Background
A $3.5 billion publicly owned domestic and international manufacturer of dairy food products for the retail grocery industry — now the largest manufacturer of milk products in the country, built through rapid acquisitions with a small Dallas corporate office and powerful, self-contained regional offices worldwide.
Situation
Following a major Dallas acquisition, ownership decided to move two companies into one new location. In February 1999, it was discovered that none of the company's locations had started their Y2K project — with six major computer systems, over 4,000 PCs, 200 servers, and 50 ladder logic control systems needing evaluation and upgrades before year end. Financial data from all six regions also needed to be consolidated into a single set of statements, alongside a search for a new ERP system.
Solution
With CEO-level buy-in secured, we assembled corporate and local teams for a rapid Y2K push, building a central website to share information and shortcut redundant work across identical regional systems. Consultants traveled the country for specialized ladder-logic inspections, procedures were standardized, and a single corporate project manager controlled all communications. We built a new data center from the ground up to support three companies in one location and moved all three corporate offices within 3 months. With Deloitte & Touche, we implemented Hyperion to consolidate six regions into a single corporate financial statement, and evaluated the company's needs for a new ERP system.
Results
By the end of October 1999, every facility had completed its Y2K project and returned documentation for SEC filings. Hyperion was selected and active within 9 months, producing consolidated financial statements. To close out the year, JD Edwards was selected over Oracle and BPCS as the company's national ERP solution.
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