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Value Study: Investing in E/CTRM in Turbulent Times

A ComTech Advisory Whitepaper

OPENLINK – DELIVERING STRONG
BUSINESS VALUE
Undeniably, OpenLink is, by many measures, the
leading vendor in the E/CTRM software space. In
particular, OpenLink has the largest installed base
of any commercial E/CTRM vendor, including most
of the larger, blue-chip commodity players globally.
Consistently, OpenLink is seen by users as providing
the best in class E/CTRM software solutions in general, and across a wide range of specific categories.2
The company’s clients do report that they do accrue
significant business benefits by having available a
high-end analytical platform that can help uncover
profit or identify opportunities for cost reduction in a
volatile and challenging market.

For example, a European oil producer client
had been relying on a patchwork quilt of commercial
solutions, spreadsheets and homegrown software
prior to their implementation of OpenLink three
years ago. In the increasingly complex and stringent
regulatory environment to which they were exposed,
and based upon the recommendations of their external auditor, the company sought a replacement
solution.

CLIENT VALUE STUDY
After selecting and implementing OpenLink, the
customer realized many significant benefits including:
// Achieved greater operational and financial
transparency, addressing regulatory requirements and avoiding potential regulatory and
audit issues,
// Acquired a platform on which the company
could add derivative trading on top of the
physical business, helping to more effectively
manage exposures and forward price risks, as
well as accruing some tax benefits,

// Streamlined various business processes based on best practices provided by OpenLink’s consulting staff,
// Achieved a “golden copy” of operational and financial data; proving the company a real-time reporting capability that has helped
the company adapt to business changes and reduce IT costs,
// Positioned the company to add natural gas transactions on a
single platform.

In the end though, for this customer, the OpenLink system decision
wasn’t about costs as much as about having a comprehensive and
robust mission critical system in place to support their business
through change.
Another OpenLink oil company customer
in North America has seen a number of
business benefits including;
// Improved business process and communication flow as well as
better cooperation within the company,
// Reduced reliance on spreadsheets and improved controls
across and within various business units,
// Improved ability to respond to market changes through a single
view of the business, improving accuracy and timeliness of decision making,
// Improved operational visibility across the business resulting in
improved cooperation and a clear view of processes and responsibilities,

In fact, the company’s key user recommends that other companies
continue to invest in technology and systems even in a turbulent
market saying, “the industry has always gone through up and down
cycles and waiting for an upswing for IT investment could mean that
you are implementing at a time that you need improved capabilities
or a new system the most.”
Some other specific examples of business
benefits that various OpenLink users
have experienced include,
// Reduction of confirmation time for trades by 75% and a saving
in headcount of 30% through improved efficiency,

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