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SAP Challenge: a new financial accounting module for a new division

It’s not every day that a new business unit is added to Philips, so it presents a unique opportunity for implementing a SAP financial accounting module starting from a blank sheet of paper. Paul Nijenhuis (43), Functional Team leader for Financial Control, is actively involved in meeting this challenge for a new ‘Consumer Healthcare Solutions’ division that is set to become one of the most significant in the company. Paul stepped over from the financial world to IT in 2001, so he has first-hand knowledge of what the project involves. He commented, “In the financial world, things are not changing as rapidly as in other functional areas. This means that it is quite a challenge to implement such a major change”.

His team has evaluated the functionality of the ‘New General Ledger’, which is one of the very latest SAP modules. The team is currently preparing a demo prototype environment to be able to show users what the new functionality is all about, and what it brings in terms of benefits. “People need to know what they are getting”, said Paul. The project has already passed a number of milestones, the first of which was convincing the highest financial management in the company to accept New General Ledger as the standard for financial accounting in the company, and to secure budget. The demo is the second milestone, and the rollout into the Consumer Healthcare Solutions division is the next phase. Eventually, it will be rolled out for the whole organization.

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