Oracle Customer Success—TechNova Imaging Systems (P) Ltd.

Established in 1971, TechNova Imaging Systems (P) Ltd. (TechNova) is a leading global manufacturer of total imaging solutions for the graphic arts industry. TechNova offers complete, integrated solutions that include consumables, systems, software solutions and services for the print, publishing, packaging, textile, engineering, signage, and photo industries. The company is also the pioneer of the Go Green revolution in the Indian printing industry.

TechNova has four major lines of business, with three lines specializing in imaging-product manufacturing, such as digital and analog printing plates and processing chemistry. The company’s trademark digital print media products include offset laser and inkjet printing applications. The fourth line of business focuses on marketing digital imaging solutions for the prepress printing segment.

In 2001, TechNova implemented Oracle’s JD Edwards 7.3.3 as the enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform for its three manufacturing lines. With support for JD Edwards 7.3.3 scheduled to end, TechNova wanted to reinforce its IT strategy and determine the right ERP platform for future business support.

TechNova decided to adopt a big-bang approach and overhaul the entire IT ERP infrastructure platform. The company implemented the Oracle Optimized Solution for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne running on SPARC T4 with Oracle Solaris and Oracle WebLogic Server. The solution provided a highly available, secure, and scalable ERP platform, and enabled the company to complete reports up to 3x faster, enhance inventory visibility, and improve operational efficiency for supply chain operations.

TechNova was the first company in India to deploy Oracle Optimized Solutions for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne.

• Ensures High Availability While Reporting up to 3x Faster

  TechNova was using multiple vendors, including IBM servers and Microsoft products, to support its ERP platform. The company also needed to upgrade its legacy operating system and database, which were at end of their support and could no longer support the ERP system. It was also time-consuming to manage multiple-vendor systems and coordinate with each vendor to resolve issues.
  
  By implementing Oracle Optimized Solution for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, TechNova transformed from a multivendor IT environment into a single-vendor platform, ensuring full, strategic support from Oracle and eliminating future lapses in assistance from multiple vendors.
  
  “Oracle Optimized Solution for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne is a complete, fully tested, and tuned architecture, and we know what to expect right out-of-the box. With a single point of contact for resolution of all issues, it is much easier to manage and meet our business requirements with multiple locations and websites. It saves us time and costs,” said Piyush Kapadia, CIO, TechNova Imaging Solutions, Ltd.
  
  Using JD Edwards EnterpriseOne running on SPARC T4 with Oracle Solaris, TechNova gained a reliable, secure, and scalable ERP platform and ensured 24/7 availability for its business-critical supply chain operations, as the system can scale up to 1,200 users. It also accelerated the data processing speed for its ERP system. As such, managers can generate critical reports, such as manufacturing work orders, production planning, and financial reports, up to 3x faster.

• Improves Data Accuracy and Enhances Decision-Making with Real-Time Data

  Before implementing JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.1, TechNova used an older version of JD Edwards to record manufacturing transactions and used in-house applications and spreadsheets to record other transactions, such as financials, and administration. It was time-consuming and error-prone when consolidating all business transactions, causing significant time lags to produce plant performance reports each year.
  
  With JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.1, TechNova is moving towards integrating all business transactions (excluding human resources)—including manufacturing, financials, and procurement— into a single JD Edwards ERP platform. The company now has real-time data instead of waiting for two to three days for information. This deployment also enhanced data accuracy across all four lines of business and provided better support for management decision-making.
  
  “Our integrated ERP platform gives our management team more confidence in business data and decision-making. We have also seen a big cultural shift as staff members will now be accountable for data being up-to-date in the system. This is a huge benefit for us,” Kapadia said.
  
  TechNova is also building dashboards for plant and finance managers that will enable instant access to manufacturing activity data to enhance decision-making for back-end operations and the shop floor. The new ERP platform will also provide managers with dashboards to view their current activities and pending approvals, and it will help provide faster responses and better service to customers.
  
  “For example, a shop floor manager may involve a senior manager in a decision for modifying a customer’s order which requires extensive searches and inquiries in various systems. With the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne dashboard, shop floor managers access real-time customer order data and can confidently make a decision,” said Madhu Parmar, technology adviser, TechNova Imaging Solutions, Ltd.

• Enhances Inventory Management and Improves Cash Management

  With  JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Inventory Management, TechNova achieved an integrated view of inventory across 15 regional distribution centers, channel partners, and customers.
  
  “Previously, our distributors and channel partners would hold respective inventories to service their customers, resulting in multiple locations for handling and storing inventory. With an integrated ERP platform, we can now fulfill inventory and servicing needs at each regional distribution center. It enabled us to control and optimize inventory levels across all dealers instead of the distributors, and it improves total cash flow management,” Parmar said.
  
  Also, Technova uses JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Supplier Self-Service for order management efficiency and to minimize inventory costs. The company is working to simplify and integrate its workflows, such as for purchasing approvals, by using JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Procurement and Subcontract Management. This enables staff to focus on more strategic tasks and improve operational efficiency. Finally, TechNova’s customers can now place orders and view the status and shipment dates through JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Customer Self Service, significantly improving customer experience.

• Gains Control Over Supply Chain Operation, Increases Staff Productivity

  In a bid to deliver better quality of service and enhance its competitive edge in the industry, TechNova offers same-day delivery for orders placed before 10 a.m., and next-day delivery for orders placed after that. In addition, TechNova needed to ensure the delivery truck has the correct entry gate pass, as each state has a different entry requirement for cross-border transportation within the country.
  
  “By customizing JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Transportation Management to our manufacturing environment, we have the ability to execute our delivery promise. We now simply need to print the entry pass and give it to the transporters, eliminating the complexity of paperwork and increasing staff productivity,” Parmar said.
  
  In addition, TechNova’s IT team also customized JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Transportation Management to simplify the complex billing processes for each state across the country and gained the ability to customize invoices for overseas and domestic customs requirements.
  
  “For example, we can merge the bills for all lines of business into a single export invoice for overseas customers but bill separately for local customers. With JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, we have the flexibility and the capability to control our business better,” Parmar said.

• Enables Anytime, Anywhere Access; Increases Competitive Advantages

  Using Oracle WebLogic Server, TechNova’s staff can access real-time data anytime, anywhere, rather than needing a dedicated office-based computer or laptop. It also seamlessly integrates with Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and enhances mobility for future business innovations. For example, TechNova plans to build an e-commerce platform and sell its consumer products in a business-to- consumer or business-to-business environment.
  
  “We believe we are the only company in India to offer vendor-managed inventory at the customer site. With Oracle WebLogic Server and customized JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Warehouse Management, our vendors or customers have greater visibility into their transactions and can instantly view the materials status on site. This delivers an unparalleled competitive advantage as no other competitors are offering the same service and capability in our industry,” Kapadia said.