Accenture supports global business transformation program at fast retailing

Accenture announced that it has supported the successful delivery of an information technology (IT) transformation program at Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

According to spokesmen, the improved IT infrastructure will help Fast Retailing strengthen its management processes through enhanced visibility across its global enterprise, and more efficient and standardized business processes. The new technology will also help Fast Retailing to achieve its plans for rapid global business development.

The “G1 Project,” on which Fast Retailing Group and Accenture have collaborated, is in support of the retailer’s “Fast Retailing Way” strategy of developing multiple brands, such as Uniqlo, both in Japan and internationally. The project aims to improve business processes across both function and geography, in order to achieve the Group’s goals of “Group One / Global One” and “management by all.”

In April 2009, Accenture developed the structure and approach for the IT transformation at Fast Retailing, and in September 2010, the resulting system started operation in four countries. During the system development, Accenture teams in Japan, Asia, North America and Europe worked closely to mitigate the challenges created by legal or tax variations between different geographies.

Below are the three key factors to establishing a corporate IT structure that flexibly and swiftly supports Fast Retailing’s business that continues to expand globally.

1) Use of cloud infrastructure

Accenture moved a number of Fast Retailing’s front-end functions, such as mail, portals, and common functions to a cloud environment in order to quickly adapt to business needs. Activities such as expense claims and payment requests were configured on Salesforce.com’s Force.com platform. This has been integrated seamlessly with Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle Hyperion Financial Management.

2) ESB-based integration hub

Accenture provided an integration hub infrastructure on an ESB (Enterprise Service Bus), absorbing differences in master code and accounting practices in the overall system, which included both legacy systems and new systems. This ensured prompt connectivity with external systems, enabling step-by-step improvement during the transition period and support for business growth through future M&A.

3) Oracle E-Business Suite configured on Oracle Exadata v2

The enterprise backbone system Oracle E-Business Suite was configured on Oracle Exadata v2, which makes it possible to process huge volumes of information and supports global operations that run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Additionally, Oracle Hyperion Financial Management was rolled out for management accounting and budget control.

“To implement the globally unified, company-wide management concept adopted by Fast Retailing, we needed a provider possessing not only a detailed knowledge of the industry, but also advanced delivery capabilities in the management accounting field, from planning and design to system integration and operation, said Makoto Toyoda, Group Executive Director, Fast Retailing.

Following the success of Fast Retailing’s G1 Project, the company plans to work with Accenture on the development of a global IT transformation for the retailer’s merchandise management, data warehousing, sales and services, and production and logistics management, in order to further enhance business processes across its

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