 2 mi (13 × 3 km) in size. Named for the triangle formed by Duke Univ. , N.C., along with its highly regarded Training and Technology Center. NOTE TO EDITORS: SAP, R/3, TeamSAP, AcceleratedSAP and all SAP product and service names referenced herein are trademarks or registered of SAP AG (company) SAP AG - (Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung - German for "Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing") A company from Germany that sells the leading suite of client-server business software. The US branch is called SAP America. .Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners |
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