Industry Industrial technology Company Jebsen & Jessen dates its origins to a trading partnership formed in Hong Kong in 1895. Incorporated in the early 1960s, the company is a highly-diversified entity engaged in seven core businesses including IT, communications, chemicals, life sciences and marketing. Employees 2,500 IT staff 30 Annual IT Budget Not disclosed

Jebsen & Jessen spent S$100,000 (US$62,690), which covered software, hardware, development, marketing and user training.

The company views it as money well-spent. For example, there was greater transparency in the claiming process, as workers could find out the status of claims anytime via the Web. In addition, administrators enjoyed reduced workloads, as claim information was directly integrated with SAP systems, eliminating the need for manual data entry.

Darren How, project manager of eClaims, said management support counts a lot in the success of any project. "The chemistry that we have [with management] is unbelievable," he told ZDNet Asia.

"You get the feeling that everyone is pulling in the same direction, despite being from different disciplines and job functions. Everyone wants this to work," he said. "There is a strong belief that the benefits will be highly appreciated, making the organization a better place to work in.

"At no point did we doubt the success that it is today," How added.

The success of the project underscores the importance of continuously seeking new ways and new technology to enhance the business.

Gopal Varutharaju, Jebsen & Jessen's IT director, said: "We need to constantly preach the mantra of driving continuous business improvements in the workplace, automating as much of the non-core processes as we can so that we can focus on the essentials."

Varutharaju is already looking at the next step forward in the coming year. He said the company is now embarking on other productivity-driven initiatives, such as automating its warehouse operations and equipping its field service engineers with handhelds.

"We're constantly looking for areas to improve, including pushing for further electronic collaboration with suppliers and customers, and being more customer-focused with the use of CRM applications," he added.