Helping to make a fast company become still faster
Our joint team handled implementing SAP throughout Reebok’s European market-facing businesses, creating a single European business operating on a common process and technology platform.
Reebok is one of the world’s great consumer brands: a world leader in sports, fitness and casual footwear, apparel and equipment under the Reebok, Rockport, and Greg Norman brands and footwear under the Ralph Lauren brand. Reebok has over 20 foreign subsidiaries, sells products in over 140 countries and has worldwide contract manufacturing relationships.
Speed and agility
Reebok competes in fast moving, fashion and performance driven markets, where
coordination of product design, development, sourcing, supply chain, logistics,
inventory management and customer interaction delivers competitive edge. Virtual
teaming with manufacturing, supply chain partners and customers around the world
requires exceptional agility, so enabling technology infrastructure and business
applications are absolutely critical to success. As Reebok CIO Peter Burrows tells
us: “We had to build a business process and technology platform on which a group
of entrepreneurs can thrive.”
Reebok and Capgemini have been ‘collaborative partners’ since the early 1990s
in developing and delivering this business process model. In fact, the process
model itself is branded - Global One Time (G1T) - and is managed as a corporate
asset to define Reebok’s mode of operation across all brands and countries. As
no suitable software existed when development began, SAP joined the collaboration
to build the right sector-specific application. This resulted in “SAP Apparel
& Footwear Solution” (AFS), now the industry standard.
Collaboration in action
Peter Burrows says that Reebok is not a ‘consultant-friendly’ company: “Yet we
have worked with Capgemini for over 15 years!” he adds. “Our relationship is about
quality of people, delivering results and effective collaboration. Capgemini has
great listening skills, yet is not afraid to challenge us when necessary. They
have true global reach and an adaptive approach. Some of the best things we do
each year are not on the plan. We see the opportunity and go for it; so does Capgemini.
Above all, we do not have a ‘them and us’ attitude. We have one team where everyone
says ‘we’- and means Reebok.”
Facing the future
Today, the partnership is implementing the latest software throughout all brands
and locations worldwide. In 2003, our joint team has been busy implementing SAP
throughout Reebok’s European market-facing businesses, creating a single European
business operating on a common process and technology platform. Additionally,
in early 2004, the North American based SAP AFS initiative was launched focused
on Reebok’s footwear and apparel business, as well as certain global processes.
Reebok’s own extraordinary growth record clearly demonstrates the way that speed, agility and use of virtual ecosystem resources can deliver outstanding competitive advantage. Our joint aim is to strengthen that position still further in the years ahead - targeting value, driving change, optimizing our mutual capabilities - as a team.
Written in collaboration with:
Peter Burrows
Senior VP & CIO Reebok
John Avallon
VP, Americas Transformation Consulting leader Capgemini
Jaap Van De Ree
VP, SAP Delivery Manager Capgemini