Annual Report 2010 (PDF, 5.2MB) - Panalpina Annual Report 2012

Sustainable Growth
Information Technology
62
Information Technology: Driving change at Panalpina
As a global company, Panalpina sees its IT platform as a tool to drive productivity
and quality. By utilizing state-of-the-art technologies, Panalpina’s customers
can be serviced with greater transparency, speed and a higher level of data quality,
which ultimately results in greater value to them.
System integration across a global company
Outlook for 2011
A key challenge for any global company is the management
of information across different locations, time zones, languages
and perhaps most importantly, IT systems. With its
dependence on a global network of subcontractors who
perform essential services on behalf of the company, this
management is particularly crucial for Panalpina. The company
has deployed systems worldwide to enhance collaboration
and the integration of data with its subcontractors.
Much of Panalpina’s IT strategy has focused on building
an IT platform that can efficiently collect, compile, and
integrate the vast amounts of data that drive its operations,
in a manner that improves operational efficiencies and
increases productivity. Examples of this include the worldwide
rollout of a Documentation Management System
that is fully integrated into Panalpina’s application landscape
and operational processes. Other examples include
systems that integrate cross-docking processes into
Panalpina’s core business applications, speeding the flow
of materials through warehouses and ensuring that customers
receive high-quality, efficient service.
In 2011, Panalpina will continue to implement a new standard
release of the SAP Transportation Management (TM)
platform that will include the “Ocean Freight” system, a
state-of-the-art enterprise freight-forwarding and logistics
system. SAP TM will be rolled out throughout the Panalpina
Group in the coming years.
Also in 2011, a global standard Event Management System
will be developed, replacing existing legacy applications.
This will further expand the company’s ability to proactively
support all business scenarios brought forward
by Panalpina’s customers and will enable the expansion of
new services that can be offered. A key goal of this new
system is to increase the transparency and quality of data,
reduce the need to manage data manually and increase the
supply chain visibility for customers in a real-time manner.
Another focal point is the ongoing development of the
supply chain management application suite which aims
to provide Panalpina’s industry verticals with tailor-made
supply chain solutions.
At the end of 2009, a new Management Information System
was implemented to provide Panalpina’s business units,
partners, and customers easier access to data and improve
the control mechanisms for data quality and security. The
objective was to consolidate financial reporting, shipment
information, customer-relevant information, and the measuring
and monitoring of key performance indicators into
one integrated infrastructure, enabling integrated management
from the level of the individual business units all the
way up to the corporate head office. In 2010, this system
was rolled out further, and worldwide training was carried
out for all business areas.
Lastly, collaboration, content management, and knowledge
management is a huge challenge for all companies due
to the intrinsically heterogeneous technology landscape.
To address this, Panalpina will implement a Integrated
Standard Business Platform (ISBP) with the goal of improving
internal and external collaboration, facilitating the
exchange of information, and building up a centralized
knowledge management platform.
Panalpina Annual Report 2010