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Overview
For its next-generation Xbox360 video game system, Microsoft faced more complex manufacturing requirements than it saw with the original Xbox console. It also faced a need to speed production and reduce inventory costs compared to the performance of its earlier, EDI-based supply-chain solution. To provide full, real-time visibility into the supply chain for the product’s graphics chips, Microsoft created an integrated business process automation solution based on Microsoft Windows Server System™ integrated server software components, including BizTalk Server and the BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet. As a result, the company expects to speed on-time deliveries by 20 percent and reduce inventories by 10 percent. Those gains, plus increased productivity of manufacturing and IT staffs, will help deliver a first-year ROI of 126 percent. Developing the solution was 50 percent faster and more cost-effective than using EDI, saving six months off the development schedule.
