Plantronics Standardizes Global Operations on Oracle Applications

Sound Innovation Pioneer Successfully Integrates Altec Lansing on Oracle E-Business Suite for Improved Global Visibility and Financial and Supply Chain Efficiency
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., 04-DEC-2006 05:00 AM Oracle today announced that Plantronics, a world leader in communication and entertainment headsets, has successfully completed the initial integration of Altec Lansing, acquired by Plantronics in 2005, on the Oracle(r) E-Business Suite to help streamline global operations and support its rapidly growing business.

Oracle has had a business relationship with Plantronics for more than a decade. Prior to its Oracle implementation, Plantronics’ operations were strained by increased business volume and a mix of legacy systems that were no longer capable of supporting the company’s growth. As Plantronics prepared to push into new markets and regions through acquisitions and organic growth, it realized the need for applications that would provide greater visibility and control around financial reporting and supply chain operations and enable newly acquired companies to be quickly incorporated.

When Plantronics purchased Altec Lansing in August 2005, it immediately recognized the need to have both companies standardized on a single instance of the Oracle E-Business Suite. Working closely with Oracle, Plantronics deployed Oracle Financial Management, Oracle Human Resources Management System and Oracle Supply Chain Management across Altec Lansing’s offices and manufacturing facilities. Plantronics and Altec Lansing now have visibility into real-time financial and supply chain operations for improved business efficiency and intelligence.

Oracle Financial Management has allowed Plantronics to tighten controls around financial operations and reduce the time needed to close the books. And now with Altec Lansing utilizing the Oracle E-Business Suite, Plantronics is better equipped to fulfill Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and audit requirements by providing clear, auditable process documentation. The company’s interactions with external auditors have also been simplified.

“We get a great deal of value and cost savings out of the Oracle system,” said Plantronics Vice President of Finance and Worldwide Corporate Controller Susan Fox. “The external auditors we work with have experience using the Oracle E-Business Suite and have developed proven methodologies for testing and verification. That expertise allows us to reap the benefits of economies of scale and avoid the process of educating auditors on the nuances of our system.”

By relying on Oracle Supply Chain Management, Plantronics has streamlined purchasing, improved supplier utilization and eliminated duplicate purchase orders. Capabilities in Oracle iProcurement allow users to create a series of requisitions and automated alerts notifying managers of corporate policy violations. Improved supply chain visibility and real-time reporting has become particularly valuable as the company expands its business to new markets and various regions outside of the U.S., including Europe, Mexico and Asia.

Oracle Insight Program Fuels Business Improvements
Plantronics recently partnered with Oracle’s Insight Program, an Oracle program that helps companies evaluate their business, objectives and operations for areas of improvement. Together, Plantronics and Oracle Insight are identifying additional Oracle applications that will both support and facilitate business growth based on best practices included in the software.

About Oracle
Oracle (NasdaqGS: ORCL) is the world’s largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

Trademarks
Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, and Siebel are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information

Jessica Epple

Oracle

Contact via E-mail