Assgmnt 11: Chapter 12. Shell Canada Fuels Productivity with ERP

Shell Canada is one of the nation's largest integrated petroleum companies an is a leading manufacturer, distributor and marketer of refined petroleum products.

QUESTIONS:-

1. How did ERP helping improve business operations at Shell?
 Enterprise resource planning helping improve business operations at Shell to integrate and manage its daily operations that span from wells and mines. To processing plants , to oil trucks and gas pumps.
For example, ERP system has helped the company greatly in terms of reducing and coordinate the highly manual process of third-party contractors submitting repair information and invoices.

2. How could extended ERP components help improve business operations at Shell?
 ERP solution improve business operations at Shell by providing an integrated web-based service order, invoicing and payment submission system. Because before this, the information was not timely and it was often weeks or even months old by the time it made it into the payment processing system. Thus, Shell was not collecting sufficient information about what repairs were being done, what caused the problem and how it had been resolved.
However, with the ERP system the contractors can also enter detailed about the work that was performed and sometimes even attaching photo and drawings to help describe the work that was done.

3. What advice would you give Shell if it decided to choose a different ERP software solution?
In my advice, if shell decide to choose a different ERP software solution, they can use to handle other operational tasks. For example, the system can help speed up maintenance and repair operations at the company's refineries. They can use ERP system to access these things directly from a centralized database.

4. How can integrating SCM, CRM and ERP help improve business operations at Shell?
Application such as supply chain management, customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning system are the backbone of e-business. It's the key to success for many companies. Thus, it can help improve business operations at Shell for 
SCM - Sales forecasts, sales strategies and marketing campaigns
CRM - Market demand, Resource and capacity constraints, and Real-time scheduling.
ERP - Forecasting, Planning, Purchasing, Material management, Warehousing. Inventory and Distribution.

Shell does not only use ERP system to help business operations but also using SCM system to integrate sales for Shell company and CRM system to help in market demand.
With these system, employees across the company have gained fast and ease access to the tools and information they need to conduct their daily opertions.