Welch’s Deploys Oracle E-Business Suite to Enable Enterprise-Wide Visibility

Consumer Product Leader Invests in Oracle to Better Manage Global Supply and Demand.

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., 07-FEB-2006, Oracle today announced that Welch’s, the world’s leading producer of juice, jam and jelly products made from Concord and Niagara grapes, is streamlining its business processes with the Oracle(r) E-Business Suite to enable it to compete more profitably in the global market. Welch’s selected Oracle to support its goal of making better decisions surrounding product mix and production and to more efficiently market its offerings in light of emerging dietary trends and volatile supply and demand.

During its past growth, Welch’s one-off information technology (IT) strategy led to a highly customized and fragile infrastructure that was limited in scalability and manageability. Additionally, Welch’s legacy systems did not provide executives with enterprise-wide visibility across the company’s lines of business, including customers and suppliers. After evaluating several leading vendors, including SAP, Welch’s invested in the Oracle E-Business Suite to help it consolidate and standardize operations, from the front office through distribution. Executives from Welch’s realized that relying on a single business platform would allow the company to better connect and automate end-to-end business processes and provide the insight to identify the impact of change on the organization’s performance.

“Our new Oracle investment will help us to consolidate many duplicate systems and processes into a single, consistent platform that can support future growth. Previously, we had an infrastructure that we could not upgrade, and now we are creating a service-oriented architecture that will enable us to integrate seamlessly with our customers and suppliers,” said Welch’s Information Services Vice President and CIO Larry Rencken. “Already it’s clear that Oracle gives our daily users and executives better intelligence to manage our lines of business and improve overall performance.”

Welch’s began its Oracle E-Business Suite implementation in late 2004, rolling out Oracle Financial Management and Oracle Human Resources Management System. Working with Oracle Consulting and Rapidigm, Inc., the consumer goods leader has also begun implementing Oracle’s manufacturing, supply chain management and order management modules.

Implementation Yields Immediate Benefits
Welch’s has already seen benefits resulting from its Oracle implementation. Using Oracle Financials, the organization can now close its books faster for a more accurate and comprehensive snapshot of its financial position. Leveraging Oracle’s self-service Human Resources (HR) applications, Welch’s conducted open enrollment for benefits online for the first time in late 2005. The new HR system, based on Oracle Advanced Benefits, enabled the company to complete the enrollment process in just two weeks.

More than half way through its Oracle implementation, Welch’s has not customized the applications, which has allowed the company to accelerate the roll out of its new system and which will enable Welch’s to optimize IT management costs moving forward.

As Welch’s continues to deploy Oracle applications, executives plan to standardize and automate production processes, enabling the enterprise to more efficiently deliver customized products and packaging to customers. Welch’s also plans to roll out Oracle’s supply chain planning applications to improve inventory management. These capabilities will help further the company’s goal of optimizing inventory levels and ensuring that products are available and stocked to meet changing consumer demand.

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Jessica Epple

Oracle

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