Active
Intelligence Accelerates Fast Retailing
The
Company
Established in 1984, Fast Retailing's UNIQLO
brand has become one of Japan's hottest
outfitters by providing clothes that inspire
people of all ages, nationalities and walks
of life to dress casual. Fast Retailing
does this by offering fashionable, high-quality
items at the most reasonable prices possible—clothes
that suit active modern lifestyles and enable
wearers to express their own personal styles.
To accomplish this, Fast Retailing manages
all facets of its operations, including
product planning, development and design,
procurement of raw materials, production,
distribution and sales, allowing it to minimize
costs and ensure high quality. Fast Retailing
continues to seek innovative ways to ensure
UNIQLO's future as Japan's best-loved casual
brand. Fast Retailing operates over 500
UNIQLO clothing stores in Japan and has
recently expanded into the UK market with
four store which opened in September 2001.
In additions to retail stores, UNIQLO products
are also sold via catalog and the Internet
allowing customers to buy from anywhere
and at any time.
The
Challenge
Uniqlo expansion into China required a unique
accelerated implementation of Oracle Retail (Retek) Merchandising
solution to support its expanding operations
in China. Software and systems localization
combined with cultural differences in retailing
provided a challenging environment for Oracle Retail (Retek)
integration. A multi-cultural integration
team was need to provide expertise on installation,
configuration and rapid implementation of
a Merchandising solution product suite.
The
Solution
Active Intelligence was selected by a local
Japanese integrator, NS Solutions a member
of the Nippon Steel group to provide formal
education in both the functional and technical
aspects of the Oracle Retail (Retek) product suite. Active
Intelligence also led the implementation
initiative by conducting a fast track Conference
Room Pilot (CRP) which identified the gaps
between Fast Retailing's requirements and
the Oracle Retail (Retek) solution. During the implementation,
Active Intelligence also provided insight
into North American retail best practice's
as well as Oracle Retail (Retek) subject matter expertise.
We also co-led the implementation of RMS
for Fast Retailing in China where the Solution
was implemented in 9 months. Active Intelligence
also provided Functional and Technical Leadership
for CRP, Interface and Conversion, Technical
Architect to set-up Development and Production
environments, and Functional and Technical
Training. In addition to local on-site experts,
Active Intelligence also provided remote
technical support and remote subject matter
experts in the areas of RMS and RSS from
consultants based in Active Intelligence's
Toronto office. |
