Acer Case Study By Zyme Solution

1. Acer case study Acer first made contact with Zyme because the company realised that it needed to tackle channel data issues; essentially encouraging partners to report accurately, and then make sharing the information a mutual business benefit. www.zyme.com

2. Originally deploying an in-house solution to manage its data sets, with support from a small data provider, Acer found that there were too many issues to continue effectively with this approach. A significant issue was related to how the data was gathered. Excel spreadsheets were used in some departments, “whilst others perhaps relied on varying levels of data quality,” commented Mailin Boeker, Senior Manager, Business Operations & Control at Acer. It was following an internal review that the importance of channel visibility, and getting a view on real market performance, gained critical importance. Based on the projected business benefits that it could bring it was immediately agreed that channel data management (CDM) needed to be addressed. “…having data, reliable data, on not just a country level but on an EMEA headquarter level and a global level to understand is a massive deal. We know what stock we have in the channel, is it healthy, what our average days of stock are, do we ship in more or do we reduce what we are shipping? We are really in control of channel data.” Mailin Boeker, Senior Manager, Business Operations and Control, Acer

3. Acer was happy to enter in to discussions with Zyme. In 2010 CDM as a terminology, and a business practice, was largely unknown but Zyme was both a leader and a visionary in this field. “Working with Zyme was appealing because of the expertise and experience,” added Boeker. The Acer team then took the time to visit the Zyme operations in Bangalore, and Zyme completed various certification processes with the Acer legal team. It was critical from the start that customer data rules and regulations were adhered to. There were a number of key questions that Acer wanted answers to: What can we do with channel data? What do we want channel data for? What else do we need to do in order to make use of the data? There were also big discussions around make or buy? Can our existing IT team receive the data and then make it available or is more support needed? Data quality was the main agenda item and it was important to agree at the start how it could be taken care of. “So those were the main concerns but even without all the answers in place we were encouraged to get started and agreed to run a pilot with Zyme in 2 countries, Germany and France, and then – gaining confidence - we quickly extended that pilot to the entire EMEA region,” added Boeker. In order to monitor how the data was processed and managed various check-points were agreed. The decision to implement CDM on an EMEA level ultimately saw the way the organisation was working change.

4. In terms of value Acer now has a totally data driven company, with one single source of truth when it looks at channel data. This also enables the business to have a 360-degree review where it can connect the current channel stock with the order status, and with business planning, and share it with finance teams to compare claims from the channel. CDM has given Acer best control of the business in this area. Zyme is essentially delivering the data Acer needed to drive the channel element of its business forward. In 2011 Acer had to write off more than $150 million in Spain because of channel stock issues - so having data, reliable data, on not just a country level but on an EMEA headquarter level and a global level to understand is a massive deal. We know what stock we have in the channel, is it healthy, what our average days of stock are, do we ship in more or do we reduce what we are shipping? We are really in control of channel data.” For Acer, the collaboration with Zyme was invaluable. The partnership between the companies offers the resources and the flexibility to handle any issues which may arise and enables Acer to act quickly - making sure it has the correct data it really needs. “In terms of the features that Zyme offers it's given us the extra resources to assure us that the data quality is there – that team is basically an extension of my own team,” comments Boeker. “I think in terms of examples of where Zyme can really help Acer, it's probably more about looking at how past issues can now be avoided.

5. Since 2012 Acer has introduced regular reviews on channel sales as part of its business planning process and reviews. As a result, the business had to be sure that the data collected and analysed was a single point of truth. Now, with 500 partners reporting in to the environment Acer is now processing 400,000 lines of data a week, and has visibility of the previous week's figures by early the following week. In fact, the complexities behind making this happen actually make it practically impossible to truly understand just how intelligent the process is, according to Boeker. Going forward, Acer has additional plans for how data provided through Zyme will be utilised. “Exploring how we can loop customers into the data cycle is our next challenge,” Boeker explains. “Equally important is working with our distributors to agree joint initiatives on how best to prevent, or handle,aged stock.” 240 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite D Redwood Shores, CA 94065