Bukhatir Group goes live on Oracle E-Business Suite

The trading giant will utilize Oracle E-Business Suite 11i to streamline and integrate its accounting, human resources and procurement functions. The Group anticipates reduced administrative costs, up to the minute financial reporting, and enhanced visibility and control to be the major benefits of the enterprise-wide project.

The Bukhatir Group e-business initiative is one of the few in the Middle East to integrate back-office business processes, including accounting, purchasing, human resources and payroll, all with one Internet-based model. As part of its Oracle-based project, Bukhatir Groups diverse business units, ranging from Shopping Mall, Construction, Real Estate, Manufacturing and Education, etc., will leverage the streamlined Oracle E-Business Suite processes.

"With more than 25 business units and over 15000 employees, one of our major challenges as an organization has been creating group wide, up-to-the-minute picture of the company's finances, including our overheads as well as our numerous strategic initiatives across the different industries. The group's e-business project will enable us to integrate all of the key business functions throughout the entire group into one system, which will allow us to serve our customers better, while streamlining our administrative efforts and reducing overall costs. Phase one has been successfully completed and we are expecting other group companies to share in this success by rolling out this solution in 2004," said Salah Bukhatir, Vice Chairman of the Group".

"We did consider several option but we selected the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i for this project because of its integrated nature, its ability to automate and streamline all our key process across the group and because of Oracle's strong commitment to the region," he noted.

The group is streamlining its considerable purchasing requirements across all business units through an integrated Internet-based procurement strategy. The group will automate routine transactions; source, negotiate, and collaborate more effectively with suppliers; and identify savings opportunities with spend analysis and supplier performance tracking.

The Group has implemented these modules using their own Oracle consulting arm -Intelligent Corporate Solutions (ICS). ICS was formed to ensure the implementation was undertaken with both efficiency and professionalism.

Husam Dajani, Vice President for Oracle Middle East, commended the group for the company's initiative in transforming itself into a more customer-focused, efficient organization. He commented, "For more than 25 years, the Bukhatir group has been anticipating new business trends and adapting to meet the changing needs of its customers. The decision to create a comprehensive, integrated e-business strategy rather than cobbling together different solutions across its 25-plus business units will deliver a complete, up-to-the-minute view of the entire company, as well as a more rapid return on investment."

"With its new e-business strategy, the group is setting a standard for increased customer focus, improved profitability, and enhanced business agility by which all trading conglomerates in the region may be judged," Dajani added.