Buckman Laboratories International, headquartered in Memphis, TN, USA, is one of the leading innovators in the use of intranets for knowledge sharing. In March 1992, Buckman Laboratories established a new corporate group the Knowledge Transfer Department and created a global electronic network called K'Netix tm to foster a customer-focused company culture based on sharing knowledge. Chairman and CEO Bob Buckman believes that company sales are directly proportional to the number and quality of the sales professionals servicing customers. K'Netix tm is seen as a means of unleashing a powerful decentralizing force which focuses employees' attention on the needs of customers and front-line sales and service staff. Originally started on the CompuServe system, K'Netix tm now is a corporate intranet consisting of e-mail, seven 'forums' files of company knowledge and databases of 'fluid' knowledge.
Some forums are open to everyone while others have limited access.
Each forum includes a message bulletin board, a library of knowledge and 'virtual' conference rooms. As an example of the power of K'Netix tm , Buckman field staff used the network to transmit a question about a problem at a Malaysian steel mill. Within 48 hours Buckman experts around the world had identified the source of the problem. During the subsequent service program, the company installed the K'Netix tm software on the customer's computer so that they could participate in the project as well. Buckman Laboratories now is in the process of turning its intranet into a channel for continuous learning.