Customer: Monsanto Project: Globalize COGS Type: Web System

Monsanto must make decisions regarding which seeds to produce based on a number of factors, including yield, pollen, and projected cost to bring to market. Each region throughout the world had its own manual system for making decisions based on relevant factors. While differences exist, many of the basic criteria are the same or very similar among the regions for decision-making.

Basing the new global system on a previous system designed by ASI for calculating Monsanto’s US cost of goods, ASI built a system that allows regions from around the globe to quickly and effectively calculate the projected cost of goods for a given seed. The new system is highly customized to allow for regional differences and ever-changing needs.

The resulting application is modular in nature, allowing additions to the calculator with minimal programming. By automating a process that was previously manual, Monsanto personnel have been able to calculate costs in a matter of minutes, as opposed to the old system where the calculations could take hours. Manual data entry errors are eliminated and data are now able to be shared and accessed across regions. Additionally, standardizing the cost calculations allows a previously unrealized degree of confidence and comparability in the results. Tools: Active Server Pages (ASP); Microsoft SQL Server

"Monsanto has a very large IT department in that handles big-hitting projects for our business, but my relatively small group found that our needs were often deferred or delayed as priorities shifted in our global business. Outsourcing our projects with ASI has been a great solution for us. ASI’s programmers do a fast, cost-effective, and high-quality job. They work closely with our scientists around the world to make sure that their applications suit our business needs, and are always up for new challenges as those needs change." Jennifer L. Umphress, Ph.D. Global Parent Test Lead, Monsanto Seed Manufacturing"