Headquartered in the Midwest but with locations around the
world, this company is one of the largest producers of industrial
and value-added sand in North America. Their products are used
in various industries including oil and natural gas extraction,
building and construction, water treatment, glassmaking, and
recreation. In order to keep their thriving business up to date,
this company engaged Briteskies, an Oracle Gold Partner, for a
JD Edwards World ERP upgrade from A7.3 to A9.3.
The primary reason for upgrading was to maintain Premier Oracle/JD Edwards support level. Oracle support for A7.3 ended in 2013, and the client recognized that maintaining this level of support was critical to its ongoing operational and compliance requirements. The client also understood the benefits to its operations resulting from implementing the latest features and functionality provided by upgrading to A9.3.
While the technical aspects of this project were fairly typical for this type of project, the surrounding business environment created several risks to an uneventful go live. The client had two other major initiatives occurring at the same time as the upgrade. One, a major acquisition closed in the middle of the upgrade project schedule, significantly increasing the number of facilities the company was operating. These new facilities were not on JD Edwards and did not follow the same business processes as the new parent company. The other obstacle was that the logistics management software that controlled receiving, shipping, and transportation at distribution facilities was being
replaced.
The upgraded system went live with no disruption to everyday business processes and with no interruption in services after go-live weekend even with the acquisition and replacement of key logistics management thrown into the mix.
Thanks in part to the new JDE World A9.3 functionality, the client was able to reduce the number of modifications to the system. Additional new functionality available to the client included easier data import and export, new batch processes to replace interactive ones, and interface enhancements that together provide a strong foundation for growth. Along with providing the client with the functionality desired on time and without incident, the project was completed at approximately 80% of the budget.
Along with providing the client with the functionality desired on time and without incident, the project was completed at approximately 80% of the budget.
The upgrade project followed Briteskies’ standard methodology for a JDE World upgrade.
“Both we and the client were concerned about the increased risks the acquisition and the logistics project brought to the
upgrade. But our strong partnership with the client’s internal teams kept communications open, so we were always aware
of where the other projects stood. In the end, go-live was executed smoothly because the team was able to plan around the risks.”
- Dave Balser, Delivery Director
Contact us for additional information about how we can get your project off the ground.
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