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Case Study - Distribution

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Multi-site cash and carry organisation

 

Background

Wholesaler of greeting cards and related products. Customers are mainly smaller wholesalers, CTN's and market traders. Each branch operates as a cash and carry with aisles and trolleys. Most branches have a small delivered trade. The Company had very basic computer facilities.

Project

IT strategy followed by definition of requirements and selection of appropriate solution and supplier.

Scale

11 UK branches, 150 employees, £20m+ turnover.

Scope of requirements

EPOS, trade counter, order processing, stock & warehouse management, purchasing, logistics & transport, finance, branch communications and reporting.

Issues

Centralised versus distributed processing - pros and cons of a distributed system against a centralised solution.

Business process redesign - in key areas including trade counter and EPOS, branch and head office purchasing, bar coding, management reporting and branch personnel.

Need for efficient cost-effective communications - between head office and branches for pricing and product updates, visibility of stock across locations and sales statistics.

Need for a multi-disciplinary internal project team - to plan and execute the introduction of new systems and address the identified prerequisites.

 

Summary

A business orientated IT strategy was produced defining the key role IT would play in the future of the business. Detailed functional requirements were determined and collated into an ITT to send to qualified suppliers. Following evaluation of supplier responses and detailed structured demonstrations from a shortlist, the Company selected an 80+ user distributed solution from a specialist supplier with experience of the trade counter/wholesale/EPOS environment.


Contact Details:

Microguide Corporate Computer Consultants, 82 Shortlands Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT2 6HE

Tel: 020 8549 7152

Fax: 020 8549 8112

Email:enquiry@microguide.co.uk

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