Unilever Deploys Master Data Management to Support Global Strategy

Unilever implements SAP AG's NetWeaver Master Data Management (SAP NetWeaver MDM) component to support five countries in the Asia/AMET (Africa, Middle-East and Turkey) region. With 400 brands spanning the food, home and personal care industries, Unilever believes it requires a unified view of master data to remain agile, and quickly address changing business needs while maintaining strong local market performance.

"Our success as a company depends on good information and keeping things simple," says Chris Turner, chief technology officer, Unilever. "To improve our performance further still, we need to become more efficient in all areas of business and SAP will help us in IT. SAP understands our need for an accurate, harmonized view of the business at all levels, utilizing all data sources. This is the first step in moving our master data to SAP's platform, providing us with consistent information about the products, materials and organizations we deal with, while also providing flexibility for both regional differences and to accommodate changes in the way we may operate in the future."

Following implementation for suppliers and products at locations in Turkey, South Africa and in the Middle East, Unilever has seen improved data accuracy, which will deliver more accurate metrics and reporting and will provide a better basis for a global view of enterprise business objectives and performance indicators. The implementation will also result in cost reduction by simplifying the IT environment through elimination of redundant systems. Additionally, SAP NetWeaver MDM future-proofs Unilever's information base, said to allow flexibility to respond to changing business models, product portfolio and organization.