Process Manufacturing: Customer Stories

The Track and Trace Solutions Department of 3M, a Fortune 500 company, provides radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions. One such solution is the 3M™ RFID System, which is used by nearly 1,000 libraries and other facilities. To ensure customers can easily transition to and quickly benefit from the Windows® 7 operating system, 3M recently migrated its library RFID applications from Windows Vista® to run on Windows 7. The applications have nearly 2 million lines of code, yet it took just two days to verify the migration results—and no modifications to the applications were needed. As a result, 3M has noted enhanced security and reliability, and application performance improvements of up to 30 percent. Library patrons and staff should realize enhanced ease of use and productivity, strong support services, and simple deployments.

A recognized world leader in technology research and development, 3M wanted to make its decades of expertise in the workings of the human visual system available as a service to customers. Using the Windows Azure™ platform , 3M created a Web-based application that gives designers the ability to invoke complex algorithms to analyze the effectiveness of a design, based on how the human eye will respond. By hosting its application in Microsoft® data centers, 3M has made an innovative service available to a global audience, while minimizing its investment in hardware infrastructure and ongoing administration. The solution, which permitted developers to evaluate frequent iterations of the application, helped the company speed time-to-market for its service and achieve higher quality results, faster than in a traditional development environment.

Affymetrix, a pioneer in DNA analysis technology, needed a document management system that could accommodate its continued growth while meeting strict government regulations. It found that solution by migrating from Documentum to Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007. The new system has a projected payback in 10 months. Search time has been cut by 33 percent, and the solution provides long-term scalability.

Arch Chemicals is a global biocides company with manufacturing and customer support facilities worldwide. Due to its diverse portfolio of businesses, the company needed a better way to manage and analyze its sales force and customer service. Through the flexibility and simple integration of Microsoft Dynamics® CRM business software with its existing systems, Arch Chemicals is increasing sales productivity and customer service performance while gaining valuable insight into its business data.

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), a global agricultural processing firm based in Illinois, transforms crops such as corn and wheat into food and agriculturally derived fuels and chemicals. Recently, the firm sought to improve its online customer experience by creating a more engaging Web site. As part of this initiative, the company wanted to shift content management duties from IT to customer and product experts in each business unit. Working with Microsoft and IT consultant Avanade, a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner, ADM implemented a new Web solution based on Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007. The new site offers customers a more effective online experience. Also, the ADM Corporate Communications team can more easily update the site. The company has been able to redeploy IT staff formerly responsible for maintaining the site to higher-value business application projects.

BASF IT Services supports networks and computers for nearly 60,000 users worldwide. The company followed an expensive certification process to ensure flawless operation of the applications it makes available—but the careful certification process was delaying the delivery of applications. BASF IT Services needed a way to shorten application deployment time while still keeping certification at the same high level of quality. The IT service provider found a solution in software virtualization technology. Microsoft® SoftGrid® Application Virtualization accelerates the certification process and reduces overhead considerably by delivering applications to customer PCs dynamically. Virtualization is invisible to users, who receive their new applications and updates sooner than before and can remain confident that the new software is compatible with their existing applications.

Chugai Pharmaceutical sought a software virtualization solution to provide more efficient delivery of applications, while simplifying management of more than 7,000 PCs. By deploying Microsoft Application Virtualization, together with the Windows Vista Enterprise operating system and Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, the company has reduced its total number of managed applications by 66 percent and tightened control of IT assets.

Adhesives manufacturer Crespel & Deiters GmbH & Co. KG implemented Microsoft Dynamics® NAV to make operations more efficient and simplify its IT environment, which previously comprised several disjointed systems. Recently, the company upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 under the Technology Adoption Program. As part of the implementation, Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Tectura AG deployed the solution together with its process manufacturing solution. Crespel & Deiters gained the ability to capitalize on opportunities for business efficiencies throughout the organization and further streamlined its IT environment by closely integrating the solution with applications in the Microsoft Office system. Today, Crespel & Deiters owns an efficient business infrastructure that lets it direct the future of the business with confidence.

Global specialty chemicals and materials company Cytec Industries develops, manufactures, and sells value-added products to markets such as aerospace, adhesives, automotive and industrial coatings, inks, and plastics. In April 2006, the company began searching for a mobile solution that would give its global work force around-the-clock access to Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2007 e-mail and calendars. To meet this need, the company standardized on Windows Mobile® phones and smartphones. The solution gives Cytec employees anytime, anywhere access to e-mail and calendars, and it improves time management. In the future, the solution will also help Cytec to offer superior customer service by providing remote access to internal Cytec applications, such as customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning applications.

Silicone manufacturer Dow Corning needed a scalable, flexible platform to support asset visibility within the supply chain. It now has that, thanks in part to Microsoft BizTalk Server RFID. A pilot deployment of the tool has reduced delivery windows by 97 percent, to 20 minutes, and has reduced costs by U.S.$450,000. With a faster, cheaper, and more accurate process, trailer tracking and inventory accuracy have improved, and trailer asset utilization has increased.

Dow Corning needed to make it easy for employees to share information while following the company’s information protection policies, which dictate how intellectual property must be protected.

Specialty chemical manufacturer Dow Corning wanted to provide employees with the messaging and collaboration tools they need to quickly bring new products to market, while improving the security of company data. Dow Corning deployed Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, expanding on the infrastructure already put in place with an Active Directory Rights Management Services solution. Its globally dispersed employees rely on the Microsoft messaging and collaboration solutions to innovate, so the IT department chose Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 to help secure and manage these key productivity solutions. Dow Corning boosted system security from one scan engine for its servers to four and used automated reporting within System Center Operations Manager 2007 to monitor the health of its servers running Exchange Server.

Eastman Chemical Company is a global producer of chemicals, plastics, and fibers. To optimize production and increase productivity, its employees need insight into its manufacturing processes. Eastman uses a real-time data and event infrastructure from OSIsoft, a Microsoft Global Alliance partner. To enhance the value of that data, Eastman chose a business insight solution from Microsoft to analyze and share information. Together, these solutions provide dynamic visibility into manufacturing, energy use, and business data. Eastman has used these capabilities to provide insight into sustainability initiatives and enable process automation. When it upgraded to Windows 7 Enterprise and Microsoft Office 2010, 83 percent of employees reported that OSIsoft applications performed faster. With staff working more productively, Eastman estimates that it enabled more than US$5 million in productivity gains.

Eli Lilly, a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company based in Indianapolis, Indiana is developing a computer system that integrates the SQL Server 2008 database with other Microsoft collaboration tools such as Exchange and SharePoint to share critical data on a world-wide basis. The company’s IT department plays an important role in drug studies by managing mission-critical data-reporting and collaboration applications.

International Specialty Products (ISP) needed to improve the capabilities and management of its mission-critical Web site. The company attended two Microsoft® Technology Center (MTC) engagements and came away with a working prototype and a road map to chart the completion of the project. Thanks to its MTC experiences, ISP gained the insight, knowledge, and confidence needed to develop a better overall solution to meet its immediate and future needs.

As an acquisition organization tasked with building a paper and packaging company, KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation has enjoyed significant growth. While acquiring paper mills and other related operations, KapStone needed to implement an IT infrastructure that would revolve around an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and best-of-breed solutions for specific needs. To do so, KapStone engaged Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Fullscope and deployed Microsoft Dynamics AX. By taking advantage of Microsoft BizTalk Server, KapStone supports bidirectional integration between its ERP system and four other systems, including Avantis Enterprise Asset Management. With the integrated solution, KapStone has reduced costs, saving as much as U.S.$9 million on implementation costs compared to SAP; eased IT management; enabled continuous productivity improvements; and supported growth.

LyondellBasell Industries needed to meet new air-quality regulations in Southeast Texas, where its subsidiaries operate eight manufacturing plants. The global petrochemicals and polymers manufacturer opted for a flexible, Microsoft® software–based solution called VisionMonitor Compliance Intelligence (VMCI) from VisionMonitor Software, a Microsoft Certified Partner. LyondellBasell implemented the solution in just eight months. With VMCI, LyondellBasell has an environmental monitoring and management solution that empowers employees to proactively assess 12,000 data points every five minutes using a Web-based dashboard. The system is reliable, cost-effective, and adaptable to meet new regulatory and business requirements as they arise.

As a leading petrochemical manufacturer striving to retain its leadership position in an increasingly competitive market, Houston-based Lyondell needed to address the twin challenges of globalization and rising petroleum prices. Generally, employees needed more powerful communication and collaboration tools; specifically, they needed real-time feedback loops for helping to make decisions about the planning, selection, and allocation of feedstocks, the most costly item for chemical companies. IT executives addressed the problem by using Microsoft® BizTalk® Server and other Microsoft technologies to integrate manufacturing and process-control applications with upstream line-of-business applications throughout the enterprise. The anticipated results: more rapid and strategic decision making and potential savings of tens of millions of dollars yearly.

Medway Plastics is a custom injection molding and manufacturing company. As part of their cost control efforts, the company was looking for ways to improve productivity. Medway has found Microsoft Online Services and in particular Microsoft Office Live Meeting, part of the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, to be an important productivity tool for its organization. Migration to Office Live Meeting was quick and easy, and benefits began flowing immediately. For example, Medway found many cases where machine repair could be resolved quickly by remote staff, saving travel time and often as much as two days of machine downtime in each instance, which added up to a very favorable return on investment. With multiple Microsoft data centers managing its information, Medway has enjoyed a high level of security and reliability.

Monsanto, one of the world’s leading agricultural companies, takes advantage of team collaboration and ubiquitous access to corporate information in its global business processes. But aging technology was creating slow connections and frustrations for users who wanted to expedite the transfer of documents and other information. To boost productivity and bandwidth, Monsanto deployed Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007 and Cisco Wide Area Application Services. The result is that Monsanto employees have better tools for collaborating and for publishing information. In addition, use of bandwidth has been greatly improved, so people working in remote areas with limited connectivity options can experience LAN-like performance.

Changes in the chemicals used in process manufacturing, such as oil refining, can have profound effects on product quality and company revenues. Nalco wanted to overhaul the time-consuming process by which it collected the data needed to provide effective process improvement services to its customers. By integrating the PI enterprise infrastructure from OSIsoft with the Microsoft® Application Platform and its own systems, Nalco is developing a solution that can securely upload customer data over the Internet for detailed analysis and reporting. Nalco expects to boost the productivity of its technicians by freeing them to expand proactive customer support. Nalco also expects the solution to be a “game changer” for oil refineries, enabling them to increase their own revenues and profits by improving reliability and efficiency.

Nalco Company, a global provider of sustainability services, saw an opportunity to refocus sales efforts to increase revenue and serve customers better. To achieve this, Nalco launched a Commercial Excellence initiative, which included a technology update. Nalco replaced older sales management and communications software with an integrated solution that includes Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft SharePoint Server, and Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite.

NuStar Energy has grown rapidly since its founding, which has introduced greater risks to corporate information, made regulatory compliance more difficult, and increased IT work. Using Microsoft® business-ready security products, NuStar has enhanced network protection, reduced desktop computer downtime by 450 hours annually, improved compliance, and saved U.S.$200,000 annually through IT efficiencies.

The Owens-Illinois Closure and Specialty Products plant in Brookville, Pennsylvania—manufacturer of parts for specialized, multipiece closures for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and personal care products—began to see a rise in “make-to-order” jobs. That rise began to hamper its regular stock production, increasing late orders and extending lead time to eight weeks. To compensate, the plant built up an excess inventory of parts and finished products worth U.S.$5 million, which represented about 5 percent of its annual sales. The plant engaged Lead Time Technology (LTT), a Microsoft® Certified Partner, to help it address its production challenges. After implementing the LTT Enterprise suite of advanced-planning modules with Microsoft SQL Server® 2005, the Brookville plant cut excess inventory in half, increased on-time delivery, and improved planning credibility and forecasting accuracy.

With Microsoft OneNote 2010 and OneNote Web App, we will have the power to create and share information—anytime, anywhere. We expect to make better, more informed decisions—and make them more quickly.

It was taking days, sometimes weeks, for IT staff to post new product information and even minor updates to the Web site of PolyOne Corporation, a leading global manufacturer of polymer compounds and additives. Once posted, that information could be difficult to find. To better serve its customers with up-to-date, easy-to-find information, PolyOne considered RedDot and Google solutions, then chose Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007. Now, content owners can update their own areas of the site in as little as 20 seconds, ensuring that information is fresh and freeing IT staff to work on higher-value tasks. Locating information on the new site is easier for customers, with search accuracy at 98 percent, and the SharePoint site enhances internal collaboration. PolyOne also is using the multilingual capability of Office SharePoint Server 2007 to improve its international profile.

Power Service has 40 employees and is a leading manufacturer of diesel fuel additives. To manage finances and order processing, the company had in the past relied on a proprietary business management solution. To improve agility, Power Service decided to move to a solution that it could customize and support in-house and chose Microsoft Dynamics NAV. By using Microsoft Dynamics NAV as a platform, the company built out a Role Center that provides all order-processing functionality through a graphical user interface, helping to drive productivity. At the same time, Power Service has equipped itself with a solution that it can customize on its own, helping the company adapt to the changing needs of the market and maintain a competitive edge.

PPG is the world’s leading supplier of automotive, industrial and architectural finishes, with over 40,000 employees, manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates in more than 20 countries around the globe. PPG services small bodyshops, large collision centers, industrial parts and product manufacturers, fleet owners and specialty finishers.

In its ongoing efforts to improve business practices and reduce costs, PPG Industries is upgrading more than 25,000 PCs that were running the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional operating system to the Windows Vista® Enterprise operating system. In turn, the company is simplifying growth, enabling easier and security-enhanced wireless access, increasing productivity, and raising user uptime while lowering help-desk and IT costs.

RMJ Laboratories, a fast-growing cosmetics manufacturing company, needed a flexible enterprise resource planning system that could handle complex process-manufacturing requirements and scale to meet growing demand. The company previously used Sage ERP X3, formerly known as Adonix X3, but found that the system lacked critical functionality and was difficult and costly to modify. After a thorough search, company leaders opted to migrate to Microsoft Dynamics® NAV. Microsoft® Certified Partner Micro DataNet helped RMJ implement Microsoft Dynamics NAV and enhance the solution with Process Advantage, an add-on solution for Microsoft Dynamics designed specifically for process manufacturers. Now, RMJ benefits from tighter inventory management, improved quality control, and an enhanced ability to handle future growth.

A leader in in-vitro diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics manages a vast and expanding volume of molecular insights and translates it into products with high medical value for physicians and patients. Because of the complex and detailed nature of this work, Roche Diagnostics has stringent requirements for document management and storage. The company wanted to replace its existing document management system for IT projects with a new solution offering a more robust feature set. With help from Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Alegri International, Roche Diagnostics built a solution based on Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007, providing comprehensive security features, workflow support for the entire document life cycle, and automated Portable Document Format (PDF) rendering and publishing. The solution is designed to comply with strict U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations.

Royal DSM, the global life sciences and materials sciences company, headquartered in the Netherlands, links its business expansion strategy with a drive to maintain the DSM brand at the forefront of its customers’ minds. Intensive customer contact, supported by cutting-edge IT solutions, is important in achieving this success. After a detailed evaluation, DSM opted for Microsoft Dynamics CRM as its platform for business development.

Sanofi-aventis, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, is out to transform and diversify its business. To speed the transformation, sanofi-aventis wanted its 100,000 employees around the world to have the most current operating system on their desks so that they could communicate, collaborate, innovate, and tap into the latest social networking tools. The company chose the Windows 7 Enterprise operating system as its desktop foundation for the future. By moving quickly to Windows 7, sanofi-aventis aims to get the greatest possible value from its operating system investment and create a stable desktop platform for long-term employee use. Most importantly, though, employees will be better able to help the business fulfil its transformation goals by tapping into the latest productivity, collaboration, and social networking technologies.

With offices in over 90 countries, smooth real-time communication and team collaboration are crucial to the Syngenta agribusiness group. The company upgraded its communication and desktop infrastructure by installing Windows Vista® and the 2007 Microsoft® Office system, with Microsoft Office Communicator® 2007, on 20,000 computers. Employees now communicate more effectively and economically, and Syngenta saves 30 percent on PC support costs.

Leading agribusiness Syngenta needed to refresh its internal Web communications. Its virtual conferencing systems were too slow and did not accommodate a sufficient number of attendees in meetings. As part of the Infrastructure Consolidation Program it developed with long-term technology partner HP, the company also wanted to integrate its software systems more closely and provide employees with new, more efficient methods of electronic communication. It worked with Microsoft and HP to roll out Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 to 21,000 employees worldwide. Users can now organise real-time virtual presentations with hundreds of participants in a few clicks, check colleagues’ statuses from any application, and solve quick queries using instant messaging. Crucially, the solution saves the company 50 per cent in costs compared to the previous system.

Total Petrochemicals is one of the largest publicly-traded oil and gas companies in the world. When the company needed to migrate applications and content from Lotus Notes to SharePoint without data loss or business interruption, it turned to Quest Software.