Spurred by the need to improve their competitiveness both locally and internationally as well as to streamline their business processes, the Batecor Group has standardised on Oracle Applications throughout its operating companies. Disparate legacy systems were making it difficult to provide the desired high level of customer service as well as to produce consolidated group accounts on time. The introduction of Oracle systems will not only allow the provision of world class customer service but will also reduce by 75% the time it takes to produce management accounts-which will speed up the decision-making process. Fraser Russell, Batecor Director and Project Executive Owner, comments that Batecor is focusing on how to improve its current competitiveness and how to ensure its competitiveness into the twenty first century. "Batecor is following a revolutionary rather than evolutionary strategy aimed at maximising the benefits gained from implementing such a system. Oracle is being used as an enabler of our business transformation" According to Ron Pienaar, practice manager for business and change management at Oracle, Batecor took the more courageous, but ultimately more effective route to software implementation. "The company wanted a standard platform across all the operating companies, and it realised that a standard software platform would also mean standard business processes. "Batecor took the approach that the software has best industry practices built into it, and elected to re-define its processes to match the software." This had the dual benefit of reducing customisation-thereby saving costs-and automatically improving Batecor`s processes. "Rather than install the software and hold thumbs that people would make it work, Batecor first implemented a business process improvement and change management process." One of Batecor`s selection criteria was that Oracle itself has the skills and capacity to improve the company`s business processes. Oracle`s software is not only extremely scaleable but can also intergrated with bespoke applications that the company has developed over the years. The smallest company in the Batecor Group has only five users the largest over fifty. The first operational company to go live will be Bateman Process Equipment along with the group accounting function. The software will be installed with the ability to consolidate all the way to group level. The initial implementation is being undertaken by a joint Oracle/Batecor team with the rollout to the balance of the group by the Batecor Team.
Share
Editorial contacts