Choosing a server is one of the most important decisions any
company can make, it determines its effectiveness, efficiency and
productivity of a company
IBM PC Server 704s keep Grammer AG in the driving seat
To keep pace with new and highly demanding applications to better
run their (just In Time) JIT production schedules, improve their
response rates and better service their customers, Grammer AG
turned to the powerful IBM PC Server 704. Grammer AG, based in
Amberg, Germany, has implemented applications such as SAP R/3,
Oracle and Microsoft Office running on a Microsoft Windows NT
Server platform to drive its business intelligence solution.Leaders
working with leadersRenowned for technological excellence in
ergonomic seating solutions, Grammer AG is a worldwide manufacturer
in the design industry. Working with leading motor companies,
Grammer AG's seating products are used in many areas: cars, trucks,
buses, tractors and building machinery - it has even supplied seats
for the new German ICE high-speed train. Most major motor and
utility vehicle manufacturers have implemented a Just In Time (JIT)
production schedule strategy and Grammer AG turned to IBM to
compete with its competitors. IBM PC Server 704 systems running
Microsoft Windows NT with SAP R/3 were rolled out to meet customer
requirements and to improve Grammer's internal operations and
processes.Until recently, a mainframe system sat at the heart of
Grammer's IT infrastructure, running a Production Planning System
(PPS) application and other applications for accounting and human
resources. Although Grammer had been very satisfied with this
system, it was impossible to reengineer it to include the new,
complex enterprise resource planning applications that were needed
to meet the demanding JIT requirements. Additionally, with the need
to adapt to the European Monetary Unit (EMU) in 1999 and the Year
2000 issues to be faced, Grammer knew that it was time for a
technology overhaul.Enter IBM PC Server Systems and SAP R/3Gunnar
Blodig, IT manager at Grammer AG, set very high standards for the
new hardware. It had to offer not only a high level of performance,
power and integration, but it also supports the mission critical
SAP R/3 applications essential in meeting the company's objectives.
Grammer's complete deployment combined 13 IBM PC Server 704 systems
running Microsoft Windows NT Server, SAP R/3 and various software
applications.Reliability and manageability were critical for
success. IBM's high performance Serial Storage Architecture (SSA)
hard disk storage and the IBM PC Server 704's proven track record
were determining factors in Grammer's decision to revamp its
technology. The IBM PC Server 704 offered a strong platform for
Grammer to build its application-serving environment while SAP R/3
made the most sense when it came to the best plan for its business.
"We were looking for something to cover all fields such as
commercial applications, human resources, or PPS throughout the
whole company. International support for all components was very
important to us, because we are a presence in every part of the
world," Blodig explains. SAP R/3 will allow Grammer to meet the
demanding universe of close cooperation with motor vehicle
manufacturers and integrate the flow of data and information
throughout its worldwide operating group via datamining, datamarts
and datawarehousing.The best choiceGrammer AG's choice to implement
an IBM solution was reinforced by its systems integrator - Memorex
Telex. "(The team at) Memorex Telex was very clear in its
endorsement of IBM. We compared the hardware against benchmarks
that we had derived from the host-centered (mainframe) world, and
the IBM PC Servers were unequivocally the best. We asked other
vendors for equally powerful hard disks, and some said that such
fast hard disks were not available on the market."In addition, the
implementation has been a favourable learning experience for the
Grammer AG information technologies team, "We are building the new
IT infrastructure using our experienced mainframe people and they
show terrific motivation and involvement. They are looking forward
to the new world, because it's a new future for them, too. We rely
upon IBM as part of that team. We know IBM, we know their people
and together we always find a way of getting things done."After
Grammer's complete rollout of the SAP logistics modules, scheduled
for 3rd Quarter 1998, nearly 500 IBM personal computers will be
connected to the network. At that point, system fine-tuning will be
conducted to enhance system resiliency and implement Microsoft
Cluster Server software.
Mike Burkitt