Case Studies


ATS Helps Wyffels Hybrids Plant the Seeds of Success

Problem
An industry leader in the development of elite corn hybrids, Wyffels Hybrids, stretches across Illinois, Iowa, Southern Wisconsin, the Ohio River Valley and Kentucky with rows upon rows of corn. With each plot on the verge of becoming the next hybrid movement.

From the company’s beginnings, the commitment was made “to serve corn growers with the integrity, commitment to excellence and stability worthy of our roots”. The seed producer focuses on one crop and one crop only. This allows them to fully understand the needs of their growers and focus on producing hybrids for the Corn Belt. And by Wyffels focusing on what they do best, they are able to bring value to their customers. 

So when Wyffels Hybrids was faced with computer support challenges at their Geneseo, Illinois headquarters, they knew exactly what to do. They looked for an alternative resource whose core competency was maintaining IT infrastructure and onsite support. 

Solution
Wyffels set out to find a provider that could provide all the resources they needed, whenever they needed them. In April 1999, Wyffels selected Advanced Technology Services (ATS) as their premier provider.
 
Results
ATS has been responsible for the Wyffels network from top to bottom. This includes end user support 24/7/365, network maintenance, security maintenance and iTWatch™ Managed Services, to name a few. But most importantly, ATS provides Wyffels Hybrids with peace of mind knowing they will no longer have to worry about a computer related “situation” again - giving them more time to focus on new hybrid development.
 
“We feel that ATS provides a high level of value to our company because of the expertise of their people that provide the direct support and resources to support their technicians that are onsite in our office. If the technician encounters a situation he isn’t familiar with, we know there are additional resources that can be utilized to help solve the problem. Their people are always very conscientious, professional and have brought numerous innovative suggestions to improve our computer infrastructure. We consider ATS a highly valued vendor.”
 
Steven Christensen
VP of Finance and Administration
Wyffels Hybrids
 


ATS Helps FUJIFILM Focus on the Future

Problem
It wasn’t until 1991 the first professional digital camera system was offered to consumers. And sales rose very quickly – consumers were buying into the digital imaging story. This created new challenges for FUJIFILM, a national leader in providing comprehensive imaging and information products and services, that was still pushing film. The company was forced to downsize production due to lower demand for their products. With this cost cutting initiative being driven by the President of Fuji North America, the company had to re-think their product, production and cost strategies. More efficient solutions were crucial to keep companies running while satisfying consumer’s wants and needs.


Solution
FUJIFILM’s IT services support provider, Advanced Technology Services (ATS), stepped up to take on the challenge of finding innovative ways to reduce costs. ATS suggested performing an assessment of FUJIFILM’s environment to see how best to drive cost out of the current service delivery. Through the assessment analysis, a solution was designed that allowed FUJIFILM to move their IT help desk to ATS’ corporate office and change their delivery model from a staffing contract to one based on a Service Level Agreement (SLA).   

Results
FUJIFILM and ATS immediately designed and implemented Fuji’s help desk within ATS’ corporate office that provided many benefits including:
 
  • Reduction in overheadImprovement in first call effectiveness
  • Implementation of a more technical call center
  • Reduction in costsIncrease in customer satisfaction

Through the nine year partnership, ATS and FUJIFILM continue to show significant cost savings. ATS helped FUJIFILM drive in more than $50,000 in savings a year due to two specific Six Sigma projects that included replacement part cost and the consolidation of two back-up systems. 

“Innovation, flexibility, continuous improvement and cost-consciousness are the reasons I originally hired ATS and these are the same reasons why I’ve stayed with ATS.”

Jean Blair
Director of Photofinishing Division and Information Technology for FUJIFILM Manufacturing, USA Inc.