Coca-Cola Enterprises provides us with a good example of a company that has several types of plants. Coca-Cola operates factories that produce both raw materials and finished goods. Some factories produce the syrup that forms the basis of the Coca-Cola products you are familiar with. Other factories combine the syrup with carbonated water during the bottling process to make the finished Coca-Cola products. The finished goods, which consist of cases of bottles and cans of Coca-Cola products, are then shipped to regional distribution centers for storage until they are transported to end customers, such as retailers. The syrup factory, the bottling factory, and the distribution center are all considered plants in Coca-Cola’s SAP ERP system.

Q1. Briefly describe the key business processes and the related materials and plants to deliver the finish good to the end customers in Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Q2. Explain the benefits of the enterprise systems in supporting end-to-end processes and in avoiding the silo effect within Coca-Cola Enterprises.