Client: Antalis, Europe’s leading distributor of paper, graphics and packaging solutions Challenge: Deploy a common application platform to support Antalis' subsidiaries throughout Europe, involving many different languages and cultures. Solution: A CSC-developed reusable deployment kit for SAP-based ARIES enterprise information system. Results: All aspects of four parallel projects were completed on time, creating local synergies in logistics; further implementations are planned in Europe. For more information: Contact us and let our experience help you produce results.

Antalis, a leading distributor of paper, graphics and packaging solutions, wanted to deploy a common application platform to support its subsidiaries across Europe. The company turned to CSC to provide a uniform rollout concept and implement its platform in Eastern Europe.

New system for accelerated growth
To achieve its position as the world’s fourth largest — and Europe’s largest — distributor of paper and communication support materials, Antalis has undergone rapid expansion and major organizational changes in a relatively short time period. The company’s priorities going forward were to accelerate its business strategy and strengthen its organization. As a first step toward these goals, Antalis chose to deploy the enterprise information system ARIES (Antalis Roll-Out Integrated European Systems). A core model was developed using SAP software with the aim to introduce the system progressively to each of the company’s subsidiaries.

In spring 2005, Antalis found that the initial deployment phase, which involved implementing ARIES in France, Switzerland and Belgium, was taking longer and costing more than expected. “Our deployment approach was relatively crude,” recalls Philippe Ménillet, chief information officer of Antalis. “Even though we had defined core processes and deployed them in a number of countries, our methodology was not sufficiently clear and we were reinventing the wheel with each deployment.”

In May 2005, Antalis asked CSC to develop a uniform deployment concept for the next steps of the ARIES program. “The solution had to be rolled out quickly in Belgium in order to learn from that project and lay the foundation for future implementations, notably in Poland by September 2005,” says Ménillet.


A highly complex project
The project's initial phase was diagnostic; CSC’s team designed a reusable deployment kit including the required tools and methodology. From a technical standpoint, CSC was responsible for the rollout or implementation of seven different applications. These included Group SAP R/3 solution, integrated into a regional application architecture composed of a warehouse management system, a transport management system, a product configuration solution and the Antalink e-commerce platform.

From a human resources standpoint, CSC had to coordinate the work of 40 consultants and liaise with 60 users of eight different nationalities. Furthermore, ARIES was scheduled for deployment in four countries (Poland, Lithuania, the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic) with a wide variety of cultural, linguistic and regulatory frameworks.

These factors meant the project had to be meticulously prepared and flawlessly executed — all the more so because it involved mission-critical business activities. There was absolutely no room for error.


A customized approach
Building on the lessons learned from deploying the solution in Belgium, CSC’s project team devised an implementation blueprint. CSC’s project leader, Guillaume Rivet, explains: “The organization structure put in place gave us control of all the critical activities necessary for the project, such as logistics, master data management, data migration and user training. Master data management was particularly important if we were to achieve the expected regional synergies.”

As principal coordinator for the ARIES project, CSC was responsible for Group solution deployment and implementation of the local software tools. The uniform rollout concept ensured that all aspects of the project were completed on time. “Also, after system go-live, we immediately noticed a major difference in relation to previous projects. The system was stable almost immediately and there were no last-minute mishaps or system errors. External consultants were able to move on to classic maintenance activities within four to six weeks of go-live, instead of spending several months on site providing post-implementation support, as had previously been the case,” says Ménillet.

Within a few weeks of go-live, the first operational benefits associated with the new solution began to emerge, namely the development of local synergies in logistics and the completion of a new phase of an enterprise-wide program.

Further implementations of ARIES are planned in Germany, Spain and Scandinavia. The acquisition of Map Merchant Group (Europe’s fourth-largest paper distributor) in early July 2007 propelled Antalis to the No. 1 position in its industry in Europe, adding a new direction on the company’s ARIES roadmap.