SMART Technologies Standardizes on the Oracle® E-Business Suite Release 12

Interactive Display Leader Increases Order Productivity by 25 Percent With Oracle Applications

Redwood Shores, CA.-SMART Technologies, the global leader in the interactive whiteboard product category, has standardized on the Oracle® E-Business Suite Release 12 to establish a solid foundation for financial management, streamline its global supply chain and find and retain staff, Oracle today announced.
SMART, which creates innovative collaboration tools for education and business customers around the world, needed a full-featured ERP solution to scale with the company, which has sustained a compound annual growth rate of 37 percent for the past ten years.
SMART chose the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 because it provided strong functionality and a solid foundation for meeting the company’s business needs today, along with the scalability and flexibility to adapt as business requirements change in the future.
Oracle integrates several processes across SMART’s enterprise and replaces legacy systems for financial management, warehouse management, order processing, supply chain management and manufacturing that lacked the functionality and scalability to support the company’s rapid growth.
With the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12, SMART has reduced costs and improved productivity by streamlining core business processes.
Strong Solution Drives ROI Across Business
SMART’s implementation of the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 supports SMART’s global operations.
SMART approached the transformation of its technology infrastructure in two phases. The first phase, which started in November 2007 and was completed in April 2008, consisted of Oracle Financial Management, Oracle Purchasing, Oracle Order Management, Oracle Warehouse Management and Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition.
Kicked off in August 2008 and scheduled for completion in 2009, phase two consists of Oracle Advanced Supply Chain Planning, Oracle Inventory Management and Oracle Discrete Manufacturing.
By implementing the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12, SMART received the following tangible benefits:
More Efficient Order Management – The Oracle E-Business Suite has greatly enhanced order processing and management as it now integrates with all systems related to order to cash allowing for better throughput and increased efficiencies. With better management over complex pricing structures SMART has been able to process 25 percent more orders during its peak sales period than the previous peak period, without adding extra staff. The company is aiming to provide full online ordering to its resellers around the world to further streamline order entry in the next 12 months.
Improved Control and Tracking – Using the procurement functionality, SMART is able to automate the tracking and control of parts and material orders. SMART also enjoys greatly improved visibility on orders allowing more efficient use of resources.
Streamlined Distribution – With improved inventory management SMART has increased distribution effectiveness. Shipments are picked and loaded and leave the distribution center more quickly and with a lower error rate. The result is lower cost per shipment and improved customer satisfaction.
Consolidated Financial Management and Improved Visibility – Before using Oracle Financial Management, SMART’s financial data was siloed in a standalone solution that didn’t provide the level of detail needed to run a rapidly expanding operation. Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 provides improved visibility into key financial data to manage current budgets and future financial requirements.
Supporting Quote
“As a rapidly growing company, we needed a powerful, enterprise-class solution to ensure we deliver the right product to the right marketplace at the right time,” said Mike Battistel, SMART’s Vice President, Information Systems. “The superior functionality and scalability of the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 provides a standard enterprise platform that we can rely on today and as the phased implementations are completed, we will see additional business value in the future.”