LONDON, UK - 19 September 2011 - Hitachi Consulting UK today announced that it has completed implementation of a Continual Improvement Programme for Mitsubishi UFJ Securities International plc. (MUSI). The upgraded IT systems, which included the Oracle E-Business Suite and Business Objects, are expected to enable MUSI to gain deeper, real time insight into its business reporting and management, and thereby help to dramatically reduce the IT lead time for delivering new requirements for the business.

As the usage of MUSI’s Oracle applications increased across the business over time, a backlog of required changes began to mount. The company’s internal IT team was busy with the day-to-day pressures of supporting the existing system and lacked the resources to complete enhancements and upgrades. MUSI also wanted to implement a number of new system enhancements. In particular, the company wanted to reduce the amount of time required for month end closure reporting, bring greater stability to the system, and implement additional software to improve real time, end user reporting capabilities.

“We wanted a safe pair of hands that could not only provide us with the technical knowhow, but also the commercial insight and understanding of our business requirements,” said David King, Chief Financial Officer for MUSI. “Hitachi Consulting is widely recognised in the UK market for the depth of its Oracle capabilities. They also have an appreciation of the broader marketplace and the challenges we face as a business.”

The Continual Improvement Programme implemented by Hitachi Consulting UK included upgrading the Oracle E-Business Suite from R12.0.4 to R12.0.6, improvements to a Financials Accounting Hub, along with a number of dedicated workstreams to address specific functional upgrades and system enhancements. Hitachi Consulting also provided integration of Business Objects with MUSI’s accounting data for enhanced ad hoc reporting and analytical capabilities on ERP transactions. The combination of process and technology has enabled MUSI to reduce the time spent making business rule changes each month from days to just hours.

“Hitachi Consulting has the breadth and resources of a large company with the innovation, and customer centric approach of a niche organisation,” added King. “They had specific functional knowledge with regards to Oracle. They were able to provide resources across the board – from industry experts who understood the investment banking world, through to technical consultants who understood the technology, reporting and architecture. We now have a faster, more stable system tailored to our specific needs, which gives us greater visibility, better reporting, and faster time to market. We’re delighted with the new improvements and the business advantages it is delivering for us.”

About Hitachi Consulting Corporation
Hitachi Consulting is the global business and IT consulting company of Hitachi Ltd. with operations throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The company is a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to Global 2000 companies across many industries. With a balanced view of strategy, people, process and technology, we work with companies to understand their unique business needs, and to develop and implement practical business strategies and technology solutions. From business strategy development through application deployment and maintenance, our consultants are committed to helping clients quickly realize measurable business value and achieve sustainable return on investment (ROI). Hitachi Consulting's client base includes 25 percent of the Global 100 as well as many leading mid-market companies. We offer a client-focused, collaborative approach and transfer knowledge throughout each engagement. For more information, visit www.hitachiconsulting.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 360,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2010 (ended March 31, 2011) consolidated revenues totalled 9,315 billion yen ($112.2 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at www.hitachi.com.

** Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Hitachiuk **
** Join the Hitachi Consulting UK Group on LinkedIn **
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Hitachi-Consulting-UK-3060821?mostPopular=&gid=3060821

For further information, please contact:
Vanessa Land
Devonshire Marketing
Tel: 0870 242 7469
Email: vanessa[at]devonshiremarketing[dot]com

Distributed on behalf of Devonshire Marketing by NeonDrum news distribution service (http://www.neondrum.com)