The chemical industry-specifically, large chemical multinationals-was an early investor in enterprise resource planning (ERP) and has reaped the benefits of automating business processes and streamlining global operations. But industry trends in mergers and acquisitions and new partnerships in different geographic locations have created more complex value chains and are causing large chemical multinationals to rethink the approach that made them successful a decade ago. Rather than continuing a single, global-instance approach to ERP, some companies are looking at lowering their operational costs through a decentralized ERP architecture that aligns the best solution with the company's divisions or geographic locations.
Whether your organization is a small to mid-size chemical company looking for an ERP standard, a large chemical multinational looking to lower operational costs by decentralizing ERP, or simply seeking to improve your ERP system, Microsoft is focused on helping you maximize your investment in ERP.
The Microsoft platform enables quick implementation of ERP solutions and provides the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) and fastest return on investment (ROI) available. Working with process and chemical industry experts, Microsoft delivers ERP solutions that allow users to interact with the familiar Microsoft Office interface whether they are using SAP/Duet, another Office Business Application, or the Microsoft Dynamics native, role-based interface.
By surrounding ERP applications with Microsoft technology tools, such as Microsoft Office SharePoint 2007 and Microsoft BizTalk Server, Microsoft enables its customers to take advantage of performance-enhancing technologies such as radio frequency identification and to collaborate easily and securely with stakeholders both inside and outside of the enterprise. Both Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics AX solutions offer flexible, adaptable business processes, rapid implementation time frames, role-based information access, a familiar desktop interface, and simple integration with existing business systems.
Duet offers SAP ERP customers access to complex and expensive SAP functionality on a technology platform that provides superior performance at a lower TCO. It also enhances ROI from your existing ERP investment by allowing users to work in the desktop applications with which they are most familiar.
Business Challenges
Microsoft focuses on helping customers in the chemical industry address challenges related to ERP, including how to get more value out of their ERP investments, adapt more flexibly to new and complex value chains, and use a core, modern business management platform to run the business. The following scenarios describe the challenges facing the chemical industry in the area of enterprise resource planning and solutions that technology systems can offer.
ERP for small and mid-size chemical companies
| Business challenges | Benefits |
|---|
Implementing a cost-effective business management solution tailored to the needs of chemical manufacturers Managing increasing government regulations and customer demands and shrinking development cycles
| Microsoft Dynamics business software provides powerful and flexible manufacturing, financial, and customer relationship management solutions that support recipe management and efficient demand planning. Microsoft and our partners deliver systems that can help you respond quickly to customer trends and comply with regulatory changes. With the right system in place, you can improve operations, open visibility to your supply chain, and enhance your overall competitiveness. |
Decentralized ERP for large, multinational chemical companies
| Business challenges | Benefits |
|---|
Reducing global operations and IT spend Lowering the high total cost of ERP systems Enhancing flexibility to capture new opportunities
| Microsoft Dynamics provides ERP solutions with low total cost of operations with a global footprint that can be deployed quickly in a decentralized model that integrates with your headquarters ERP system. |
Maximizing the value of your SAP investments
| Business challenges | Benefits |
|---|
Increasing use and adoption of SAP Lowering the cost to operate your SAP systems Driving business intelligence and performance management across the organization Creating innovative and flexible solutions based on your ERP data
| Microsoft and its partners offer ERP solutions that help you increase productivity within a familiar desktop environment, drive business performance and innovation, optimize your SAP infrastructure, and leverage a broad ecosystem of solutions built on Microsoft infrastructure. |
