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The challenge of simply keeping the Oracle E-Business Suite up and running

13-11-2017
The name Geesinknorba is already part of MCX' client portfolio since 2009. And, Geesinknorba is not just any company, as this producer of refuse collection vehicles, portable and static compactors can look back on 140 years of history in the waste management industry. Since its inception Geesinknorba focuses on the development, production, sales and maintenance of innovative solutions. The headquarters of this global player are located in the Dutch city of Emmeloord. We are talking to Wietze Dam, technical manager at Geesinknorba, about his experiences with MCX and the Oracle E-Business Suite.
 
Phasing out Oracle
Geesinknorba uses nearly all modules of the Oracle E-Business Suite, with the exception of the engineering module. Approximately 150 employees are working with the system on a daily basis. As a result of various acquisitions over the years, multiple ERP packages existed within the organisation, creating the need for a single platform. Eventually, the Oracle E-Business Suite will be replaced by SAP.  
 
Stability
Wietze: "At the time we had an enormous issue with stability, partly due to the legacy hardware. It so happened that the system would be down for an hour a day, which was simply unacceptable. Partly due to the planned transition to a new ERP system, we decided not to implement further upgrades to the Oracle E-Business Suite. The modules and databases just needed to be up and running, and accessible." Geesinknorba therefore tried to find a partner who could do exactly that.
 
Challenges for MCX
At the start of the collaboration MCX faced two big challenges. There was the old software, as well as the rather unstable servers. "We could transfer the technical management to MCX. As this was not our core business, it was a very good decision. The Oracle E-Business Suite was transferred to MCX' hardware in a Private Cloud, with Linux as the operating system, where appropriate. That provided immediate stability, meaning the system is down only sporadically.
 
Keeping the Oracle E-Business Suite up and running
A 100 percent stability cannot be guaranteed, which is not surprising given the old software. MCX still needs to put in a lot of work to keep the systems up and running. There are the occasional hiccups in communication between the new hardware and the old software. "Regardless of the problem, MCX will always find a solution. They think proactively and take a pragmatic approach to the specific problems we have. Our department still consists of three staff and it is important to have a number of tasks performed by specialist to guarantee continuity."
 
Successful collaboration
"Unfortunately, our collaboration with MCX is coming to an end, and I am sure we will miss the MCX team. Despite the fact that they have grown in recent years, the communication lines have always been short and things have always worked to our satisfaction."