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Home > Newsroom > Press Releases (16th Oct 2007)
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Press Releases
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UST Global Signs Contract with a Leading Media and Entertainment Company to Adapt a System for the Transition from Film to Digital
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ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – October 16, 2007 – UST GlobalSM, a leading provider of IT
services and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solutions for Global 2000 enterprises,
announced today the kickoff of a development project for a major media and entertainment
company who is a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing
and marketing of entertainment content. With the explosive growth in digital film
distribution, the client engaged UST Global to implement a system enhancement that
will provide accurate estimates for manufacturing expenses related to distributing
digital prints along with IMAX and traditional 35mm film.
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The transition from 35mm film to digital print has led many content companies to
take advantage of the less expensive duplication and distribution now available
in the digital world. One of the biggest challenges they face is that digital print
manufacturing is a new and quickly evolving technology. Changes in print formats,
pricing and distribution methods occur every few months. This makes it difficult
to develop a solution that will be useful once the development is completed. UST
Global's application design will be flexible in this regard so that the price structures
can be adapted to future changes.
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"With the rapid change of technology in this industry, our client wanted a partner
who could adapt quickly to these changes. They needed a solution provider that thoroughly
understands their business," said Mike Zerkel, general manager, North America. "The
client engaged UST Global for this project because of our proven track record in
the industry and our four-year partnership working together with successful results
on numerous other projects."
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Following the requirements planning and analysis earlier this year, the contract
was signed. UST Global is providing on-site engagement management with an offshore
development team that encompasses project management, java development and QA analysis.
Development is scheduled to be complete in late November 2007 while the print estimation
enhancements will be delivered in successive phases with final deployment scheduled
for early 2008.
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Integrating IT and Business Needs
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The client cited several reasons for why they value working with UST Global:
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Print rate management: Manufacturing and distribution costs are managed by the
home office using rates quoted by various international print labs and digital distribution
networks.
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Local territory estimation: Users in the local territories plan their distribution
strategy by entering the quantity of prints they plan to distribute to exhibitors
along with any miscellaneous local expenses. The system automatically calculates
the distribution costs from the print rate data.
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Decision support: The home office reviews the collective budget plans of the territories
and approves or recommends adjustments as needed. The system maintains historical
records of all changes and also includes several reports to facilitate senior management
review.
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Exchange rate processing: The system must accurately compute costs using rates
entered in the currency of the print lab and then convert costs into the currency
of the local territory that the film is being distributed in.
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Security: The system manages user access, update and approval rights using the
security infrastructure in place from the original UST Global development.
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A Rewarding Four-Year Partnership
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UST Global was originally engaged in 2003 to implement a major enhancement of the
company's decision support system that manages and coordinates the scheduling, marketing
and physical distribution activities for the theatrical release of motion pictures
in over 60 territories worldwide. The system provides real-time access to current
and historical data including projected expenses for advertising and publicity,
film distribution, estimated revenues and actual box office results. The Web-based
application enables local entry of budget and scheduling data for review by the
home office.
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Developed in Java, the system runs on the IBM WebSphere application server utilizing
Java Server Pages (JSPs) on an Oracle Database along with an Oracle Reports server.
The complete system consists of over 100 screens, 40 reports and 10 interfaces to
other applications. UST Global provides all support and maintenance for the application.
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Successfully Delivering Media and Entertainment Expertise
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UST Global has designed and supported similar custom development projects for other
media and entertainment companies. Media clients comment that the reason they choose
UST Global is because of its business domain knowledge and flexible working relationships
with clients. Unlike many offshore organizations, UST Global has invested heavily
in U.S.-based media and entertainment expertise. Because UST Global has the familiarity
and understanding of the business needs in the media space, the company is able
to quickly develop relevant solutions, which is a huge advantage and asset to its
clients.
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About UST Global
UST GlobalSM is a leading provider of end-to-end IT services and BPO
solutions for the Global 2000 market. UST Global offers a client-centric Global
Engagement Model that provides the optimal mix of senior local resources with the
cost, scale and quality advantages of offshore operations for each client. The company
is known for a relentless focus on its clients, flexibility, and commitment beyond
contract. Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, UST Global has more than 5,000
employees worldwide and is certified globally as CMMI® Level 5, P-CMM® Level 5,
and ISO 27001. For more information visit: www.ust-global.com.
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