Hong Kong-based Jebsen & Co Ltd, one of Asia's largest privately owned marketing and distribution companies, has implemented Oracle's E-Business Suite to enhance customer responsiveness and capitalise on opportunities in the Chinese Mainland.

Managing director Helmuth Henning said Hong Kong companies needed to adopt e-business applications and expand customer relations initiatives that would drive their operations in the Chinese mainland. Companies that believe they can expand their business without a Customer Relations Management (CRM) strategy will find the going tough in the large mainland market.

：The level of sophistication in the mainland is growing rapidly and clients are demanding levels of delivery and service which can only be provided by utilising the Internet and advanced business practices,； Mr Henning said.

The Oracle E-Business Suite includes CRM modules to extend the benefits of its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to its clients, and allows the company to interact with customers on a personal level. Benefits also include improved productivity through faster response times, closer customer relationships, and better inventory control.

Mr Henning said for the first time all of the 107-year-old trading company・s disparate systems and processes have been combined into a one low-cost seamless system that connects both suppliers and customers through a single centralised data base.

：The biggest challenge was not the cost of the new system nor its implementation, but to transform a traditional, well-established trading company which had developed a legacy of diverse systems into a state-of-the-art process with a strong backbone on which to grow existing and future business,； Mr Henning said

With a well-planned CRM policy Jebsen & Co will be able to target profitable accounts and launch revenue-generating market campaigns, which are more likely to succeed and capitalise on opportunities from China・s entry in the World Trade Organisation.

Ming Pang, Jebsen・s ERP project and e-business manager, said the real benefit went far beyond IT. For the first time, Jebsen had broken down departmental barriers, and was working as one company. The firm headquartered in Hong Kong and with offices in the mainland distributes a range of commercial goods including the European cars Porsche and Renault, Pentax and Rollei cameras, various wine brands and Blue Girl beer.