Walki Group adopts Fujitsu’s managed service model to build an international IT environment

Industrial wrapping producer Walki Group Oy and ICT services company Fujitsu Services Oy have signed an IT partnership agreement whereby Fujitsu with its Patja managed service model, will assume the responsibility for Walki’s IT infrastructure. In addition, Fujitsu will implement a SAP system for Walki’s financial management.

Walki’s Patja service will incorporate the availability, maintenance and management services as well as communications for all in all some 550 desktops and 20 servers. In addition to Valkeakoski and Pietarsaari in Finland, the service will cover all Walki offices in Sweden, Germany, the U.K. and China. The agreement also includes Mobile Professional push-mail services, application maintenance services and hardware product services.

“Patja is a full-fledged service model with a clear pricing policy, being the best option for our needs at this point. It is a modern concept which is clearly designed for current and also future requirements, offering us a solid ground on which to achieve our growth objectives. Patja also seems to be flexibly scalable to our needs,” says IT Manager John Aspnäs of Walki Group.

Helpdesk services will be provided to the Walki personnel on a 24/7 basis.

"Helpdesk of an international industrial firm has to be available at all times, as our production never stops, either. Fujitsu’s international scope was an important criterion for us. Our strongest growth area is Asia which means that our IT supplier will have to be able to provide a wide range of services in that part of the world as well,” says Finance and Administration Director Timo Finnström of Walki.

Walki separated from UPM in June 2007 to become an independent company. The IT services of the former parent company will be used over a transition period, after which a new IT environment will be built from a clean slate.

The Walki Group Patja project has already been kicked off with installation of a server environment and communications network. Desktop installation will be started in November-December and the actual Patja service will be launched in January 2008. The SAP project is also under way. The new financial management system will be up and running by next spring.