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Sobieski implements efficient, future-proof solution
Grupa Sobieski, a Poland-based manufacturer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, recently decided to shake up its IT infrastructure by replacing its heterogeneous legacy software with an end-to-end system. The aim? To consolidate applications and data on one strong, future-proof platform. The means? An integrated SAP-based solution. The result? Reduced complexity, lower costs and greater flexibility.
At a glance
A member of the French-owned Belvedere Group, in Poland known as Grupa Sobieski is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers and distributors of alcoholic beverages. The organization, headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, comprises several entities, each responsible for a different product or product range. The company’s most successful brand is Sobieski vodka – now the seventh most popular vodka in the world.
In the past, the drinks-maker operated solely in the European market, with a particular focus on Eastern Europe. However, its has recently expanded into the USA and Asia and is seeing particularly rapid growth in the USA. The world-wide ambassador of the Sobieski brand is Hollywood star Bruce Willis.
Grupa Sobieski has several production facilities, including located in Starogard Gdański (Northern Poland) and Łańcut (South-East Poland). It employees a workforce of 2200, and in 2008 posted revenues of almost 250 million euros. The company is committed to providing high-quality products at attractive prices and achieving operational excellence through optimized processes.
- rationalized processes through simpler management
- increased efficiency through uninterrupted business operations
- improved cost transparency thanks to continuously mapped processes and BI integration
- reduced expenses for IT, partly due to outsourcing of hardware
- flexible response to changing demand situations, e. g., in the Christmas trade
Solution
The comprehensive SAP solution comprises a variety of applications and modules and touches all business processes across the group. It provides much-needed integration, enabling employees to access different types of information within a single system.
The software is hosted on T-Systems’ servers at a nearby data center. And the ICT experts are responsible for operation, management, development, maintenance and support for all elements of Sobieski’s IT landscape. As a result, the liquor manufacturer can concentrate on distilling, marketing and distributing its beverages – while T-Systems ensures high availability, optimum performance and maximum security of its mission-critical applications.
Customer benefits
Since go-live of the first phase of the project, Grupa Sobieski has been reaping the benefits of its new-look, harmonized IT. Information now flows freely across the enterprise, and all employees, from factory workers to senior management, can work more efficiently. In the past, for example, staff had to extract information from multiple systems to produce a report. Now, they have everything they require at their fingertips, greatly reducing the time it takes to perform such tasks.
What’s more, by outsourcing its entire architecture to T-Systems, Grupa Sobieski has trimmed its IT spend, for example by reducing hardware costs. As a result, the company has freed up capital to invest in innovations and business growth. In addition, it now pays a fixed monthly fee for its IT infrastructure. This ensures complete cost transparency and enables better planning, as there are no unexpected extras.
Grupa Sobieski is currently putting the finishing touches to the second phase of the project, which includes support for CRM, business intelligence and human resources. Once this is completed, Sobieski will enjoy better, more straightforward relationships with its customers, easier access to key metrics, and more streamlined personnel processes. The drinks manufacturer and distributor was not looking for a quick one-off fix to its IT headaches: it wanted a long-term partnership. And during their first joint project, Grupa Sobieski and T-Systems developed a strong relationship – based around a common commitment to achieving positive results. This is something the two companies hope to continue well into the future.
