Pactiv Corporation
Manufacturer and distributor of food packaging and foodservice products.
The Challenge
Pactiv Corporation was faced with a sales data reporting problem after the merger of other packaging units from Mobil, Amoco and Tenneco Packaging.
Each of the companies issued their own sales reports containing unique customer names, product names and other data specific to each of the companies.
The post-merger company wanted to report sales data as one consolidated unit.
The challenge we faced was to combine the data and present one unified view of historical and future sales activity.
In addition, the company wanted to ‘push’ the sales reporting out to their field reps in order to make them more informed and more productive.
The Solution
Working closely with the company’s data warehouse team, Ultra’s ERP Project Team designed a reporting system that delivered each reps respective sales activity to their pc.
Not only did Ultra design the reporting system, but we also designed the delivery system and trained all the users on how to use the system to be more productive.
In collaboration with Pactiv executives and IT professionals, Ultra Corporation technicians consolidated all legacy data from the three original entities (Tenneco, Mobil, and Amoco) into one secure data repository or data warehouse.
This data warehouse would be the cornerstone of an Executive Information System (EIS) that would give Pactiv management the Business Intelligence (BI) foundation to easily access and analyze their past and future data.
The Results
- Consolidation of data into a secure repository
- Consistent, up-to-date Sales Reports to successfully manage sales objectives
- Timely sales data into the hands of field-based Sales Representatives
- End users trained and supported in using analytical tools and reports
- Executives empowered with quick access to Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and Trend Analysis reports for proactive management of sales objectives
About the Company
Continuous innovation has secured Pactiv's place as the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of food packaging and foodservice products, supplying packers, processors, supermarkets, restaurants, institutions and foodservice outlets across North America.
Since their founding in 1965 as Packaging Corporation of America, they have focused on producing and distributing the highest quality foodservice packaging products. Their product lines today include custom and stock foam, plastic, aluminum, pressed-paperboard, PE coated board, and molded-fiber packaging.
Benefits of Ultra Consultants
As a direct result of the success of this project, the scope of the project was expanded to include Ultra's technicians designing a data delivery and reporting system whereby sales data and reporting could be “pushed” to Pactiv sales representatives in the field.
This system pushed each sales representative’s respective sales history and activity to their laptop computers via an e-mail that automatically updated their data. Ultra Corporation’s Technical Services Group subsequently trained all of Pactiv’s users on the data delivery system and currently manages the system’s help desk.
More than 150 Pactiv users enjoy the increased efficiency and productivity from Ultra’s regular updates on the sales activity in their territories.
Software selection and implementation processes often present challenges of their own. To steer you around trouble and help you drive success, Ultra’s experts compiled a list of pain points and solutions to be aware of as you embark on this journey.
