Evolving and Implementing a Worldwide Management Information System (IMS/MIS)

Du Pont's international business is becoming a more important part of its worldwide total. The Polymer Products Department (PPD), due to the merging of former independent departments, represents about 25% of Du Pont's worldwide revenues, and has the largest export sales section several hundred million dollars annually. As PPD's product lines increased, managers with geographic responsibilities must cope with an increasingly complex array of detailed product, end use, sales, and forecast information. These changes require a more efficient way to organize and access business information. This article describes the development of a management information system that could cope with an anticipated rise in meeting new information needs for both sales and order processing. This article explores the operational philosophy that permitted the rapid development of the IMS/MIS at a relatively low cost. It explores the techniques used to interact with users at all organizational levels and outlines a plan to implement the IMS/MIS at headquarters and subsidiary locations around the world.