Case Study: National Food Distribution
Client Profile
- Industry: Asian food distribution
- Annual Revenue: Over $250 million
- Sales Model: Omni-channel (including B2B)
- Integration Channels: Fully integrated with Magento
- Delivery Operations: Utilizes both its own fleets and third-party delivery companies
The Situation
U.S. Trading faced several challenges due to its growing operations and the need to work with multiple software systems. These challenges included:
- Software Fragmentation: The company had to manage various platforms, including a house-grown CRM app, Blue Yonder (WMS solutions), EDI, vendor portals, customer order processing from Magento, credit card processing, and Power BI.
- Integration Complexity: Integrating these disparate systems while maintaining data consistency and security was a significant challenge.
Objectives
The company set clear objectives for the ERP implementation:
- Unified Data: Create a central repository for accurate and consistent data.
- Streamlined Processes: Improve order processing, inventory management, and financial reporting.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Provide seamless interactions across channels.
Implementation Approach
- Project Management: A dedicated technical project manager collaborated with the end-user
project manager to coordinate resources and timelines. - Web Front-End: The Magento team developed a web front-end for customer interaction.
- Integration Development: Integration developers used modern APIs (such as JSON) to
connect various systems. - Database Optimization: The DBA optimized the data infrastructure to handle concurrent
users and API calls. - Application Development: Application developers ensured that functions and data were
managed correctly within the existing workflow. - Quality Assurance (QA):
User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Clients participated in UAT, validating the system
against real-world scenarios.
Development QA (Scrum): The development team focused on rigorous testing
during development sprints.
Deployment Strategy
- Segmented Deployments: To minimize downtime, deployments were carefully planned and
segmented. - Robust Solutions First: Initial deployments prioritized robustness, leaving room for fine-
tuning based on feedback.
Results and Lessons Learned
- Positive Outcomes:
o Real-time data visibility across channels.
o Faster order fulfillment.
o Improved financial reporting accuracy. - Communication Skills: Integration tasks require effective communication with external
platforms beyond your control. - Unique Test Environment: Maintain a separate test environment for integration testing.
