|
As the world's energy needs continue to increase exponentially,
the energy market is continuously growing and changing
dramatically. Remaining a key player in this industry is a
daunting task as companies vie to stay on the technological edge
of energy sources.
Established in 1985 and based in Parsippany, N.J., GPU
International (GPUI) is a global company, which acquires,
develops, and manages generation businesses. The company does
business in eight countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Pakistan, the
Philippines, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United
States. In these countries GPUI has an ownership interest in 21
generation plants with a capacity of nearly 7,000 megawatts.
Preparing for The New Millennium
In a large multi-dimensional and multi-national company like
GPUI, a reliable, top-performing information backbone is
critical. GPUI must track its entities all over the world,
consolidate their assorted financial reports and then use that
information to manage the company and assess its present and
future performance. To operate effectively, a company of this
scope requires a multi-faceted, adaptable and dynamic
information system.
At the beginning of 1997, Marie Easton, head of the materials
department at GPUI, and her team looked toward the next
millennium and realized that its current accounting system could
not keep up with the company's dramatic growth rate.
"We had a DOS system in place which was limited in its scope
and was not functioning at the level we needed in order to
sustain our business's growth," said Easton. "The system was not
providing our employees with the information they needed to do
their jobs effectively. In addition, the system was not year
2000-compliant.
"It was Easton's job to recommend a new soft- ware solution.
She and her team immediately launched an extensive search of
accounting and business management software packages. As part of
the team's research it consulted with a number of accounting
firms to better understand the solutions offered by various
vendors and how each was seen in the marketplace.
"GPUI's approach to finding a software solution was very
thorough," said Wendy Gold, Vice President of Business
Management International (BMI), which operates three certified
Navision Solution Centers: one in New York City, one in Northern
New Jersey, and the third in Central/Southern New Jersey. "Marie
was highly organized and knew exactly what was needed in the new
system. The team had prepared a comprehensive 30-page document
containing questions based on GPUI's requirements. BMI had to
answer every question before we were even asked to demonstrate
the product."
It was immediately obvious to BMI that GPUI needed a
sophisticated enterprise business solution with the flexibility
to grow with the company.
"The most important requirements for the new system were
flexibility, ease-of-use and a responsive team of professionals
to implement the solution. Since GPUI has investments in many
different countries, we also required multi-currency,
multi-lingual and Euro-ready software, which narrowed down the
field substantially," explained Easton.
The GPUI team finally selected three systems, then attended
demonstrations on all three. Following the demonstrations, the
team conducted a cost-benefit analysis of each solution. "In the
end, we chose BMI and Navision Financials because they met all
our accounting needs and had the flexibility to do the things we
wanted to do," said Easton. "We came away with a clear
impression that the staff at BMI was not only committed to this
project, but fully understood our needs."
The Right Fit
BMI's first step was to perform an in-depth analysis of the
entire company to better assess GPUI's specific needs and
requirements. Representatives from every department within the
company were interviewed, and a needs analysis document was
produced indicating how the software could be customized to fit
GPUI's specific requirements.
"After the intense needs analysis, there was not a single
hurdle that I knew we could not surmount," recalls Gold. And
there were some fairly complicated issues to consider, such as
heavy consolidation requirements, local issues in other
countries, accounting and reporting regulations, hyper-currency
and multiple types of ownership in GPUI's companies. "We knew
that no other system would have been up to the challenge."
Navision Financials processes the financials for 80 separate
GPUI-affiliated companies, both domestic and international. The
implementation included General Ledger, Accounts Payable,
Purchase Order Processing, Accounts Receivable, Sales Order
Processing, Job Cost and Human Resources.
Generating Results
The multi-lingual/multi-currency functionality of Navision
Financials, and the global reach of BMI were key factors in the
selection process, but there are several other reasons BMI was
able to meet GPUI's needs:
The Power of Information
The key to Navision Financials is that it provides GPUI with
more sophisticated tools. The company now has a much more
efficient ordering system in place, with a standardized chart of
accounts and vendor list.
Navision Financials allows GPUI to produce consolidated
financial statements, after conversion to the US dollar. The
company now saves a significant amount of time at month-end on
the closing and reporting of those statements.
An Adaptable Solution
One of the key benefits of Navision's solution is that it can
be modified, using object-oriented tools, to fit the needs of
the company and its established infrastructure.
Drill-Down Features
The GPUI team was very impressed with Navision's drill-down
features, which allowed them immediate access to information
they could not view using their old system.
Total Integration
Before Navision Financials, GPUI did not have a purchasing
system linked with its accounting system. As BMI and GPUI move
forward with the implementation of Navision Financials, all the
business processes and data will be integrated into a seamless
operation. This will help GPUI manage its entities and projects
for future growth.
The Right Team
Undoubtedly, selecting the right team is about the right
chemistry and forging a partnership. GPUI and the team of
professionals at BMI have worked, and continue to work,
hand-in-hand on the implementation of Navision Financials. "It
is the service behind the product that sets us apart," said
Gold.
Moving Forward
"Navision provides our employees with the tools they need to
do their jobs effectively. This is a critical step for us as we
move for- ward," said Easton. "Thanks to Navision and BMI, we
have moved successfully from an outdated accounting system to a
true global enterprise business system."
Phase 1 of the Navision Financials implementation for GPUI
went live as scheduled on November 1, 1998, and Phase 2 is in
progress. Phase 1 consisted of the critical items to get GPUI's
system up and running, and Phase 2 will include Fixed Assets and
additional functionality. As Gold explained, "we have tackled
their needs list and now we are working on their wish list."
"GPUI, Navision Software, and BMI, as a team, are the perfect
example of how international operations can be fully integrated
through the use of a powerful tool like Navision Financials,"
says Larry Schiff, president of BMI.
|
