More about the customer and its challenges
Grupo Colón Gerena, faced significant operational challenges due to fragmented technology systems. Prior to Oracle’s intervention, the company was juggling multiple accounting systems across its 15 legal entities, which included popular franchises like Wendy’s, Applebee’s, and Olive Garden. This fragmentation led to cumbersome and error-prone manual data consolidation, slowing down reporting and hindering efficient decision-making.
The turning point came post-Hurricane Maria in 2017. The disaster highlighted the vulnerability of their local systems to physical damage and power outages, emphasizing the need for a more resilient solution. The realization that a cloud-based system could provide not only enhanced security but also streamlined operations catalyzed their decision to upgrade.
Choosing Oracle ERP Cloud was a strategic move, aligning with their long-standing relationship with Oracle and the promise of seamless integration across their diverse portfolio, which included both restaurant and real estate operations. The cloud-based system offered consolidated reporting, reducing the hardware maintenance costs, server maintenance, and licensing fees. Notably, the automatic quarterly updates ensured that their systems remained current without additional costs.
One critical aspect of the Oracle solution was its no-customization approach, which allowed Grupo Colón Gerena to adopt best practices built into the system, further streamlining their processes. The integration of procurement and inventory management into the system facilitated a direct reflection of transactions in the General Ledger, enhancing efficiency.
Overall, Oracle’s cloud solution was instrumental in not only overcoming operational inefficiencies but also in empowering Grupo Colón Gerena to focus on innovation and growth, post the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Maria.
¿Why did Grupo Colon chose Oracle?
Grupo Colon Chose Oracle for several reasons, long-Term Relationship, Their existing long-term relationship with Oracle made the transition smoother for their 6,500 employees. Familiarity with Oracle’s systems ensured a seamless integration for both their restaurant and real estate businesses.
Also they found attractive the consolidated reporting. Oracle’s comprehensive system allowed Grupo Colón Gerena to integrate all their companies into one system. This feature offered immense benefits for management analysis, providing consolidated reporting across different business units. Additionally, cost Reduction in IT, they noticed a significant reduction in costs related to hardware maintenance, server maintenance, and server licensing. The implementation of Oracle’s system brought financial benefits and streamlined IT operations.
Regular Updates was another reason for choosing Oracle’s ERP system. It includes quarterly updates, which are done during downtime and do not incur additional costs. This keeps their system up-to-date without extra effort or expense. Likewise, no customization needed because Oracle came with built-in best practices, eliminating the need for customization. This allowed Grupo Colón Gerena to maintain an up-to-date system effortlessly.
Adding to the reasons, procurement and inventory efficiency was a key point in decision making. The integration of procurement and inventory within Oracle’s system streamlined their entire process from purchase orders to inventory valuation, directly reflecting in the General Ledger (GL). Further, overall efficiency and cost savings by implementing Oracle Cloud with Fusionworks exceeded their expectations, improving efficiencies and generating cost savings. It allowed them to focus on innovation rather than day-to-day operations.
Finally, integration with other systems, Thanks to Fusionworks, they could integrate data from various systems like HR and POS, reducing the time for data upload into their ERP system; Resilience during adversities because after Hurricane Maria, their cloud-based finance systems played a crucial role in maintaining business continuity. The cloud infrastructure provided security and stability during a critical time; and future-ready infrastructure facilitated the standardization of business processes, aligning them with modern best practices. This prepared them for future acquisitions and business expansions.
In summary, Grupo Colón Gerena’s decision to choose Oracle was driven by the need for an integrated, efficient, and resilient system that could streamline operations, reduce costs, and provide scalability for future growth. Their long-standing relationship with Oracle and the successful partnership with Fusionworks further solidified their choice, proving Oracle’s ability to meet complex business needs in a challenging environment.
“Oracle’s robust solutions transformed our operations, offering unmatched efficiency and scalability. It’s a game-changer for our business growth.”
Ramon Vazquez, CTO
Results
Grupo Colón Gerena, a prominent restaurant management company in Puerto Rico, overseeing brands like Wendy’s, Applebee’s, and Olive Garden, has experienced significant business benefits from implementing Oracle’s solutions. This integration, facilitated by Fusionworks, has brought about measurable improvements in key performance indicators (KPIs), system performance, and overall operational efficiency.
For example, cost Reduction in IT, the shift to Oracle has led to tangible savings in hardware maintenance, server maintenance, and server licensing. This financial efficiency contributes directly to the bottom line. Along with, streamlined processes, by integrating procurement and inventory systems within Oracle, Grupo Colón Gerena has optimized its supply chain, directly impacting the general ledger with real-time data accuracy. As well as scale and efficiency by Managing 116 restaurants and approximately 6,500 employees, the company has effectively consolidated its diverse operations under one system, facilitating streamlined management and decision-making.
Furthermore, the company improved resilience whith the cloud-based nature of Oracle’s solutions as they proved invaluable during Hurricane Maria, ensuring business continuity despite widespread infrastructure damage. This resilience highlights the system’s robustness and reliability.Still they had enhanced productivity and innovation by the automation of key processes has freed management to focus on innovation and strategic growth, rather than being bogged down by daily operational tasks.
Finally, Grupo Colon Genera found the best practices and no customization when adopting Oracle’s built-in best practices has standardized operations across the company’s diverse portfolio, enhancing overall operational efficiency and compliance, also improving collaboration and data integration with he ability to integrate data from HR, POS systems, and other sources has streamlined operations at the restaurant level, significantly reducing the time and effort required for data management.
By addressing the specific challenges of managing a large and diverse restaurant portfolio, Oracle’s solutions have provided Grupo Colón Gerena with a robust, scalable platform that not only supports their current operations but is also well-positioned to facilitate future growth and acquisitions. The Oracle solution has clearly enhanced the company’s resilience, efficiency, and strategic agility. This success story serves as a testament to the versatility and effectiveness of Oracle’s products in the demanding and dynamic field of restaurant management.
Sobre la implementación
Fusionworks, a prominent technology consulting firm in Puerto Rico, has been a trusted partner of Grupo Colón Gerena since 2002. The firm recently accomplished the implementation of Oracle ERP Cloud for Grupo Colón Gerena, completing the project within a nine-month timeframe. This collaboration highlights Fusionworks’ expertise and dedication to delivering high-quality solutions, ensuring a seamless integration of the system that improved functionality and user experience. For more information about Fusionworks’ services and their successful partnerships, visit Fusionworks’ website.