Pharmaceutical joint venture implements Scala 5.1 to standardise business processes across 6 countries, and gain Euro complianceLondon, 12 June 2001: Scala Business Solutions today announced that Galderma, the global pharmaceutical company, has signed a corporate agreement to implement Scalas back-office software in Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, the UK and Belgium. Until now, Galderma ran several different systems worldwide and this unnecessary complexity forced the company to operate multiple business models. Therefore, the company took the decision to standardise business processes wherever possible in one common model worldwide. With outdated technology, outgrown systems, the complexity of supporting various systems, as well as an urgent need to implement a Euro-compliant system in the Eurozone, Galderma started their selection process early this year.We chose Scala because of their international presence and support capabilities, said Bill Mackenzie, Organisation and Methods Manager for Galderma. We found that Scala offers a global product with localised versions that comply with the legal requirements in the countries in which we are located together with good general functionality and a solid pharmaceutical customer base. Their excellent Euro-compliant accreditation was also a very strong reason for selecting Scala.Scalas back-office software can safely be used for Euro conversions. It received full EMU accreditation by BASDA (Business and Accounting Software Developers` Association) for the whole process triangulation and conversion in March 2000. It is multi-lingual (translated into more than 30 languages) and designed to support the worldwide currency requirements including the Euro of global companies. By standardising our business processes on Scala we will be able to increase operational efficiency, noted Mackenzie. Our goal is to contain the cost of system support allowing our affiliates to concentrate on growing their business. We are confident that Scala will help us achieve this goal.According to Andr Isral, Vice President Operations for Scalas Western European region, this latest contract demonstrates Scalas suitability for the pharmaceutical industry as well as preparedness for the Euro. While more than 75% of our customers are already adopting Euro capabilities, a recent survey from the European Commission found that in all but two Eurozone countries, fewer than 1.5% of businesses had switched their accounts to Euros. Therefore, it is refreshing to meet and work with a company like Galderma which clearly sees the need to prepare now in order to complete implementation and testing in time, he said. There are major business benefits to be had from the single currency, such as a smoother financial cycle for cross-border trading, as well as price transparency across subsidiaries. Scala`s role is to give companies the technology to support this through the implementation of a standard system in any country. Our aim is to make global business simple, and this project highlights that we are achieving our goal for businesses worldwide.
