Powering up the globe
(February 2003)
Delta Electronics, a world-leading producer of power supply systems, enhances its global e-business platform using Dell servers and storage
Challenge: Re-engineer traditi3onal operating processes to improve business efficiency and lower cost of operations; enhance e-business support and address evolving demands for greater system collaboration
Solution: Intel® XeonTM processor-based DellTM PowerEdgeTM servers and Dell PowerVaultTM storage systems running the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Advanced Server operating system
Benefit: Greater efficiency in IT procurement and system selection, improved business efficiency, reduced operational costs, and enhanced end-user experience
Countless electronic components compose the technologies we rely on each and every day—from the cell phones in our pockets to the computers on our desks. Although most of us never think about the bits and pieces within these devices, Delta Electronics, Inc., has devoted its business to them. Serving the computer, telecommunications, and networking industries, Delta Electronics is a world-leading producer of power supply systems as well as one of the top information and communication equipment assemblers and a pioneer of rear projection display technology.
Employing more than 25,000 staff, Delta Electronics maintains a headquarters in Taiwan, production facilities in China, and sales offices in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Over the years, the company has evolved into an e-enterprise to meet the growing demands of its operations and customers around the globe. However, the company sought to accelerate this transformation by extending its enterprise resource planning (ERP) and e-commerce solutions. To support these applications, the company deployed Intel® processor-based DellTM PowerEdgeTM servers and Dell PowerVaultTM storage systems.
Figure 1. The Delta Electronics IT infrastructure includes Dell servers and storage
Dell: Supplying hardware power
Delta Electronics felt that extending its ERP and e-commerce solutions would help to effectively integrate and better support its growing worldwide operations and customers.
The company scoured the market for the right hardware before deciding on Dell. The key considerations were price/performance, service, and brand awareness. Of these considerations, the company deemed price/performance the most important. Delta Electronics felt that even a marginal difference in price/performance ratio could considerably reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) for its business, which has an extensive customer base.
Service credibility and brand awareness were also important to help ensure product quality, seamless deployment, extensive support services, and maximum return on investment (ROI). Dell met these strict criteria and was able to satisfy the operational demands and system requirements of Delta Electronics.
"The Dell PowerEdge servers are winners in terms of performance, reliability, scalability, and availability. Furthermore, Dell can customize systems to fit into our special requirements within the shortest period, providing us with industry-leading, advanced, and high-performance solutions at the best prices," says James Ju, director of the Delta Electronics MIS department.
The direct business model: Conserving energy
In addition to selecting Dell products because of their quality and performance, Ju was impressed with the company's ability to deliver new hardware in two weeks or less. He also preferred the Dell direct business model because it enabled effective communication and prompt resolution.
"The more we do business with Dell, the more we like their direct model. Their business approach gave us the assurance that the products we buy are the most competitive in terms of pricing and support services," says Ju. "Dell knows us well and understands our requirements, so we can do business with them easily and efficiently."
By delivering products quickly, Dell has helped Delta Electronics become more effective in IT procurement and system selection, enabling the company to provide improved service and develop better relationships with its customers. To date, Delta Electronics has deployed Dell storage systems and Intel processor-based Dell servers, desktops, and laptops. The company continues to work closely with Dell to develop a higher level of trust and confidence in the effectiveness of the Dell direct model.
The implementation: Giving business a jolt
Delta Electronics chose to deploy its ERP and e-commerce applications on Dell PowerEdge servers with Intel XeonTM processors. These servers ran the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Advanced Server operating system. In addition, the company used Dell PowerVault SCSI disk storage enclosures.
By running the ERP and e-commerce solutions on Dell servers and storage systems, Delta Electronics was able to enhance e-business support and address evolving demands for greater system collaboration. This capability allowed the company to successfully re-engineer its traditional operational processes for improved business efficiency and reduced operational costs. The Dell infrastructure also helped Delta Electronics to achieve better integration and cost sharing with key customers and suppliers.
Furthermore, the company's end users praised the service capability and commitment throughout the implementation process as well as the Dell service quality. According to Ju, the customer-driven focus and responsiveness of Dell has greatly eased his IT department's workload. End users enjoy greater stability and reliability with the high-performance IT infrastructure.
Lessons from Dell: A powerful future
As Delta Electronics continues to reap productivity and technology gains from its relationship with Dell, the company seeks to extend this relationship by leveraging the Dell e-business leadership position. "Dell is a leader in e-commerce. We hope to learn more best practices from them to formulate our strategy and develop stronger relationships with customers," says Ju.
To Delta Electronics, Dell is both a hardware provider and a technology consultant, helping the company build a strong and flexible IT architecture to support its growing business.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
http://www.dell.com/servers
http://www.dell.com/storage
