Riordan Manufacturing

In this day and age, companies are working towards using business systems to effectively manage all areas of the company. Where in the past paper and pen were used and papers were dropped in mailboxes, now information is entered into systems electronically and accessed the same way. In order to be successful in today's business world, companies need to be prepared to make the shift to computerized systems for many routine tasks. This paper will discuss a proposal for Riordan Manufacturing to move to a computerized system at all locations so that systems will run more smoothly all around and so that upper management can easily manage all aspects of the company at each of its locations.

Proposal

This proposal is to present to upper management of Riordan Manufacturing a plan to establish business systems at all locations that will enable upper management to access and manage these locations. Currently each location of Riordan Manufacturing is using its own systems for all areas of the company. This team proposes standardizing the systems so that all locations are utilizing the same business systems which would allow upper management to effectively manage all locations. In order to do this, all locations would need to update to the proposed systems.

Mission

This team has been charged with the mission of finding a way to update all Riordan Manufacturing systems in order to allow for effective management at all plant locations. In doing this, the team evaluated the current systems in each of the following areas: Finance/Accounting, Human Resources/Legal, Operations, and Sales/Marketing. Each area has systems that need updating in order to enable effective management globally. Some of these proposed systems are very specific in that they only help with the area of the company that they are geared to. Others such as Ivantage with its intranet will not only help in the area of the company they are suggested for, but will also help universally. In this particular case, having a fully functional intranet will add capabilities and security to the company.

Finance/Accounting

Riordan Manufacturing struggles with finance and accounting systems because of a lack of consistency. Each location of the company uses their own systems which are not compatible with each other. This results in information being processed in whichever way the individual location processes it before sending it off to the corporate office. Therefore, the information received at the corporate office must be compiled in various ways which results in major delays in processing of company finances and accounting.

To improve upon the existing systems, Riordan Manufacturing must replace the existing systems with a uniform system at all locations. This system must be functional at the location level but allow for smooth transitions of information to the corporate level. Updating the systems in this way will make a major difference to the corporate office in San Jose because information will arrive in a usable form. This allows corporate office employees to focus on finance and accounting rather than converting data.

Sales/Marketing

Riordan Manufacturing's Sales and Marketing department is suffering from the lack of technological support that will enable them to critically analyze customer data from historical as well as current records that offer better value to the customer. The lack of uniformity in the collection, processing, and storing of sales data has resulted in a database that contains only partial information necessary in order to effectively analyze and market their products, while the rest of the data remains on hard copies stored in filing cabinets. In order for Riordan Manufacturing to meet their goal of $50 billion in revenues by the end of 2007, an effective CRM database must be in place in order to standardize the entire sales and marketing department, its databases, and methods used in the collection and storing of this critical information for fast and easy recall and comparison. Standardizing the department in these areas will reduce labor intensive research currently necessary to review historical data, as well as produce efficient statements allowing Riordan to increase revenue through promotions and discounts to existing customers, while marketing to new ones.

The demand for improved access to accurate information is a driving force that organizations must adhere to in order to increase performance. The quality of the IT system being used is found in the accuracy of relevant information produced from these databases and their relevance to the reports being produced in order to determine future tactics. The implementation of a new CRM system will enable Riordan to accurately recall these critical assets, and produce effective reports on demand. While this system will reduce overall cost to the research necessary in gathering this information, the accuracy of this information will save Riordan from costly mistakes of inaccurate data as well as missing critical windows of opportunity for new accounts resulting from that lack of information. Accurate information boosts the image of the organization in the eyes of the customer, as well as the stakeholders in the trustworthiness of Riordan Manufacturing.

SSA Global is a is a part of Infor, the third largest ERP software provider that offers complex CRM solutions that has the ability to help Riordan Manufacturing in achieving its $50 million revenue mark by the end of 2007. SSA Global offers a CRM system that can (a) deliver a single, informed view of the customer, (b) improve customer acquisition rates, (c) strengthen customer retention and loyalty, (d) improve cross-selling and up-selling, (e) boost contact/call center effectiveness, (f) increase sales effectiveness, (g) heighten field service effectiveness, (h) and streamline the quote-to-order process. While the system can be integrated into existing systems, it is recommended that Riordan begin with the full versions of CRM software available. The operating systems that SSA Global CRM software supports include: Microsoft Windows, IBM-AIX, HP-UX, Sun Solaris, Red Hat Enterprise, and Linux.

The flexibility of this system enables Riordan the opportunity to move to the next level in a single step. As the new systems are installed and tested, Riordan sales and marketing staff, as well as management, will be thoroughly trained in the new systems, and producing the reports fitting the needs of the organization.

Speed and accuracy are critical elements related to the success of Riordan through the sales and marketing department. Information is the key to building customer relationships that enable Riordan to offer their products and services better than