May 2017 saw the completion of the upgrade of the iScala ERP solution to its most recent release 3.0 for the German based leading Science & Technology company Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (Merck). It covered 19 subsidiaries of the group in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Mindbox’s offer was selected as the most advantageous in terms of the proposed timing, cost and mode of performance, as well as the years-long successful business relationship and cooperation between Merck and Mindbox. Another important factor was Mindbox’s extensive experience in complex information technology projects of global reach. Mindbox specializes in supporting businesses using Epicor software, including the iScala system among other products.

1. Case Study Merck

2. Case Study Merck
Migration to the most recent release of
iScala (3.0) for Merck KGaA, a leading
Science & Technology company.

3. May 2017 saw the completion of the upgrade of the iScala ERP solution
to its most recent release 3.0 for the German based leading Science &
Technology company Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (Merck). It
covered 19 subsidiaries of the group in Europe, Asia, Australia and the
Middle East. Mindbox’s offer was selected as the most advantageous in
terms of the proposed timing, cost and mode of performance, as well as
the years-long successful business relationship and cooperation between
Merck and Mindbox. Another important factor was Mindbox’s extensive
experience in complex information technology projects of global reach.
Mindbox specializes in supporting businesses using Epicor software,
including the iScala system among other products.
Case Study Merck

4. The iScala system has been used by Merck for more than a decade. It is a
solution for smaller subsidiaries within organization (Tier II). Business
process handling and system use have been standardized. Support for
450 simultaneous remote users is provided by the Global Scala Team
based in Darmstadt, Germany and in Singapore.
iScala at Merck

5. Given that the implementation was required for a pharmaceutical
company, some specific industry requirements had to be taken into
consideration, such as legal restrictions, data security and other
potential threats. The migration was from release 2.3, no longer
supported by the vendor for some time, to the most recent release 3.0.
The system is customized for Merck’s requirement by some 120
modifications, hundreds of reports, OLAP cubes, and documents.
Project objectives and
characteristics

6. Work efficiency is ensured by intensive communication and data
exchange between iScala and other systems, both internal and those of
business partners, via more than 100 interfaces. All these elements had
to be transferred to the new release and then tested with maximum
precision. The primary objective of the project was to change the
technological platform with minimum disturbance to the business
operations.
Project objectives and
characteristics

7. From the business and technological points of view, the migration was a
very important step. Its benefits included:
• Ensuring the continuity and stability of business operations for the
next five years;
• Reducing legal risk and related expenses;
• New supported technology;
• Increased system flexibility through extended range of functionalities
in the new release.
Key benefits of the migration

8. „As regards our ERP strategy, we believe that Global Scala ensures our
business stability for the next five years. This will enable us to focus on
building new generation ERP systems at Merck. We have seen once again
how much we can achieve together and what power can be generated by
our cooperation.”
Anthony Peckham,
ERP Program Manager, Merck
Key benefits of the migration

9. The paramount objective was to complete the project with minimum
disturbance to the business operations. Given the complexity and
geographical reach of the system, the task required detailed analysis and
precise planning. Areas critical for successful project completion
included:
• High degree of system modification;
• Geographical dispersion and cultural differences, with respect to both
users and project team members;
• Procedures specific to the pharmaceutical industry.
Risks involved in the project

10. The migration project, which took over a year, was completed by
Mindbox with the support of a dedicated team appointed by Merck. As a
whole, the project was scheduled for 16 months. At the very outset, the
timeframes for all successive stages were specified. One of the greatest
challenges posed by the project was the geographical dispersion of the
project team (over 20 people in 10 countries) and end users (18
countries). A definite majority of the work was done on a remote basis.
The success of the project was possible only due to precise planning and
rigorous project management.
Implementation process

11. The implementation process was completed in four major stages. During
the first one, the Mindbox team completed the migration of all the
technical components of the system. The phase was concluded by a test
migration and a one-month period of internal tests. The pilot migration
was carried out in Sweden. It was then rolled out in groups ranging from
four to eight countries, in three successive phases. Each included a test
migration, user acceptance tests, the final migration, and post-
implementation support.
All the project phases started and ended as scheduled.
Implementation process

12. „The migration has been a complete success. The system is stable and
the whole complex upgrade process has been performed correctly.”
Wai-Leng Cheng,
Merck Service Delivery Manager, Global Scala
Implementation process

13. Implementation process

14. After completing all the scheduled activities, the system is running
without any perceptible changes to the user while its operation is faster,
more effective and safer, and more importantly, it offers an array of new
possibilities to improve the operating efficiency of the business.
Project results

15. „The project was completed achieving all of its objectives without any
unforeseen downtime in business operations. This is the outcome of
excellent cooperation between our team and Mindbox, who have shown
great professionalism in the face of complicated technological
challenges.”
Anthony Peckham,
ERP Program Manager, Merck
Project results

16. Contact
Mindbox SA
Powiśle Business Centre
Ul. Wiślana 8, 00-317 Warszawa , tel +48 22 486 31 56
info@mindboxgroup.com