Newsletter Example

Client:               Akzo Nobel SICO

The company is a leading paint manufacturer and part of the global Akzo Nobel organization. A two-year project would upgrade the company’s business information systems and make them common with the rest of the organization.

Comment:         The biggest challenge of the roll-out was not technical but change management.  For the overnight “go-live” scenario to be successful at the end of two years, every employee would have had to understand and buy into the change. Communication was seen as a key element of success and was built around this project newsletter.

(Excerpt)           

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!

Team kick-off meeting officially launches our transition

 to SAP-Saturn information system

Nine months of planning and analysis are over and we are in “Go” mode for one of the most important projects in our history.

The conversion to an SAP integrated information management system represents a major upgrade in our ability to deliver excellence in business and, in particular, to meet the expectations of our customers.

The new system brings us onto the same playing field as the leading member companies in the Akzo Nobel Decorative Coatings unit worldwide. 

“It’s the most important project since I came here in 1996,” says President Pierre Dufresne. “Everybody will be affected at some point in the next few months.  Our success depends on all our employees understanding the project and getting behind it.”

There is a very important difference in this change, says Dufresne.  We are not adapting a new system to our way of business.   We are adapting our way of business to a new system.

“This SAP system has been proven and adapted by Akzo Nobel,” he points out. “It is designed on best practices for each function and each of the Akzo Nobel companies is adopting it.”

Everyone implicated will receive top-quality training from experts.  Even those not directly impacted will be kept informed of all developments through this newsletter and other forums.

The main benefits of the new system will be felt in our customer facing activities.   Our ability to offer exceptional customer service will be greatly improved, our finished goods inventory will be much better managed and both pricing and distribution will be greatly enhanced.

“We have a tremendous advantage in the fact that similar SAP conversions have now been successfully completed at other Akzo Nobel locations,” points out Dufresne.  “Their experts have helped us with the planning stage and will be on the implementation team that takes over now.”

The new system will standardize procedures and processes with the other members of Akzo Nobel.  By standardizing it will improve internal efficiency and the conversion will also bring to us all the improvements they have researched to date.

A budget of nearly $6 million was approved for the project by Akzo Nobel management this past July