Omron reduces, reuses and recycles to optimize IT resources

By Khoo Boo Leong | Aug 28, 2009

0 comments

Delicious

Digg

Email

Print

Omron, a provider of sensing and control technologies in healthcare, electronics and automotive industries, is optimizing IT resources by tapping economies of scale and, wherever possible, reduce, reuse and recycle.

In the Asia Pacific, it operates 17 companies in 9 countries with many rep offices and warehouses scattered across different locations. Its business units include healthcare, industrial automation and electronic components.

“Clearly, IT has to be aligned with the business,” said Lim Keng Hean, senior manager of IT at Omron Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. “Under the current economic conditions, we need to optimize costs and be more sensitive to how we spend money. So, IT looks at the cost components, how we optimize the resources that we have and how we change the things that we do.”

To start with, Omron’s business needs vary across business units. In its electronic component business, for instance, it deals directly with customers who are the manufacturers so cost efficiency in delivering high volumes of goods is important. In healthcare, by contrast, it markets its products through a distributor network.

“So, we have many requirements for communication across countries,” Lim said. “Sometimes, a rep office may need an urgent answer about stock availability to fulfill a quick delivery. Traditionally, we’ll send an email and that could take a long time if the recipient is not around, or we could make an international phone call but that is costly.”

Enterprise IM

Lim’s IT team, which is an internal shared resource, serves multiple small offices and many mobile workers on-the-go. So, communication cost is a challenge. While there are many instant messaging (IM) tools available, Lim decided that only enterprise IM will do.

Being a user of Lotus Notes for more than 12 years, it was natural for Omron to take advantage of the Sametime 6.5 collaboration tool which is bundled with Notes even though that means forgoing advanced features like web conferencing and whiteboard sharing available in Sametime 7.5.

“Commercial IM like Skype or Yahoo may pose infrastructure or security challenges, compliance issues as well as the liability of inappropriate use,” said Lim. “Also, IM and SMS are not popular in Japan. So, it was difficult getting acceptance for IM there.”