Project Proposal
Integrating United Stationers Supply Company and Lagasse onto one ERP financial system
Lindsay Scott
Managerial Applications of Information Technology – IS535
DeVry University, Keller Graduate School of Management
May 20th, 2014
Integrating United Stationers Supply Company and Lagasse on one ERP financial system
Proposal
Topic
This proposal will discuss the current separation of financial system platforms between two business units, the problems this separation creates, and will provide a solution. United Stationers (Supply) and its’ subsidiary, Lagasse, currently work off two separate financial database systems. Supply uses the SAP ERP system, while Lagasse uses Trend (an Invue ERP system). This creates inefficiencies within finance and effects our customer and vendor relations.
Brief Bio: Founded in 1920, United Stationers has become a multi-billion dollar company in the office supply distribution industry. In 1996, United Stationers acquired Lagasse, a janitorial, sanitation, foodservice, and disposable products wholesaler. While the office supplies and furniture channels have seen negative growth recently, the JanSan and foodservice channels demand has been growing, creating a need to maximize our market share through customer relations and process excellence.
Problem
After our accounting books are closed in Lagasse’s system, the monthly information is uploaded in SAP. This creates an enormous amount of work for those who have to upload and then tie out the two systems. Also, since Lagasse is uploaded into SAP as a batch upload, there is no transaction level data in SAP, just account balances. In order to do any type of line item or transaction level analysis, Lagasse has to use either Trend data-dumps through FTP or Hyperion queries (which only includes purchases and order transactions, no AP, AR, or GL information) and then tie back to SAP. This usually takes about 2 days between 5 or 6 people. On a more personal
Lindsay Scott
Managerial Applications of Information Technology – IS535
DeVry University, Keller Graduate School of Management
May 20th, 2014
Integrating United Stationers Supply Company and Lagasse on one ERP financial system
Proposal
Topic
This proposal will discuss the current separation of financial system platforms between two business units, the problems this separation creates, and will provide a solution. United Stationers (Supply) and its’ subsidiary, Lagasse, currently work off two separate financial database systems. Supply uses the SAP ERP system, while Lagasse uses Trend (an Invue ERP system). This creates inefficiencies within finance and effects our customer and vendor relations.
Brief Bio: Founded in 1920, United Stationers has become a multi-billion dollar company in the office supply distribution industry. In 1996, United Stationers acquired Lagasse, a janitorial, sanitation, foodservice, and disposable products wholesaler. While the office supplies and furniture channels have seen negative growth recently, the JanSan and foodservice channels demand has been growing, creating a need to maximize our market share through customer relations and process excellence.
Problem
After our accounting books are closed in Lagasse’s system, the monthly information is uploaded in SAP. This creates an enormous amount of work for those who have to upload and then tie out the two systems. Also, since Lagasse is uploaded into SAP as a batch upload, there is no transaction level data in SAP, just account balances. In order to do any type of line item or transaction level analysis, Lagasse has to use either Trend data-dumps through FTP or Hyperion queries (which only includes purchases and order transactions, no AP, AR, or GL information) and then tie back to SAP. This usually takes about 2 days between 5 or 6 people. On a more personal