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Wind River"Before Nsite, requisitions were getting lost, and when people were away on business or vacation, approvals were taking weeks."

Robert Andersen, Senior Finance Manager, Wind River

Overview

Wind River Inc. is the global leader in Device Software Optimization. The company's software solutions are used in a broad range of electronics devices, such as VCRs and cell phones, and by multiple markets, including aerospace and defense, automotive, digital consumer, industrial, and network infrastructure. Wind River has operations around the world and annual revenues in excess of $235 million.

Process automation is critical to any large organization. This is particularly true in a company as decentralized as Wind River, whose 1,100 employees operate out of 16 countries. Two years ago, Wind River began using a business process automation solution from Nsite Inc. to manage procurement of office supplies, PCs, temporary manpower, and consulting services. The goal was to automate a process that had been performed manually through the use of email, spreadsheets, and paper forms, and which had become a significant bottleneck.

"If a purchase is for more than $50,000, it must be approved by the department manager, the finance manager, a vice president, the director of finance, and the purchasing manager," said Robert Andersen, Senior Finance Manager, Wind River. "Before Nsite, requisitions were getting lost, and when people were away on business or vacation, approvals were taking weeks."

"With Nsite, we can easily adapt our processes to meet changing business requirements."

Robert Andersen, Senior Finance Manager, Wind River

Self-Service Ease of Use Speeds Flow of Information

Business process automation has helped to make procurement more efficient and visible at Wind River. Company employees are able to initiate requests for purchases from their desktop by accessing the Web-based solution. They can also check the status of in-process requests, sign off on purchases, or assign authority to another user. The technology solution began paying dividends almost immediately. Wind River can now collect 10 signoffs in less than a day.

Not only has the technology solution helped to speed the flow of information through the enterprise, it has enabled an auditable purchasing process, too. When suppliers call to inquire about a payment, the purchasing manager can instantly determine the status of the requisition and the pending approvals. The tracking capability has even given Wind River an early leg up on Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.

Meeting Changing Business Requirements On Demand

Wind River recently deployed Nsite to handle other processes, including those for deal approvals, which often involve special terms and discounts, and for employment offers, which have to be approved by as many as eight different parties. "In a purchasing situation, time is of the essence," said Andersen. "A request that is approved quickly can result in an early payment discount from the vendor." Today, Wind River processes more than 5,000 requisitions each year with Nsite.

"With Nsite, we can easily adapt our processes to meet changing business requirements," said Andersen.

Benefits to Wind River

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