The global service network United VARs is experienced in executing SAP projects anywhere. United VARs members use the same quality standard in all countries, therefore reducing the risks that most CEOs and CIOs assume are unavoidable.
At SEIDOR, we have used the UVARS network with great success in SAP deployments – most recently in Central Africa and China. Our UVARs colleagues in Lagos, Nigeria and Beijing, China helped us to manage local specifics in a natural and easy way, which greatly helped our clients’ success.
Flying in from Shanghai to Guide us on Golden Tax – and more
Being a member of United VARs has been a great help to us in so many projects. For example, to prepare for an upcoming SAP implementation in one of our client’s Chinese subsidiaries, we recently needed in-depth information on tax accounting and valuation methods used in China. So, our team in Spain contacted one of our fellow United VARs members in Shanghai. Three days later, he flew to us and guided us through all the processes we needed to follow.
Our UVARs consultants in China have helped us to fully understand:
- The 'Golden Tax' process of processing tax information on invoices issued in China.
- The need for validation of some accounting entries arising from Chinese legislation.
- Regional differences as there are regulations that vary from one region to another.
- Contrasting local stock valuation practices to ensure compliance with Chinese legislation.
Navigating differences in payment options and practices in Central Africa
A few months ago, a Spanish multinational wanted our help to deploy their processes in several Central African countries. Thanks to our UVARs membership, we could easily connect with local experts who understood their payment operations and who could carry out Change Management. Here are some examples of how African payments differ from Europe:
- In some countries in Africa, materials are sent to the customer upon payment, so billing and collection are prior to shipment.
- The use of cheques is very frequent and has different characteristics.
- Charts of Accounts do not necessarily have an international coding and sometimes its description is what identifies it, instead of a code, so the understanding and mapping of it must be done with local help.
- Transferring the old information to a new system requires an understanding of the current model and local practices that requires collaboration from experts in the country.
The UVARs network adds so much value
Other situations where the United VARs network has helped us include:
- Providing a large number of specialized resources in a short period of time and in multiple countries (e.g. We were able to provide 24h SAP FICO consultants in Chennai/India to support our client in an SAP rollout process).
- Rapid support capacity with quality assurance in all five continents, including developing countries. With a UVAR member and local help, we set up a team in Accra, Ghana in 8 hours to deliver a planned SAP training.
- Incorporating local knowledge of business practices or legal aspects, beyond the pure technical localization, for country-specific adaptation of the SAP software.
- Managing multiculturalism in projects with a Change Management component.
As you can see from these examples, our collaboration with United VARs has been of great value on many projects.
United VARs with SEIDOR really is a winning combination!
Author: Alberto de Dios, Director Large Enterprise at Seidor
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