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Westvaco Essay

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Introduction This report is going to highlight the major events over the history of the MeadWestvaco Corporation. It particularly demonstrates how the MeadWestvaco used information systems to bring together the companies Mead and Westvaco into one integrated company and further explains the detailed implantation of ERP along with the related issues and challenges. MeadWestvaco is a global company that serves almost 29 countries and is responsible for packaging, specialty papers and chemicals. It also manufactures consumers and office products. Most of their business goals revolve around sustainability as they are constantly trying to develop renewable and ecological materials, and reduce the use of fossil fuels as well as the emissions of …show more content…

The company had been using a shared-services vision, where purchasing, finance, and information resources were provided via shared services that left the divisions with the customer-facing work. Therefore, Mead used the entire suite of SAP modules except human resources and installed a recent module, Advanced Optimization Planning (AOP), which handles all planning and scheduling. However, SAP was not the perfect solution as it unified the company, but it was a large and complex system and it required strict adherence to its rules. ERP was experimental in 1995; reverse auctions and Web applications were experimental in 2002. Implementing ERP has leveraged resources and central design and thus solved many of the problems and issues the company used to struggle with. ERP helped in easy decision-making as if a business unit wanted to make a change, they needed to have conversations with the others, in terms of what was good for the whole. "The answer might not be reached as quickly, but it is a more effective answer," states McGrane. Standardization and globalization has forced real business discussions to occur as well as

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