Oracle Customer Case Study Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published September 2007 Cummins India Accelerates Learning with Customized Training Cummins India Limited Kothrud, India www.cummins.com/in Industry: Industrial Manufacturing Annual Revenue: US$384 million Employees: 2,500 Oracle Products & Services: Oracle University Oracle Financials Oracle Cash Management Oracle Fixed Assets Oracle Purchasing Oracle Inventory Oracle Order Management Oracle Master Scheduling Oracle iSupplier Oracle Manufacturing Oracle Service Oracle iStore Oracle iSupport Oracle Depot Repair Oracle Projects Oracle Advanced Pricing Oracle Quoting “The trainers from Oracle University were very good. They were knowledgeable about our business and showed us how to better use the Oracle software to improve management and boost efficiency. We would not hesitate to use Oracle University again.” – Sunil S. Bandal, General Manager, ERP Solutions, Cummins India Limited U.S.-based Cummins Inc is the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of engines. The company established a subsidiary in India in 1962, which today manufactures a variety of engines operating on diesel, natural gas, and dual fuel. Its engines are used for a wide range of applications: power generation, construction and mining, compressors, locomotives, oilfields, fire pumps and cranes, and automotive and marine products. In July 2006, Cummins India kicked off a project to upgrade its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to the latest version of Oracle E-Business Suite. The company was well versed in Oracle, having used a range of Oracle applications since 2000, and wanted to take advantage of new functionality in the latest product suite. Because its staff were already familiar with Oracle, Cummins India decided to focus training on new features of the Oracle software. The company engaged Oracle University to conduct in-house training for 125 employees over 50 days, covering 24 modules in the first phase of the program. Oracle University devised a customized two-phase course that focused on specific skill sets. The training program familiarized staff with the latest release of Oracle E-Business Suite, ensuring they could make full use of the improved system when it goes live in September 2007. The positive experience has convinced Cummins India to use Oracle University to train staff whenever it installs new Oracle modules. Oracle Customer Case Study Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published September 2007 Key Benefits: Gained in-depth system understanding by engaging the vendor to provide training Exposed staff to new features in upgraded system ahead of the go-live date, ensuring high take-up rate Enhanced skills and knowledge of experienced staff with customized training that focused on specific skill sets Reduced costs by using the first group of trainers to tutor colleagues on the new system A Source of High Quality Education As an engine manufacturing, distribution, and service business spread across a large country, Cummins India recognized early on that it needed an advanced ERP system to manage its operations. The company installed Oracle E-Business Suite 11.0.3 in 2000–01 to oversee financial, manufacturing, distribution, and customer relationship management. At that time, Cummins India conducted in-house training on the appropriate modules. The experience was highly successful, with excellent take-up of the system and a solid understanding among staff of the benefits of moving to an electronic platform. When time came to move to the latest release, Cummins India turned to Oracle University to train developers and other technical staff, the core Oracle application support team, and super users from business groups. “These people were part of the earlier implementation, and we wanted to provide top quality training for them,” said Sunil S. Bandal, general manager, ERP solutions, Cummins India. “They are going to contribute to the new processes and new solution design, so it was important that they had a thorough understanding of the new features of the Oracle software.” In the first phase, Oracle University trained 125 employees in-house on 24 modules, including applications from Oracle Financials, Oracle Distribution, Oracle Customer Relationship Management, and Oracle Manufacturing. Oracle ran courses over two to four days, depending on the scope of the training. Because these employees had used Oracle applications for the past six years, Cummins India was looking for a higher level of training that would enhance their knowledge. “The project team members are very familiar with Oracle so we didn’t want to waste time learning the basics again,” explained Bandal. “We asked Oracle University to develop a customized program that included training in specific skill sets. The aim was to learn about the new features in the latest release and find out how we could apply them to our business.” In addition to customizing the training program, Oracle University ensured Cummins India received training from its preferred instructors. Oracle Customer Case Study Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published September 2007 “Oracle University offered a flexible training schedule that allowed us to move programs when our preferred trainer was not available,” said Bandal. “This is not typically the case with other vendors, so we appreciated that they could accommodate our request. “Staff were happy with the quality of the training,” he added. “The trainers from Oracle University were very good. They were knowledgeable about our business and showed us how to better use the Oracle software to improve management and boost efficiency.” The training was divided into two phases: the first phase was undertaken in parallel with the new Oracle installation in July 2006 and lasted 50 days. The second phase will commence in November 2007 and be completed over 16 days. This training is for key end-users from each business group. Super users have begun training end-users on the new features ahead of the go-live date in September 2007. Why Oracle? Cummins India has a strong relationship with Oracle stemming from its six-year history with the company. Cummins India engaged Oracle Consulting to advise on the initial implementation, relied on Oracle Support to maintain the system, and made use of Oracle University. These experiences have been largely positive, so the company did not hesitate to select Oracle again for the new installation. “Going to another vendor or a third-party trainer would not have served our purpose,” said Bandal. “Our staff know how to use the Oracle software and they will not tolerate being taught by instructors who are inexperienced in the software. “Oracle owns the product and their people have been thoroughly trained in the applications,” he said. “If we want to learn about new features and new ways to use the system, there is no better organization to teach us than the vendor itself. We have already recommended Oracle University to another Cummins India business that is implementing the Oracle solution next year.” Copyright © 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published September 2007 Oracle Customer Case Study Advice from Cummins India Organize training to take place before or in parallel with any system installation. This equips staff with the basic skills they need to navigate and make best use of a system during the solution design phase. Provide customized training for users who have prior knowledge of the system so they can expand their skill base and learn new ways to extract value from the solution. Cummins India offers manufacturing, sales, and after market support for a variety of engines operating on diesel, natural gas, and dual fuel. Its engines are used for a wide range of applications: power generation, construction and mining, compressors, locomotives, oilfields, fire pumps and cranes, and automotive and marine products.