Winplus Improves Business Processes with DiCentral’s Leading Edge EDI Technology

With offices in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, this Hong Kong based company is one of the fastest growing marketers and wholesalers of auto lifestyle products in its industry. Winplus products are sold to consumers all over the world via the best automotive accessory retailers such as Walmart, Auto Zone, Target, Pep Boys Auto, Sears, Kmart, Advance Auto Parts, Costco and more.

The Challenge: Old EDI Model was Inefficient

Originally Winplus North America invested in a combined solution of EDI translator software, a third party middleware, and a prominent mid tier ERP software. From the start, customer support was separated among the solution providers, the integration covered half of the transaction types needed, the solution was not user-friendly, and it provided limited data visibility. Winplus needed a proven solution with a better return on their investment.

Customer Support: Whenever there was an issue, whether it was a missing invoice, or a retailer rejecting ASNs, getting the answer was an adventure. The answer lay between the three software providers, but who was going to step up and deliver the answer? “When the answer came, many times it was too late to matter and too much time had been spent investigating,” said Brooke Kosmal of Winplus.

Consistent customer service was hard to come by. “With the past EDI provider we could not contact that same customer support person twice about our problem. We always had to re-explain ourselves,” said Ms. Kosmal.

Integration: The integration itself had many steps and was not totally automated. The Inbound Purchase Order process required multiple steps prior to pushing data into the ERP. ASNs were created in the middleware along with UCC128 labels. Once done another staff member would manually enter what was shipped into the ERP system so invoices could be built. Staff members could then build invoices in the ERP and EDI system separately.

User Issues: The solution lacked a roadmap that easily allowed multiple users to work within it to accomplish tasks. Users could go outside the lines and make costly errors that were difficult to track down and correct.

Data Visibility: “Data was not easily accessible,” said Ms. Kosmal. Visibility of data within the old solution was very limited. When it could be viewed, it was cryptic raw EDI data. When data went through the VAN it was not user-friendly to view. “There was limited access to trading partner data in the old system,” said Ms. Kosmal.

The Solution: DiIntegrator Provides Seamless EDI Integration to SAP Business One

Enter DiCentral. The DiIntegrator Multi-User for SAP Business One addressed all the issues and delivered additional benefits to Winplus.

Customer Support: Superior technology with greater visibility enables DiCentral customer service teams to know our customers at a deeper level. This helps our team solve problems at a faster rate. DiIntegrator is an integrated part of DiCentral’s technology platform which further simplifies customer support. “We have a single source provider to call for all EDI support issues,” said Ms. Kosmal.

Simplified Integration Provides Fast ROI: DiIntegrator is a single source EDI solution installed locally yet managed by DiCentral’s internet infrastructure. When this design is combined with DiCentral’s knowledge of SAP Business One it provides a seamless path for data to your application. The result is rapid ROI and further leverages your investment in SAP Business One.

User-Friendly Solution: DiIntegrator comes with natural workflow designed into the interface to let the user follow simple steps from start to finish of the EDI process. Each retailer’s EDI rules are built into the DiIntegrator interface for accurate creation of Invoices, ASNs, and UCC128 labels. It is installed locally at the user’s offices, but its unique architecture allows DiCentral to easily maintain maps to many retail customers.

“DiIntegrator comes with workflow processes for each retailers business rules so we have built-in procedures to follow,” said Ms. Kosmal. “In DiIntegrator Multi-User you can control user settings and prevent user error which is great for a fast paced environment where staff is always changing.”

Global Data Visibility: In addition DiCentral’s web interface, DiWeb, provides an incredible level of visibility into the inbound/outbound data process. “We now have the ability to see all inbound and outbound line item data, as well as whether it was sent/received successfully,” said Brooke Kosmal of Winplus. “We have clear information to send to the retailer to prove our case if needed.”

Technology Advancement in EDI Integration:

“SAP Business One and DiIntegrator represent the strongest EDI integration offering in the market for the mid sized company.” said Mike Neadeau, vice president of sales. “Our work with SAP Business One greatly simplifies the ownership of integrated EDI technology. Our technology platform allows DiCentral to provide pre-programmed software requiring less maintenance, simpler implementations, and lower staffing levels. It is a ready-made solution for growing companies that would rather dedicate resources to improving their overall business than running complex EDI solutions in-house.”

Previous EDI System:

Sterling Gentran Translator

Ebridge for EDI Integration

Mid Tier ERP System

DiCentral EDI System:
DiIntegrator Multi-User for SAP Business One with Dynamic Inventory Update

DiCentral is a certified integration partner of SAP Business One. DiIntegrator and its integration methodology were put through a rigorous testing process. The result is considered the top choice for EDI integration in SAP Business One implementations.

Business Challenge:

Winplus had an EDI solution that had numerous manual processes, lacked seamless integration, and required multi-party customer support.

Solution:

SAP Certified Solution: DiIntegrator Multi-User for SAP Business One with Dynamic Inventory Update

Results:

Single source solution provided seamless integration which minimized errors, while providing structure and control to the Winplus EDI order fulfillment process. In addition, global data visibility in DiWeb is unmatched in the EDI industry.