The Al-Futtaim Group sets e-business platform with mySAP Business Suite

On completion of the installation, over fifteen hundred users within the group will be using the mySAP Business Suite.

'The decision to migrate to the mySAP Business Suite was based on a thorough assessment of corporate requirements, from a business rather than IT perspective. and is in line with the diversified corporate growth pattern', said Ronald Franckaert, Chief Information Officer, Al Futtaim Group.

Franckaert went onto to explain that the Group had a single vision - to seek a cost-effective, process efficient platform that provided the functional scalability needed. The mySAP Business Suite was examined on all three parameters and found suitable for the Group's business requirements.

Mushtaquddin Khan, Business Application Manager, Al Futtaim Group, said 'The group went live with SAP R/3 in 1999. Since the initial implementation, the Group has had immense growth, from 21 companies in 1999, to the present day's 68 companies within the Group's portfolio. This growth clearly needed a solid infrastructure in place to meet emerging business needs.

In our current environment we have thousands of reports in different domains. There was an increasing need for a platform that could provide the organisation a single business reporting tool that could be flexible and available at different levels,' Khan concluded.

Ronald Franckaert said, 'The core of the Al-Futtaim Group is fortified by the diversity of business. Within this diversity came the need to focus more on business as opposed to IT. The migration to the mySAP Business Suite ensures complete integration and its individual modules assist companies in managing critical business processes efficiently and effectively. As a highly flexible and adaptable platform it is an ideal business tool that will grow with us and manage the Group's growing business needs, a pre-requisite in maintaining a stronghold in the market place.'

He continued, 'Versatility is imperative within such a diverse organisation as the Al-Futtaim Group, so it is important to ensure complete integration. The mySAP Business Suite does just that'.

This upgrade allows enhancements to the business by implementing new extensive solutions, such as CRM and Business Intelligence, which will put Al Futtaim Group ahead of their competitors in this Market. We are very pleased with the role we have in facilitating the group's drive forward,' said Essam Enany, President of SAP Arabia.

SAP, he added, is committed to delivering to regional businesses - small or large - software solutions that assist in advancing their business. The mySAP Business Suite ensures complete integration and its individual modules assist companies in managing critical business processes efficiently and effectively. The mySAP Business Suite, as a highly flexible and adaptable platform, also presents the ideal platform for the group's future business growth

'The ultimate objective of the migration to the mySAP Business suite is business benefits and with the deployment, key business processes will be automated and standardised, thereby improving efficiency and reducing resources waste. The mySAP Business suite's comprehensive family of solutions provides a leading edge for a company like al Futtaim with diverse business activities' Enany said.

Implementation of the mySAP Business Suite is being managed by the Al Futtaim Group's core technical team with the support of SAP SI.