SAP Portal implementation boosts productivity and

streamlines business operations

Established in 1953 in the formative years of the
Korean nation, CJ Corporation has evolved into
one of Korea’s leading consumer products com-
panies. With annual revenues of $1.9 billion, CJ
Corporation is the top consumer brand that
dominates the shelves of local supermarkets.
Seeking further growth, this local food giant has
begun executing a carefully crafted diversifica-
tion strategy by venturing into high growth areas
such as pharmaceuticals, film distribution and
CJ Corporation
logistics.
has seen a ten-
fold increase
among executives Business Challenge
in the use of The company’s growth has been matched by the
business intel- need for an information technology (IT) system
capable of serving an increasingly diverse enter-
ligence systems. prise. But when CJ Corporation introduced such a
system—called CJ-DNS (Digital Nervous System)
and based on the SAP R/3 platform—it soon
faced multiple challenges. First, the system was
quickly becoming unwieldy, as extra applications
and features were added with neither consistency
nor structure. Also, the company had a burning
need for an effective Web-based interface; not
only was the existing Web-based intranet diffi-
cult to navigate, it was also not integrated with
the new R/3 platform, and there was no way for
end users to easily access only the information
and applications that were relevant to them.
CJ Corporation was wasting time and operating
costs as employees and customers struggled with
the confusing interface (intranet), which was
plagued by both unreliable performance and slow
response times. Moreover, the lack of a general
governance structure of the company’s IT system
meant that any additional application develop-
ment or implementation would add to the confu-
sion. CJ Corporation needed to act fast.
CJ Corporation teamed with Accenture to create
a convenient central gateway for all of its appli-
cations and services—one that would be suitable
for the particular needs of users, according to
their duties. The solution would also help estab-
lish standards for adding new applications and
features. Accenture was chosen because of its
proven track record with CJ Corporation—
Accenture had successfully implemented the
company’s Knowledge Management System. As a
result, CJ Corporation was confident that
Accenture had the skilled resources, industry
experience and knowledge of CJ Corporation’s
requirements that would enable the joint team to
quickly deliver an innovative solution. Also important: CJ
Corporation knew that Accenture had a close working relation-
ship with SAP, an alliance partner that had provided the plat-
form for CJ Corporation’s IT system.
How Accenture Helped
Accenture saw a solution in portal technology, a pioneering
platform at the time. A portal would provide both a central
gateway and personalized interface—and a standard framework
for future application development. To best leverage the com-
pany’s new R/3 system, Accenture proposed portal technology
by SAP. Also, with SAP Portals, Accenture could speed the
development and reduce costs by using many predefined SAP
business packages without the need for much modification.
Working together with both CJ Corp-oration and SAP,
Accenture created a master plan for the new portal and then
collaborated on its full-scale implementation. It was the largest
implementation of SAP Portal to date.
Accenture helped design the portal’s architecture, define the
functional requirements and analyze the application require-
ments—and Accenture classified all application and informa-
tion into a coherent structure that would enable users quick
access. Accenture designed user profiles so the portal could be
customized for individuals according to their responsibilities or
job description—such as “sales manager-pharmaceuticals.” It
also designed the entire portal management process for CJ
Corporation, including a new organizational structure, job pro-
files and governance model that would help the company best
manage—and leverage—the solution. Finally, in an effort to
minimize disruption to the organization, Accenture guided a
phased release of the portal to various user segments across
the enterprise.
High Performance Delivered
With Accenture’s help, CJ Corporation now benefits from a
portal system that serves approximately 4,000 users—a work-
force that comprises one of the largest user groups of SAP por-
tal technology. The portal is customized to provide individuals
with easy access to the applications and information they
require. For example, a sales manager in household products
could electronically complete a sales order or configure his
portal to regularly provide inventory data or revenue-to-date
figures for a particular product. With convenient web access to
all Human Resources applications, employees can quickly file
benefit claims or submit vacation requests. And everything
from e-mail to meeting management is available through the
portal.
Accenture’s pioneering implementation of SAP Portal is boost-
ing productivity as it streamlines operations. By providing real-
time access to accurate information, the new portal is helping
managers make faster, better-informed decisions. In fact, CJ
Corporation has seen a tenfold increase among executives in
the use of business intelligence systems in their work.
Moreover, sales managers spend less time analyzing raw sales
data for trends and more time on their core competencies.
The portal Accenture helped deliver is innovative for its
breadth: the enterprise-wide system operates across business
units. Now that data can be passed between different depart-
ments, the portal is fostering collaboration that previously was
difficult to achieve.
Because all new enterprise applications and add-ons must be
compatible to the portal’s architecture, the portal has become
an application development standard. The new standard makes
system development and application architecture easier to
manage. Buoyed by such successes, CJ Corporation is consider-
ing expanding the scope of its portal solution to reach con-
sumers and businesses—a move that will multiply the portal’s
many benefits.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology ser-
vices and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering
innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them
become high-performance businesses and governments. With
deep industry and business process expertise, broad global re-
sources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the
right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their
performance. With more than 83,000 people in 47 countries, the
company generated net revenues of $11.8 billion for the fiscal
year ended Aug. 31, 2003. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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