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Dhahran January
5,2002
– Last week was a banner week for Saudi Aramco, for Information
Technology and for the hundreds of people who had been involved with
the SAP Project, some for the past six years.
It was the day of
the “Big Bang” as SAP functions went live for several vital Saudi
Aramco Functions.
Abdullah S. Jum‘ah,
Saudi Aramco president and CEO and a staunch supporter of the SAP
implementation, pronounced the Big Bang a significant milestone in
the company's history.
“Since I joined the
company on April 1, 1968, I have witnessed the introduction of
hundreds of computer systems designed to automate and optimize
company processes, keep down costs and maintain internal controls,”
he said. “This Project has identified all these processes,
documented them and changed them to comply with the best practices
available in the world. The project provides Saudi Aramco with brand
new engines designed to carry the company for the next 60 years.”
And with the Big
Bang, most of the massive SAP project is complete — some of it a
full year ahead of schedule.
Ahmed M. Al-Zayyat,
general manager of the SAP Computer Center, said, “The SAP
Implementation in Saudi Aramco has replaced over 170 non-SAP
systems, about three fourths of the company’s systems
infrastructure. What is even more remarkable is that the project has
continued to deliver set milestones on time, in full.”
He added that the
main reason for the successful on-time implementation was the
world-class performance by Saudi Aramco and Atos Origin staff. Atos
Origin was the company’s main SAP implementation contractor for the
project.
“The overall
dedication and hard work displayed throughout the project by our
team was a significant factor in the success of the project,” Al-Zayyat
said. “Many worked above and beyond the call of duty.”
One of SAP’s most
essential applications is management of Saudi Aramco‘s enormous
hydrocarbon product line. It does this through its Hydrocarbon
Management Module ( HCM ) The HCM manages the supply of every
product produced by Saudi Aramco and sold in Saudi Arabia. That
includes gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, asphalt, sales gases,
specialist gases, sulfur, fuel oiland crude oil.
The Finance Module
establishes an integrated financial management system that provides
a global picture of the company’s financial resources and cash
flows. For example, a purchasing transaction performed by Aramco
Services Co. in Houston in Materials Management automatically
produces accounting transactions within Financial Accounting and
Controlling in Dhahran In addition to the implementation of all core
SAP modules is the parallel implementation of e-procurement,
ebanking and e-cataloging services.
The commissioning of
modules in the Big Bang on Dec. 29 completes most of the project.
The few remaining components are slated for completion by July 2002.
Open items, in addition to the conversion of old contracts to SAP,
include the completion of bar coding in the Dhahran warehouse and in
warehouses in other areas and inspection incidental to Project
Management.
Saudi Aramco Vice
President of Information Technology Ibrahim Mishari said: “It is a
job well-done, but there is more on the horizon. SAP II is part of
the capital budget and will address areas that were not in the
original scope of work because the software for them was not
available at the time or because the company was not doing that
particular function at the time the project began.
“I would like to
compliment those who have worked on SAP. They have achieved such a
high level of expertise that in December of this year, after
rigorous testing, SAP acknowledged the Saudi Aramco SAP Computer
Center as a SAP Competence Center with the wherewithal to be a SAP
consulting company,” Mishari said. “This certificate is a tribute to
the quality of the knowledge the group has assimilated over the past
five years. We have tremendous talent that has been used to move the
company into the 21st century. Congratulations.”
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