To deliver smooth operations and cater to the demand generated by retailers, manufacturers, and online customers, SCBT group built a Hybrid integration solution that leverages BizTalk Server and Azure Services to manage high volume global transactions. Because of the growing demand and the complexity of the integration solution, SCBT team faced the need to make sure every transaction is monitored and the system processes these transactions fluently. The SCBT hybrid integration solution, running on top of Microsoft BizTalk Server is one of the most complex integration solutions in the world. This solution manages all of Microsoft’s worldwide, physical manufacturing and supply chain operations. To maintain high availability of the integration solution, SCBT team maintains 16 different BizTalk Server Groups. Each BizTalk Server Group with its own BizTalk and SQL Servers is responsible for discrete activities that can work independently and in tandem. The SCBT integration solution processes over 30 million B2B transactions (including multiple message formats like X12, EDIFACT, XML, SWIFT) per month with 2000+ partners spanning across all business domains. Message sizes range from 5 KB to 40 MB, and the data growth is at a rate of 6 TB per month. As the number of retailers, manufacturers, and customers increase, the need for centralized monitoring solution has increased too.

Over the past ten years, Campbell Soup Company steadily grew its product divisions and technology requirements and, as a result, began to outgrow its legacy systems that included PeopleSoft 8.9 for HR and Payroll, SuccessFactors for talent management, and ADP Virtual Edge for applicant tracking. The company needed a solution with a single configuration and advanced reporting capabilities that was also easy-to-maintain and economical. Facing significant re-investment and costs to update their current platforms, Campbell looked into alternative options. Ultimately they chose to implement Workday, based on three key considerations: Workday’s Workforce Planning and Analytics provides leaders with easy and direct access to global workforce data; direct employee access to Workday reduces the administrative burden on the HR organization and improves both data quality and employee engagement; and Workday is flexible and scalable to support the company’s growth strategy.

In just five short years, CareerBuilder.com went from being one-fifth the revenue size of the market leader, to the nation’s largest online job site. This expansion, along with its international growth, caused them to experience challenges with their current HR system. One of their largest challenges was the fact that their current HRIS did not have “Self-Service” capability, nor did it offer the ability to automate workflow activities.

Facebook has helped shape the social networking phenomenon and today is a leading force with nearly one billion users logging on every day. The company’s progression led them to outgrow not only their physical space in downtown Palo Alto, but the IT systems in place to support their operations. A solution was needed to help manage their rapid expansion. Additional functionality was also needed to aid with the expansion to overseas offices.

Remy International needed a solution to unify internal HR processes and create a common repository for global employee data. The country-specific HR solutions yielded fragmented and incomplete information. Initially, PeopleSoft was chosen as the solution to meet these needs. Budget constraints and the need for too many customizations made a global implementation of PeopleSoft virtually impossible. After several attempts to implement PeopleSoft successfully, Remy looked elsewhere for a more innovative solution to unify the worker population.

Renaissance Capital sought to increase efficiency by bringing its eight offices around the world to a single system of record. The company had been using different HR systems across its locations, including Microsoft Axapta in Russia and the CIS. In Workday, Renaissance Capital found a solution that could provide the unified, global reporting it desired, while still being able to comply with local regulations. Collaborative Solutions worked with Renaissance Capital to lead the deployment.

Numerous acquisitions over the years left Flextronics with ownership of over 80 different HR systems and hardly any cohesion from location to location. They wanted a solution to bring more unity to their company. In addition, they did not have automatic reporting, so data accuracy and employee productivity was constantly compromised.

Russell Investment Group was looking for ways to improve data integrity and access across its global offices. It was also a good time to re-examine its business processes, as current non-standardized processes were causing productivity issues among employees who were inputting duplicative data and doing everything manually. Russell wanted to remove and replace PeopleSoft with a more unified solution that would be able to grow globally with the company. Workday’s Human Capital Management (HCM) solution was the best fit for Russell’s business case, and Russell chose Collaborative Solutions to deploy it.

As the company grew, Pioneer needed a better way to manage the payroll complexities that are inherent in the energy industry, such as employees relocating rigs or working on rigs outside of an employee’s actual state of residence. There were numerous payroll inconsistencies each pay period and the manual process was taxing. For Pioneer, choosing a new HRIS meant selecting the most modern, user-friendly solution to allow everyone to be better at their jobs while upholding company culture.

After a series of acquisitions, in addition to bringing the company public in 2005, Morningstar wanted its global workforce to be connected in an enhanced, more efficient way. Manually processing payroll each pay period took too much time and too much effort from resources. There was little visibility into the activities and processes across office locations, leading to miscommunication and operational inefficiencies.

WNET needed a robust application to unify its HR and Financial functions. The organization needed to replace its existing systems, Lawson for Payroll and general ledger, and Plan Source for HR and Benefits. The broadcasting company was looking for advanced reporting capabilities and an opportunity and tool to automate and streamline its business processes. From a financial perspective, the organization was focused on mitigating risk exposure and improving compliance.

Brown University needed to unify information confined in multiple, dissimilar systems. The University relied on many manual financial processes and its data was stored across several systems, further reducing efficiency. Brown University was in need of a Financial Management software that goes beyond the basics of accounting and would focus on speed, cost, agility, and strategic insights. The Ivy League school struggled with a limited number of finance and accounting capabilities, delayed business insights, and managing business assets. Brown University wanted a full range of Financial and Accounting capabilities in a cloud-based application.

Champions of innovative change, BSC was looking for ways to become more efficient with their operations. They were migrating from PeopleSoft, and needed assistance with numerous third party integrations as well. BSC knew they wanted an online application. Looking to make a move to the cloud, BSC chose Workday for their new HRIS. Looking for a smooth transition, they chose to partner with Collaborative Solutions for the deployment.

Top Draw faced significant challenges in managing projects due to the use of up to eight different software tools, which made information extraction and transfer prone to errors. The agency lacked a rapid means to review project health or assess internal department workloads, limiting their scalability. Synchronizing information was challenging, as the time-sheet software used to track staff hours did not show project health or organize projects. Reporting processes were slow, and the lack of visibility impeded the business's agility, making it difficult to react quickly to unexpected events or analyze clients' projects on a weekly basis. Without a unified project management system, growth seemed impossible, as increasing the number of clients and staff would result in a burdensome increase in pre-planning and time-management tasks.

The challenges of a discrete complex manufacturing operation like the one at Virgin Orbit are significant. The processing of engineer to order, and multiple bill-of-material levels can go very deep. Work-in-process units incorporate engineering changes as the process progresses, and engineering must be involved in material review processes, dispositions, and rework instructions every step of the way. As-designed equals as-built validation is required, as is traceability of changes, deviations, and approvals. It’s a complicated business that requires a complete solution. The LauncherOne team at Virgin Orbit selected iBASEt’s MES Solution, powered by Solumina, to address a host of needs, including: Paperless work instructions, Real-time visibility, Synchronization and control of production operations, Quality management and corrective actions, Shop floor change management, Data collection, buy off, and certifications, Execution of real-time, physical processes, Work order completion management, Integration, coordination, and execution of work orders with Virgin Orbit’s ERP (Oracle) and PLM (Teamcenter) systems.

When it came to change management in its US-based electronic systems division, BAE faced a major challenge. Numerous physical locations, heterogenous work culture, and over 10,000 employees necessitated a streamlined solution for manufacturing execution. With such a large workforce across diverse locations and market sectors, BAE Systems quickly learned the importance of capturing the necessary engagement across functions within the project lifecycle, from the generation of requirements to scenario testing and gap identification to training and post go-live support.

Lockheed Martin’s Clearwater plant faced the challenge of maintaining high-quality standards while producing a low-volume, high-mix of ruggedized, high-reliability electronic data and signal processing equipment. The plant needed to comply with stringent specifications, regulatory requirements, and fluctuating schedules for over 30 different programs and more than 20 customers. The management team recognized the need for continuous improvement to stay competitive and achieve quality beyond market demands. A slowdown in demand during the 1990s prompted the management to focus on performance improvement, leading to the development of a culture of quality excellence and continuous improvement.

General Dynamics AIS Integrated Space Systems faced the challenge of transitioning from a highly paper-based and manually controlled manufacturing process to a digital, paperless environment. The complexity and criticality of their work, which involves producing high-reliability space hardware, required a comprehensive system to control workflow, provide checkpoints, and house detailed data. The existing process was labor-intensive, with information and data distributed across multiple locations and numerous manual checkpoints. This setup was not only inefficient but also prone to errors, which could compromise the integrity of the hardware costing tens of millions of dollars per unit. The need for a streamlined, integrated system became evident to ensure superior control of product workflow, engineering change incorporation, and to support continuous improvement efforts.

Building a Mars Rover is a highly complex manufacturing endeavor. The Airbus Defence and Space division develops state-of-the-art technology using unique materials to manufacture heat shields, honeycomb panels, and all the other parts necessary to assemble the ExoMars Rover. With the rapid advance of space technology, production processes frequently change based on new engineering designs, project requirements, and new information that is learned during the product life cycle. All the delicate, cutting-edge technology requires an extreme level of quality assurance. There is only one chance for the mission to go right. If anything goes wrong, down to the smallest detail, then the entire mission is at risk of failure. Additionally, planetary protection rules, ratified by the United Nations and endorsed by NASA, urge scientists to take every possible measure to prevent Earth’s biological contamination from reaching moons or planets.

The contract market has changed immensely since Godfrey Syrett’s founding in 1947. Over the years, the popularity of steel frame, straight-lined furniture in public spaces has given way to softer, more innovative and complex designs. Office furniture must be flexible in order to adapt to the nomadic nature of contemporary work environments. A rising number of companies are also ordering furniture equipped with charging docks and power sockets for reception areas. Customers are becoming more demanding not just in terms of style and function but also of delivery times. “Three or four years ago, we would have had six to eight weeks to deliver furniture to the customer. That has now been reduced to three or four. We even have products where we have to deliver within seven working days on receipt of an order,” explains Michael Donachie, Operations Director. The company’s manual manufacturing process was no longer suitable to its design, manufacturing and growth ambitions, creating capacity and quality issues. In addition to continuing to produce practical yet innovative furniture solutions, Godfrey Syrett aspires to expand its market share in the private and student accommodations sectors. Growth in these sectors will help the company reach its target of becoming a £40 million business within the next five years.

New revenue opportunities brought challenges to productivity and cost control, hindering Guangzan's overall growth. The company found it difficult to meet demand with inflexible production capabilities based mainly on manual die press operations. Increasingly sophisticated seating designs involving smaller, more intricate parts added further manufacturing complexity. Guangzan's business underwent a major transformation after signing a contract with an OEM, leading to a company-wide initiative to streamline production. Guangzan sought a digital cutting solution to provide higher production capacity while ensuring premium quality.

Since 1952, Moroso has been creating sofas, armchairs and accessories whose vibrancy, eccentricity and sophistication are just as suitable to design museums as residential spaces. Moroso wanted to accelerate time to market, and optimize the cost evaluation and industrialization stages without sacrificing their unique design identity.

With 18 fashion brands to its name, Baroque Japan is a rising star in Japan’s fashion landscape. First launched as “MOUSSY” in 2000, the company’s edgy streetwear look, straight from the streets of Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya neighborhood, captured the imagination of young Japanese consumers and catapulted the brand to success. Seventeen years later, Baroque now boasts 375 stores in Japan, 231 stores overseas, and recorded $636.8m in sales for the year ending January 2017. But as Baroque’s business expanded, so too did its infrastructure and overseas network. Sharing information between head office, suppliers and production sites in foreign countries posed unexpected challenges, while unstandardized working processes, protocols, and IT systems made collaboration between different divisions difficult. It became clear Baroque would need a more robust solution to keep up with the company’s growth.

Odlo, a renowned technical sportswear brand, aimed to expand its consumer base by targeting more performance-oriented customers. To achieve this, the company needed to speed up its product development process to quickly react to fashion and weather trends. This would enable them to get new products to stores in time to capitalize on market demand. The challenge was to streamline the development process while maintaining the high quality and performance standards that Odlo is known for.

In 2015, the Chinese government unveiled “Made in China 2025”, a ten-year plan intended to transform China from a manufacturing giant into a world manufacturing power by upgrading its industry to smart technology and emphasizing superior product quality and brand image. The new initiative, coupled with Ruyi’s ambitious plans to expand its business into the US and Europe, meant the company needed to radically overhaul its approach to manufacturing so that it could run at peak efficiency, while producing impeccable-quality clothing that reflected the government’s new vision for what “Made in China” means. Always at the forefront of innovation, Ruyi was quick to embrace the Chinese government’s “Made in China 2025” guidelines, placing the plan’s cornerstone tenets of quality and efficiency at the top of its priority list. When the company decided to upgrade its Tai’an menswear factory with smart technology and automated processes, it turned to Lectra for help.

Staying ahead of the competition is vital in any industry, which is why shortening engineering lead time is crucial. That’s particularly true when bringing new products to market. Recognizing that new technology and increasing competition were propelling the marine furniture industry toward faster delivery times, Signature Seating needed a system to streamline their processes for design, patterning and prototyping while cutting costs. The company wanted to shift from labor-intensive manual processes to digital design and manufacturing without sacrificing quality and aesthetics. Signature Seating turned to Lectra’s extensive industry expertise for a solution flexible enough to meet the company’s highly specialized needs.

To maintain its industry-leading position on the Chinese airbag market, HMT sought to substantially increase its production capacity.

Ese.Y, a leading manufacturer in the women's pants category in China, faced the challenge of adapting to the rapidly growing consumer demand for fashion and the rise of e-commerce. The company needed to transition to intelligent manufacturing to create a more agile supply chain and handle small-batch production orders. The unpredictable peaks in demand and the millennial preference for personalized products required a more flexible setup than traditional, order-based production. During the 'Double 11' festival in 2016, Ese.Y's Tmall.com store clocked RMB 10 million in sales in just 20 minutes, highlighting the need for an agile production setup to handle such spikes in orders.

Maxwell Industries, based in Mumbai, India, designs, manufactures, and retails affordable, quality undergarments for men, women, and children. The company produces over 37 million pieces a year for brands such as VIP Innerwear, Frenchie, Frenchie X, and VIP Feeling. Approximately 70% of its product is destined for more than 110,000 points of sale in the local market, including the company’s own-name stores, while the remaining 30% is exported to other countries. Maxwell Industries wanted to expand its presence in India and its two other main markets: Africa and the Middle East. To do this, it needed to replace its partially-outsourced, manual process with an automated lean pre-production process that would streamline operations and reduce costs, without sacrificing the quality on which the company had built its reputation.

For Ekornes, the scarcity of skilled workers and high labor costs mean other ways have to be found to reduce costs and enable the company to remain competitive and keep manufacturing in Norway.