| HONG
KONG — Mar 19, 2008 – the Wallem team behind
one of the biggest enterprise resource planning (ERP)
implementations in Asia has been awarded a place in
the top five of CIO Asia magazine’s CIO 100 Index
for 2008. Patrick Slesinger, director and chief information
officer (CIO), Wallem Innovative Solutions, was presented
with the award for his team’s project, which
utilizes Microsoft Dynamics AX to improve the efficiency
of Wallem’s financial reporting services, for
both Wallem and its clients.
Slesinger and Microsoft Hong Kong brought Wallem’s
financial reporting services into a new era of operational
efficiency through improved collaboration, business
intelligence and knowledge management.
Microsoft Dynamics AX, integrated with Wallem’s
Total Procurement Solution and the Microsoft BizTalk
Server platform, allows Wallem to seamlessly connect
with vessels, creating more efficient procurement
and reporting services.
The new platform provides Wallem with considerably
more analytical power and reporting flexibility allowing
for any number of performance measurements and reporting
formats to be extracted very expediently. Another
key feature of the new platform, which was an important
factor in selecting Microsoft Dynamics AX, is its
open-ended architecture which also provides Wallem
with the potential o integrate a wide range of internal
and external applications, which is especially important
for the procurement processes.
As a maritime services provider, Wallem aims to integrate
its own IT environment with vessel owners’ and
the more than 300 vessels under the company’s
management. This project will contribute greatly to
achieving that integration.
Andrew Wong, director of Small and Midmarket Solutions
& Partners, Microsoft Hong Kong, said the top
five CIO 100 Index companies have IT and business
closely aligned.
“IT departments have increasingly evolved from
being cost centers to strategic assets for the business,”
said Wong.
“Microsoft continues to work closely with customers
such as Wallem to deliver innovative solutions that
meet the particular needs of their industry and businesses,
and help them to better connect with and serve their
customers.”
Rob Grool, group managing director of Wallem Group,
emphasized the company’s commitment to delivering
value to clients through innovation wherever and whenever
possible.
“The systems and processes recognized through
the CIO Asia Awards have involved a multi-year group-wide
effort to ensure that Wallem provides the best possible
support and value to our clients, who in turn can
offer an improved service to their own clients, today
and for years to come," said Grool.
"It is a great honor to have been selected in
the top five of the CIO Asia Awards,” said Slesinger.
“The success of the project was due to a true
partnership with our selected vendors, and the dedication
and talent of Wallem staff. We look forward to leveraging
the investment made in these products to derive even
greater value in the coming years. We are confident
this platform will provide the flexibility and scalability
required to support both our own and our clients’
goals in the coming years,” said Slesinger.
Microsoft Business Intelligence provides multi-dimensional
reporting, with customers receiving full online access
to procurement, accounting and personnel records via
an Extranet and CD-ROM based reporting including imaging
and RSS sub-systems. With an in-depth view into business
operations through monitoring, planning, and analysis,
teams are able to quickly make informed business decisions.
Wallem’s group knowledge management system has
been expanded to include vessel-based staff, giving
employees on and offshore access to business-critical
information.
The implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics AX and
related systems has enabled Wallem to make processes
geographically independent. The re-engineering of
business processes has reduced operational costs,
increased flexibility and service quality for partner
companies.
About Wallem
Established in 1903 and based in Hong Kong, Wallem is
one of the world's foremost integrated maritime service
providers, offering its clients ship management, agency,
brokerage and innovative solutions services. The group
employs over 8,500 employees, in 51 offices across 21
countries and at sea.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”)
is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions
that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
The Microsoft Hong Kong office was established in 1991.
Media contacts:
Microsoft
Alice Li
(852) 2804 4130
aliceli@microsoft.com
Wallem Group:
Elizabeth Berrill
(852) 2876 8011
eb@wallem.com
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