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BY
S.G. MILSTEIN
PHOTOS: So And So
Using the latest teleconferencing equipment,
DOW CHEMICAL LINKS
ITS EMPLOYEES
around the world via the internet
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When The
Dow Chemical Company came up with the idea
of installing interactive teleconferencing
equipment in more than 500 conference rooms
worldwide and connecting the rooms over
the Internet, the world's largest chemical
and plastics manufacturer turned to Sony
for components that would meet its challenge.
Dow was looking for advanced components
that would be simple to use and install.
In fact, Dow insisted that each room be
fully outfitted in four to eight hours-a
project that normally takes 80 to 120 hours-by
technicians who were not necessarily video
experts. And the company also wanted equipment
that could be diagnosed remotely.
With the combined expertise of SPL Integrated
Solutions (SPLIS), Moore Media, EDS, and
Sony, Dow is now well on its way to deploying
one of the largest IP-based teleconferencing
networks on the planet. The interactive
rooms, called iRooms, not only provide video
over DowNet, Dow's private global network,
but they also include interactive features
like the ability to view and alter documents
via a shared connection. And the iRoom centers,
currently in the pilot phase of development
and being created in locations from Freeport,
TX, to Map Ta Phut, Thailand, meet the condition
for set-up
time and can be monitored from a single
location for equipment maintenance.
Dow expects
to find measurable savings in reduced travel
expenses for employees and in the lower
cost of IP-based bandwidth versus that of
dial-up networking, which the company was
using previously. Plus, says Chris Duncan,
global leader of e-communication technology
for Dow, "less travel means improved
productivity for our employees, and more
time at home. Anytime you can come up with
a tool that will allow an employee to spend
a night at home instead of a hotel, it's
a major benefit."
But Duncan believes
the biggest benefit will be the hardest
to measure. "Perhaps the greatest gain
of the system," he says, "is in
an intangible advantage: speed to decision
making."
HOW TO SUCCEED
IN TELECONFERENCING
 DowNet,
which integrates video, voice and data on
an Internet-protocol network, is in theprocess
of being rolled out and gives the company
an electronic framework for connecting its
50,000 employees around the globe. The more
than 500 iRoom centers are intended to be
accessible by 90 percent of Dow staffers
and will be installed in 37 countries. Large
sites, like the company's headquarters in
Midland, MI, will have multiple iRoom centers.
Each iRoom
center can accommodate 12 to 50 people and
includes video conferencing with a Sony
sophisticated data projector, a Sony VHS
deck and DVD player as well as a Sony flat-screen
computer monitor, plus a whiteboard, sound
system, remote control, and back-up power.
All of the components are hooked up to an
Internet-enabled workstation that is loaded
with customized control software, developed
by Moore Media.
The projection
unit, a Sony VPL-PX31 SuperBright ™ LCD
Data Projector (see sidebar), can shine
a computer application, VHS tape, or DVD
onto the whiteboard; for programs like Excel®
software, the system can accept changes
made on the whiteboard and transmit them
back to the PC. All of which can be seen
live by anyone in a connected iRoom center;
customers outside DowNet can also be linked
in via dial-up connections.
Before the
iRoom centers, Dow had about 120 videoconferencing
facilities around the world. The rooms were
connected by dial-up ISDN lines and offered
offered only the most basic interaction.
While distance audio and video play an important
role for the company, management realized
they needed more. "We needed widely
available document sharing and viewable
changes, and the ability to show videotapes,"
says Duncan.
Dow predicts
that the iRoom centers will be completely
installed by the first half of 2002. Once
they're all live, and since they're designed
to allow interaction with customers as well
as Dow employees worldwide, the company
believes it will see changes in the way
it does business. "As a company,"
says Duncan, "we are committed to developing
the tools and technologies that will make
it even easier and more convenient for customers
to do business with us by providing them
many options for communication, collaboration,
and problem solving."
A GLOBAL
PROJECT
Outfitting more than 500 rooms around the
world with sophisticated interactive teleconferencing
equipment is no quick-or cheap-task. So
Dow sought to create a "conference
room in a box"- a modular setup with
globally standardized components that could
be installed by a small crew (including
some non-English speakers) and readily maintained
with remote monitoring.
"This couldn't be done
like traditional conference rooms where
each room is engineered and custom built
on its own," says Duncan. "It
normally takes 80 to 120 hours installation
time per room. We said, 'There's no way
we can do that.' We needed a way to deploy
this on a global scale without the A/V resources
for custom jobs, and we needed them installed
in four to eight hours with mass produced
equipment."
He took this challenge to EDS,
which has been responsible for installing
DowNet, and to SPL Integrated Solutions,
a Sony dealer and EDS subcontractor. "They
thought I was joking when I told them I
wanted rooms installed in four to eight
hours," recalls Duncan. "But I
held firm, and they kept finding ways to
deliver."
In the end, Duncan says, the
economies of scale more than paid for the
process development, and Dow was able to
use a SPLISmanufactured system that was
boxed and shipped to each site.
EDS site project teams are
responsible for analyzing specific room
design requirements, preparation, logistic
management, network configuration, and installation.
The EDS technical team follows color-coded
cabling instructions for connecting the
iRoom equipment and performs room certification
and testing. EDS is
also providing ongoing management both through
remote diagnostics and customer support.
"The construction is all color coded
to simplify the set up process," says
Duncan. "And, by putting the same equipment
everywhere, it's much easier to use and
support-so, when people travel, they'll
find standardized equipment that they'll
be familiar with and is easy to use."
Phil Dalen, executive vice
president of sales and marketing for SPLIS,
adds that not only time, but expenses too,
were cut with the manufactured system. "In
a large company, every manager of every
division typically puts a spin on what they
want to see," he says. "But here
the key is that they used a standard and
adopted it globally. That drove down a tremendous
amount of the cost. It was just a huge savings
on a project of this scale."
Time and budget were obvious
considerations for the iRoom centers, but
another major factor was sheer manageability.
For the project to work, it was important
that the components be available in many
countries, have international functionality
for power and video signal, and is serviceable
globally. Tim Thornburgh, SPLIS's national
account manager for Dow, explains that the
company looked at other projectors and equipment,
but Sony stood out. "The footprint
they have throughout the world, the service,
the product availability were all wins,"
says Thornburgh.
NO SURPRISES
Of course, Sony's global support was critical.
But Duncan says that the deal goes beyond
those concrete benefits to the relationship
the two companies share. "We've had
a good, long-term symbiotic relationship
with Sony. We make the plastic resins that
go into TV cabinets, the coating on processing
chips, the materials in CDs and DVDs,"
he says. "Sony is a very large customer
of Dow's, so when all things are equal and
we come down to a product evaluation, Sony
tends to get the nod. Sony products have
worked very, very well for us for a long
time."
In addition, Sony has
a history of working with Dow proactively.
For instance, Sony engineering teams regularly
show new products to Dow and get feedback
that helps both companies. "We plan
on an annual basis, and often need information
many months in advance of our planning cycle,"
says Duncan. "Sony understands that
and shares product development information
and new technologies with us on a regular
basis. As a customer of Sony, we appreciate
the insight as it prevents us from heading
down a wrong path when we know Sony has
a new product coming out that will meet
our needs."
With that solid background,
Duncan brought Sony into the discussions
about the iRoom
centers early on. This paid off in several
ways. For instance, Sony was willing to
adapt the control codes for the VPL-PX31
projector to allow it to be monitored remotely.
So SPLIS, which will be staffing a central
24/7 help desk for the iRooms centers, will
be able to see whether something like the
lamp life on a projector is running down.
"With that kind of monitoring,"
says Duncan, "we can take the rooms
out of service when it's convenient for
us. We won't get any surprises." Two
pilot sites have been testing the iRoom
centers for the past year: Midland, MI,
and Pittsburgh, CA. Three additional pilot
sites were added in March: Sao Paulo, Brazil;
Edegem, Belgium; and Singapore. So far,
the only surprise has been the strength
of the demand for full rollout. "Everybody
wants it," says Duncan, "and they
want it yesterday because they've seen the
benefits."
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