Manufacturing

Business intelligence implementation for Kimberly-Clark’s Russian distribution network

Project objectives: Improvement of sales data analysis efficiency in Kimberly-Clark’s Russian distribution network.

CROC implemented a Business Intelligence (BI) system based on IBM Cognos 8 BI over a period of three months. The scope of the project included data warehouse development; business intelligence system deployment; Master Data Management (MDM) system implementation based on CROC NSI Suite; and the installation of a Sales Force Tool add-on for managing sales representatives.

CROC’s NSI Suite, a part of the BI system, helps unify and display sales data from various viewpoints including sales channel, territory, and sales manager and representative responsibility.

Key Customer Benefits

• Ability to sort and update sales information on a daily basis, run multidimensional online analysis, calculate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and generate diversified reports, all in a matter of seconds.

Storage area network virtualization

Project objectives: Reduce risk of business-critical data loss and IT infrastructure expenses within Aviadvigatel, OAO.

CROC first designed the solution and tested it within its Competence Center. CROC deployed a test bench to replicate the customer’s enterprise architecture and test the required functionality in live mode. The virtualization solution covered all information systems and was put into operation in a short time frame.

Key Customer Benefits

• Resilience and guaranteed operation of general data storage infrastructure
• Lower data storage system costs

Integrated Disaster-Tolerant Computing Infrastructure and Supercomputing Cluster

Project Objectives: Continuous operation of all critical applications and installation of special-purpose software packages in order to allow for the performance of complex gas-dynamic and strength calculations.

In 2007, CROC contributed to putting into commercial operation of an integrated disaster-tolerant computing infrastructure at Aviadvigatel Design Bureau and Perm Motor Plant, two main enterprises of Perm motor building complex.

Key Customer Benefits

• Highly increased performance and quality of design operations
• Decreased manufacturing plant changeover and faster product launch times
• Accident-proof solution
• Compliance with customer’s current requirements and long-term objectives

IT Infrastructure Support and IT outsourcing

Project Objectives: Comprehensive IT infrastructure support

The successful implementation of a two-year project involving the provision of country-wide IT infrastructure technical support to British American Tobacco Russia (BAT Russia) helped CROC win a tender for the continued provision of services. CROC and HP will support BAT Russia’s IT infrastructure during 2008 fnd 2009. The scope of services to be provided makes the deal one of the largest IT outsourcing contracts in Russia. Currently, CROC supports 16 services including: user workstation management and V3 system support. CROC also provides a special support service to more than 800 regional users in order to let them synchronize their data with the CRM system on a daily basis. CROC's helpdesk is responsible for the administration of servers, Lotus Notes applications, and IT security. In addition, CROC is responsible for the overall management of all project-related activities.

Key Customer Benefits

• Reliable operation of corporate information system
• Single point of contact for users from all Russian branches
• Convenient service provision schedules
• Clear quality criteria for the services provided

Project Objective: Standalone production of heat, electricity, and cooling

The power plant operates on a ‘tri-generation’ basis: i.e., simultaneous production of electricity, heat, and cooling. Caterpillar G3516LE natural gas co-generation sets were used as primary power generation equipment.

Key Customer Benefits

• Lower electricity costs on production and business processes
• Independence from centralized power grids
• Short-term implementation and commissioning of the power system
• Fault-tolerance

Project Objective: The customer's growth resulted in the need for the modernization and development of an existing planning and reporting system.

CROC automated the ‘planning, coordination, and approval’ process - one of Johnson & Johnson’s key business procedures – through the implementation of a Cognos BI based solution.

Key Customer Benefits

• Quick planning and analysis of sales figures on over 20,000 products with breakdown by region and business unit
• Information input form unification
• Planning module supports access rights management via ‘process logic’ and analysis of the type of confidential information
• Unified rules for data input and conversion

Project Objectives: Reduced channel infrastructure overhead expenses and increased performance of business applications.

CROC implemented a traffic optimization system for the Head Office in Moscow and two Russian affiliates.

Key Customer Benefits

• 30% channel load reduction
• Reduced channel infrastructure overhead expenses
• Faster business application operation
• Channel traffic monitoring
• Ability to deploy new applications without the need for extra channel bandwidth

Document Flow System

Project Objectives: Analysis and standardization of document flow at Novolipetsk Steel Works (2005 - 2006).

CROC was the first Russian company to implement an electronic document flow system based on EMC Documentum on Linux.

Key Customer Benefits

• Automation of 100 managerial and secretarial workplaces
• Unified document registration
• Data integrity and consistency
• Simplification with regard to the registering and searching of documents
• Increased employee efficiency

High-Performance Parallel Supercomputer

Project Objectives: Design and deployment of a high-performance parallel supercomputer based on the most advanced IT technologies.

CROC employed high-performance scalable server cluster technology from IBM to create one of the most powerful parallel computing systems at NPO Saturn. This supersystem is aimed primarily at gas turbine and jet component modeling for aviation and industrial applications. This state-of-the-art cluster system, the fastest of its kind among all industrial enterprises in Russia, helped NPO Saturn to climb to 4^th place in the Top 50 CIS supercomputer rating.

Key Customer Benefits

• Ten-fold increase in speed of jet engine design calculations
• Special engineering systems, located in server rooms, ensure physical data storage security in the case of disaster
• Scalability of computing power

Disaster Tolerant Data Center

Project Objectives: Deployment of a disaster-proof UNIX-based hardware and software solution for efficient and failure-free operation of ERP system at Oskol Electrometallurgy Works.

In late 2004, CROC installed, and put into commercial operation, Russia’s first disaster-proof cluster configuration. The solution is based on high-end IBM servers and delivers efficient and failure-free operation of the company’s SAP R/3 system.

Key Customer Benefits

• Minimized downtime
• Greatly improved ERP performance.
• High level of scalability and computing power margin allows for future expansion of ERP user base and data processing performance

Video Conferencing System

Project Objectives: Streamlining of PhosAgro Holding operations, increase in management efficiency, and real-time information exchange between the management company in Moscow and regional branches.

In 2007, CROC deployed an HD video conferencing system based on TANDBERG solutions. The system connected the management company in Moscow with five regional enterprises managed by PhosAgro.

Key Customer Benefits

• Simultaneous connection of all senior manager endpoints and conference rooms
• Multipoint video conferences
• Wireless network connection
• Security is provided through utilization of encryption and authentication
• Provision of a video wall for conferences with multiple participants

Workstation Management System

Project Objectives: Development and implementation of a workstation management solution - one of the most complicated tasks for IT departments within large corporations

RUSAL turned to CROC in order to develop a Microsoft SMS-based solution for the management of more than 1,300 workstations, thus reducing user downtime and improving efficiency with regard to the performance of administration tasks. In addition, the system implemented by CROC provided the customer with improved workstation software administration tools. Whilst manual software installation on thousands of corporate workstations would take almost two months for one administrator to perform, the new IT solution from CROC allows one administrator to complete the task overnight.

Key Customer Benefits

• Reduction in personnel downtime during business hours
• Reduced management costs via the use of inexpensive network mechanisms for
  • rapid software installations
  • rapid software upgrades
  • remote administrator support

Project Objectives: Short-term implementation of a comprehensive system to plan, analyze and optimize variable manufacturing expenses 

CROC fulfilled the following objectives: express examination of customer's business processes; CPM system implementation based on IBM Cognos and its integration with an existing SAP-based ERP system; and customer system operation training. 

Key Customer Benefits

• Quick planning involving representatives of all financial business units, calculation of the entire data array takes not more than 2 hours
• Breakdown of analytic reports by brewery works (and by structure of costs, materials, and products)
• Detection of input errors

Project Objective: Uninterruptible operation of resource management system and minimization of downtime in the case of failures or disasters in the main or backup datacenter

The solution includes a server system on НР Integrity Superdome and c-class blade servers, a storage subsystem, a guaranteed power supply subsystem, and an IT infrastructure management subsystem.  

Key Customer Benefits

• Optimization of resource management system development costs
• Efficient resource management (as the number of users increases)
• Disaster tolerance