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For a manufacturing company, cost-efficient supply chain
management is key to achieving business goals and objectives.
And that’s why V & M do Brasil S.A., a producer of steel tubes
designed for all applications, decided to restructure its supply
chain and adopt new IT. The systems it had been using were not
integrated, and the company was unable to identify its most
profitable clients. With help from the SAP Education organization,
V & M do Brasil implemented the SAP Advanced Planning
& Optimization (SAP APO) component, which is found in the
SAP Supply Chain Management (SAP SCM) solution, and turned itself
around.
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This was a very ambitious project because it
involved all aspects of the supply chain and a full
range of functionality. And for this reason, we
solicited the help of SAP Education. |
José Fernando Naves,
Supply Chain Implementation Manager, V & M do Brasil S.A. |
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V & M do Brasil – part of the global company Vallourec &
Mannesmann Tubes (V & M Tubes) headquartered in Boulogne,
France – has 5,000 employees and produces around 500,000 tons
of seamless hot-rolled tubes each year. The Belo Horizonte,
Brazil–based V & M do Brasil began its relationship with SAP in
1999 with the implementation of SAP software for enterprise
resource planning. It subsequently realized it needed to further
enhance its supply chain.
“We were sure that there had to be a way to use our productive
resources to get the best economical results, and we knew we
had to improve our supply chain efficiencies,” explains José
Fernando Naves, supply chain implementation manager with
V & M do Brasil.
“We began to research possibilities in 2004 and decided on SAP
Advanced Planning & Optimization,” says Naves. “SAP knows
our company and was able to meet our business requirements.
Just as importantly, the SAP software could be easily integrated
into our existing system.
Education for a Successful Implementation
However, the company soon realized that the implementation
would not be without challenges. “This was a very ambitious
project because it involved all aspects of the supply chain and a
full range of functionality. And for this reason, we solicited the
help of SAP Education,” says Naves.
“From the start, we worked with SAP Education to train key
users as well as employees involved in the implementation,” he
continues. “Early training was key to meeting our schedule and
objectives in the short time we had to complete the project.”
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Early training was key to meeting our
schedule and objectives in the short
time we had to complete the project. |
José Fernando Naves,
Supply Chain Implementation Manager, V & M do Brasil S.A. |
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What’s more, Naves notes that the services provided by SAP
Education helped smooth the transition from the existing
technology environment to the new component. In addition,
he says that SAP Education ensured knowledge transfer and
helped maximize time to value.
Since the beginning of the SAP APO implementation, SAP
Education – which is a part of SAP Services – has trained
64 employees.
Naves comments, “Thus far we are on schedule and expect to
achieve a more cost-efficient supply chain.” By the end of the
12 months, around 100 direct users will be taking advantage of
the system.
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