Akzo Nobel wanted to improve the quality and reduce the lead time of Year-End reporting for their Coatings Business Unit The project was undertaken with heavy involvement from Akzo Nobel together with consultants, designers, software engineers and a project manager from Atos Origin and was completed on time.

The Fast Close project was structured in a number of clusters to analyze issues and design solutions and best practices for each cluster. Subsequently solutions and best practices were rolled out to each organizational unit with the emphasis on improving business processes and gaining the full participation of Akzo Nobel employees.

The benefits soon became clear. All of the deadlines for Reporting Units and Business Units were met and all of the participants and users in the project appreciated the new models. Via two quantum leaps, the lead time for Year-End reporting was reduced by 40% in two quantum leaps whilst significantly reducing overtime working. Akzo Nobel, based in The Netherlands, markets healthcare products, coatings and chemicals worldwide. The company has activities in more than 80 countries and employs approximately 67,500 people. Sales in 2002 were € 14.0 bn.