Company: IBM, Armonk, NY
Company Description: IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. IBM helps its clients capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to its clients.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Award for Innovation in Sales - Technology Industries
 Nomination Title: Scaling Efficiency with New Landed Model
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the nominated achievement since July 1, 2022, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Briefly describe the nominated organization or individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 123 words used.
IBM Argentina, a branch of International Business Machines Corporation, has been a prominent technology leader in Argentina since it established its first office there in 1923. Initially focused on selling tabulating machines, IBM Argentina soon grew, diversifying its offerings to encompass hardware, software, consulting, and IT services, becoming an influential player in Latin America's tech industry.
Historically, IBM Argentina has driven digital transformation in the country across sectors such as finance, government, telecommunications, and energy. The company has spearheaded initiatives in cloud computing, AI, and data analytics, helping organizations across Argentina modernize and optimize operations. Though IBM's Argentina subsidiary faced challenges amid local economic fluctuations, it has maintained a strong reputation for innovation and remains a significant contributor to the country’s technological growth.
- Outline the nominated achievement since July 1 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 243 words used.
The Cloud business in Argentina has long leveraged the unique advantage of billing in U.S. dollars while accepting local payments in pesos at the official exchange rate. Although this applies across all IBM products, our IBM Cloud offering stands alone within the competition to do so.
Historically, manual billing processes, as the only alternative to issue invoices locally, limited efficiency. And in the Cloud and Cognitive business unit it was limited to direct customers, while business partners were billed offshore through the U.S. SAP entity. In November 2022, new Central Bank regulations redefined Argentina's offshore billing capabilities, threatening several hundred client renewals and potential millions of dollars revenue. This forced the Account Receivable team to shift from a systematic approach with offshore billing to a 100% manual billing process, negatively impacting the entire process.
To address this issue, the team launched a transformative SAP interface localization project in August 2023, restructuring our sales and operational systems to meet Argentina compliance while integrating global insights. This project included a seamless migration of over 55,074 records with zero data loss or downtime and was completed in record eight months—30% faster than the industry standard.
This project and related innovation delivered significant impacts, reducing order processing time by 80% and empowering partners to provide responsive, on-demand service. As a result of this project, the team deployed an efficient direct customer billing, maintained local currency payment advantage, and enhanced agility in anticipating customer needs.
- Explain why the achievement you have highlighted is unique or significant. If possible compare the achievement to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 180 words used.
The described advancements reinforced IBM’s leadership in Argentina’s IT sector, setting a new benchmark for reliability, excellence, and service speed.
This SAP localization project represents a rare blend of technological sophistication and innovative approach to direct sales enablement, maintaining IBM’s position as an industry pioneer. While many face long, costly iERP customization projects, the AR team defied these constraints through agile project management and strategic collaboration across departments. The project’s eight-month timeline and 100% data migration, with zero data loss, provides a powerful testament to the team’s expertise and disciplined execution.
Compared to the industry and past performance, with the interim fully manual billing, the leap in efficiency and accuracy brought by this project represents a true turning point. The team moved from a reactive order fulfilment to predictive approach, reshaping customer relationships and ensuring we remain ahead in a fast-evolving market. This achievement is not merely an upgrade; it is a transformation that underscores IBM’s commitment to sales innovation and client success, firmly positioning itself as a leader and redefining what excellence looks like in industrial IT sales operations.
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