Avaya IP Telephony Solution Helps Vitro Improve Communications for 7,000 Employees throughout Mexico

With more than 3,000 IP phones, it is one of the largest IP Telephony implementations in the country

16-Aug-2006 - MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Vitro, a leading glass manufacturing company based in Monterrey, Mexico, has dramatically improved the communication capabilities of its offices throughout Mexico using an IP telephony solution from Avaya (NYSE: AV). The system from Avaya, a leading global provider of communications applications, systems and services for businesses, gives Vitro and its employees increased responsiveness to customers and control over communications.

The new Avaya IP solution uses Intelligent Communications to enable employees at all Vitro locations throughout Mexico to call each other by just dialing a four-digit extension. Unified Communications allows users to receive voice messages in their e-mail inbox, and a unified telephone directory for all the Vitro’s companies lets employees access contact information directly from their IP phone.

Vitro executives who travel frequently can now enjoy the benefits of Avaya IP Softphone, which turns their laptops into an extension of their office phone. Users can make and receive calls on their laptop, as if they were in the office. In addition, the IP solution has greatly improved network administration by making the setup, management and removal of extensions and voice mail throughout the network, fast and easy. These ’adds, moves and changes,’ which previously could take days, can now be done in minutes.

“The Avaya solution has given employees control over their communications which has made us more accessible to our customers and each other, and more productive, due to extension phone portability inside Vitro in any network port, and outside facilities through the Softphone”, said Luis Molina, Planning & Operations Infrastructure Technology manager for Vitro. “We are also seeing tangible business benefits through more efficient management of our technology through our communications systems.”

Among the challenges Vitro faced prior to implementing the Avaya solution were high communications costs due to a lack of centralized management of different switches from multiple vendors, outdated equipment, and separate networks for voice and data all of which resulted in high network support and maintenance costs. The company needed to find a solution that would standardize communications in all its branch offices throughout Mexico and help improve the productivity of employees.

“One of the main costs that we eliminated was double infrastructure costs, one for data and the other for voice. With the Avaya IP telephony solution we just require one, getting rid of extra costs,” said Luis Molina. “We standardized the system across the organization making support easier.”

Vitro’s Technology Committee, a group responsible for selecting the best technology based on the company’s needs, evaluated solutions from different vendors and conducted detailed tests on various systems. After careful analysis, the committee decided on an Avaya IP Telephony solution that included more than 3,000 Avaya 4610 and 4620 IP phones.

The phones run on an Avaya S8710 Media Server, which processes multimedia applications such as call distribution, On-demand fax and programs for automatic response to e-mail; and a G700 Media Gateway that acts as a network access point and a SIP Server to start, edit or terminate sessions for users of applications such as: mail, voice, video, and instant messaging. The new Avaya IP solution which uses Intelligent Communications has enabled Vitro to implement technology for the future, and the possibility to integrate technology for institutional applications as SAP with communications applications.

Enrique Villegas, Marketing Manager for Avaya Mexico, adds: “Vitro is at the forefront of using communications for competitive advantage. 7,000 employees are using 3,000 IP phones and Intelligent Communications solutions to get closer to their customers and business partners, to be aware of their specific needs and provide them with a timely, appropriate response. With the Avaya solution, now Vitro has a state-of-the-art communications with the biggest telephony network in the country.”

About Avaya
Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than one million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®. Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet Protocol telephony systems and communications software applications and services.

Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business applications - and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services - Avaya helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior business results. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.com

About Vitro
Vitro, S.A. de C.V. (NYSE: VTO; BMV: VITROA), through its subsidiary companies, is one of the world’s leading glass producers. Vitro is a major participant in two principal businesses: flat glass and glass containers. Its subsidiaries serve multiple product markets, including construction and automotive glass; food and beverage, wine, liquor, cosmetics and pharmaceutical glass containers. Vitro also produces raw materials and equipment and capital goods for industrial use, which are vertically integrated in the Glass Containers business unit. Founded in 1909 in Monterrey, Mexico-based Vitro has joint ventures with major world-class partners and industry leaders that provide its subsidiaries with access to international markets, distribution channels and state-of-the-art technology. Vitro’s subsidiaries have facilities and distribution centers in eight countries, located in North, Central and South America, and Europe, and export to more than 70 countries worldwide. For further information, please visit our website at: http://www.vitro.com

Contact Information

Allesandra DeSantillana

Media Relations

Avaya Inc.

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