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Ascential Advances H.B. FullerDemand-Driven Supply Networks

H.B. Fuller Company has standardized on Ascential Software's data transformation solution for enterprise data integration in order to gain a single view of its business and enhance supply chain visibility. The manufacturer of adhesives, sealants, coatings, paints and other specialty chemical products is using Ascential DataStage to power data warehousing projects across the enterprise, providing H.B. Fuller with the accurate, ontime information required to effectively improve supply chain management, including the demand-driven manufacturing process.

H.B. Fuller uses Ascential DataStage to access, transform and load data from disparate inventory and customer information sources into its enterprise data warehouse. Executives use the information for sales status, raw material forecasting, budget consolidation, and anticipation of price changes and inventory requirements to suppliers. By integrating both internal and third party data to develop a single view of supplier and product data, the company is able to lower operational costs, maximize profitability and gain a competitive advantage. In addition, the Ascential Software solution gives H.B. Fuller a basis for certainty in making business decisions.

H.B. Fuller has also utilized the data integration solution for its internal Lean Six Sigma program that focuses on process improvement. Lean Six Sigma is a rigorous and disciplined methodology that uses data and statistical analysis to measure and improve a company's operational performance by identifying and eliminating inefficient or non value added processes.

"As we continue to expand our operations globally, the need for a unified view of data becomes critical for our supply chain-and customer service- oriented processes," said Brian Sjoquist, director of Enterprise Data Management and Customer Solutions at H.B. Fuller. "With Ascential DataStage, we have been able to overcome the challenges and complexity of working with multiple data formats and standardize on data in an efficient way. Also, with the Ascential Software solution we have been able to identify trends, such as the top 20 customers, the top sales personnel and areas where sales needs to become more aggressive. Prior to using Ascential DataStage, we needed to access 20 separate databases to compile these statistics."

"Manufacturers such as H.B. Fuller face intense global competition, constant pressures on revenues and profits, and the need to bring innovative products to market in as short a time as possible," said Thracy Varvoglis, executive director of industry solutions at Ascential Software. "With more than 500 manufacturing companies using Ascential Software enterprise data integration solutions, we are continuing to find ways to help manufacturers optimize material sourcing, inventory control, demand forecasting and other key supply chain processes."

Ascential DataStage enables companies to tightly integrate enterprise information, regardless of the sources, targets and timeframes. Whether an organization is building an enterprise data warehouse to support the information needs of the entire company, building a "real-time" data warehouse, or integrating multiple source systems to support strategic business systems such as CRM, SCM, ERP, BI/analytics, and e-business, Ascential DataStage helps ensure the success of enterprise data integration initiatives.