The Challenge: How to stay free of in-house tech services in the Age of IT?
Back in 1997, Anaheim, Calif.-based Targus Corp. was a leading global supplier of mobile computing cases and accessories with some serious organizational challenges ahead. Manual and paper processing systems still abounded, employees were working off personal email accounts and the company had three separate applications tied together into a patchwork global system. Targus had no IT department and regionalized deployment, and management of the IT environment was causing inefficiencies that cost time and human and financial resources. In order to knit their disparate systems together into a cohesive whole, company executives realized they needed to centralize their IT environment to take Targus to the next level of productivity. However, they maintained the desire to stay free of the bounds of both an in-house ERP app and an in-house IT department, which led them to consider outsourcing their entire ERP system to a specialized provider like OneNeck Corp.
The Solution:
After getting the contract from Targus in December of 1997, Scottsdale, Ariz.-based OneNeck developed and deployed a centralized technical environment including a global WAN as a backbone for Targus' corporate-wide email system. It also configured and implemented Baan finance at Targus, following that implementation up with Baan distribution and logistics online (customizing both apps to reduce manual input errors and to enable automation of Targus' freight management solution).
Within 20 months of contract commencement, Targus found itself with an entirely centralized and globalized IT environment. The implementation of the Baan systems allowed this computer accessory manufacturer to:
- Manage 50 global trading partners (with no manual intervention)
- Close each month in a more timely and accurate fashion
- Enable worldwide visibility for inventory and production scheduling
- Streamline and build distribution without corrolary increases in headcount
Ten years later, OneNeck remains Targus' IT outsourcing partner and continues to enable growth and expansion efforts.
Targus Facts
- 400 users at 45 locations
- Offices on every continent with distribution in 145 countries
- ERP solution: Baan IVc
- EDI solution: TLE 5.1
- Logistics solutions: TRA/X, Clippership
- Technical environment: WAN/LAN, Web Services; Unix, Oracle & SQL databases
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