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July 2001 Panasonic Deploys Nationwide Oracle-Based Service Management System EL SEGUNDO, CA-Transnational Computer Technology (TCT) of El Segundo, California, announced today that it has completed installation of its SARA (Service And Repair Automation) service management system in 30 Panasonic Services Company (PASC) facilities located throughout the United States. The move is one of the world's largest deployments of a distributed client-server software for service operations. SARA replaces PASC's 13-year old mainframe-based legacy system. The new implementation integrates all parts of the PASC service process under one umbrella, combining the work of five different applications that had been using disparate technology platforms. Headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey, PASC began deploying SARA in the latter part of 2000 at all the factory service centers that support Panasonic's consumer electronics products in the United States. The company is also now using SARA to manage service operations for Panasonic's Broadcast and Television Systems Company and the Panasonic Digital Imaging Company. Like other service software products built by TCT, SARA is entirely Oracle-based, using the Oracle database replication technology. TCT has been developing service applications since the late l980's and has gradually expanded its customer base in the consumer electronics industry to include such major companies as Motorola and Panasonic. According to Ravi Kumar, TCT's Vice President of Product Development, the software house decided to build the all-purpose SARA in the mid 1990's, a move that represented an important shift of direction on the company's part. "We already had several service applications on the market, each dedicated to handling a particular set of functions," Kumar says. "But manufacturers were starting to look for a comprehensive service system, and we felt that the best way to increase market share was to build a new-technology total package that integrated all service functions. "Now, with this Panasonic deployment, it looks like our change of course made good business sense," Kumar adds. "We have a proven product that can handle every aspect of service for any manufacturer of serialized products and can talk with any ERP system already in place, including Oracle and SAP applications." Kumar also emphasizes SARA's flexibility and ease of use: "You don't need to be a programmer to introduce changes into the system," he says. "Anyone familiar with the way it works can quickly adapt SARA to new business requirements. That's the kind of flexibility that marks the new generation of service management software. The technical advances are there, the engines are more powerful, but the emphasis is always on making sure that the customers can easily drive the system where they want it to go." About Panasonic Services Company: Panasonic Services Company is a unit company of Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company and is a division of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America (MECA), as are Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company and Panasonic Digital Imaging Company. MECA is the principal North American subsidiary of Japan-based Matsushita Electric Industrial CO, Ltd, (NYSE: MC), one of the world's largest producers of electronic and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use. For additional information about Panasonic Services Company, visit www.panasonic.com About Oracle: The Oracle Corporation is the world's leading supplier of software for information management. The company offers its database, tools and application products, along with related consulting, education, and support services, in more than 145 countries around the world. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. For more information about the Oracle Corporation, visit www.oracle.com. |
