Celestica Asia is one of the region's leading contract manufacturers, producing a range of sophisticated electronic products for customers in the US and Europe. Its customers? include industry leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), primarily in the computer and communications sectors.

SAP R/3 - A choice for the future

With operations spanning across different countries, Celestica is looking for an integrated system that can provide real-time access to information, reduce time-to-market as well as improve the overall efficiency of its information infrastructure. After careful evaluation of the leading vendors on the market, Celestica concluded that SAP's R/3 was mission-matched to its unique business requirements.

"To succeed in this volatile business environment, we have to rely on an integrated business intelligence solution that enables us to respond quickly to changes in the marketplace. The R/3 system fit our requirements precisely, letting us seize market opportunities nimbly."

TeamSAP - A working model for customer

SAP's implementation team and that of its local integration partner, Oasis Systems, worked closely with Celestica's project team in gathering information on users requirements and developing optimized solution to meet business needs.

Changing the face of business

The implementation of R/3 has definitely changed the business by providing Celestica's management with access to consistent real-time information across the entire enterprise as well as offering enhanced reliability.

For example, the company used to have a very segmented database. Today, staff can instantaneously look at any piece of information about Celestica's operations anywhere in the world and the data is as up-to-date as the last entry, which might have been made only a few seconds ago. "SAP R/3 lets us benefit from company-wide synergies. With real-time information at our fingertips, we have much more competitive advantages than before."

Before the introduction of R/3, one of the company's biggest loopholes in the operation process was shipping product without being able to tie to a specific customer order. Now, thanks to the controls built-in to the R/3 system, the problem is solved and the only way Celestica can ship product is that the shipment needs to be tied to a customer order. From there, it triggers the MRP run.

R/3 boosts bottom line

Since Celestica implemented R/3, the company's revenues have jumped significantly.

The reasons are not hard to find. Faster and easier access to information have definitely put Celestica in a position to better exploit its inherent potential, partly through empowering employees at every level by harnessing R/3's delegation capabilities.

For instance, since everything is now tracked so accurately by R/3, the company has been able to expedite the PO authorization process by 10-fold -- speeding up the materials procurement process and accelerating production.

"Going for R/3 is not simply to buy an IT tool -- it was a major corporate decision to support our company's business expansion and we see R/3 as the strategic tool possessing the ability to grow with us" Schlief concluded.