The Challenge

Inherited systems across the board

The solution

Pulling everything together

The Results

Saving time, money and resources

Tullis Russell gains real-time reporting and cuts IT costs with Power BI solution

The challenge

Legacy BI software was hindering agility

Tullis Russell has been leading the paper and film coating industry for over 200 years. And like many long-established manufacturers, some of its software systems had gradually fallen behind more modern solutions. The manufacturer’s BI setup consisted of a COBOL ERP, Microsoft Excel, and a BI product called Matillion.

The drawbacks of this setup were:

• data for reporting was only refreshed twice a day
• external help was needed to configure new reports
• data was spread across many disparate sources
• the BI software was more costly than alternatives

Due to these disadvantages, the company’s IT and finance departments went in search of a modern alternative. This led Tullis Russell to find egforit’s Power BI consultancy.

The solution

Delivering Power BI integration with Azure

Based on the challenges Tullis Russell had described, egforit’s consultants proposed a solution using Power BI integration with Azure.

This solution entailed:

• creating an Azure data pipeline from the COBOL ERP database
• storing the data in an Azure-hosted Azure Synapse Studio data lake
• connecting that data to Power BI via Azure Synapse Analytics

The use of Azure’s serverless cloud meant the company only paid for usage, with no baseline costs. Microsoft also took care of all the IT maintenance.

And most importantly, the new Power BI Azure integration updated the data every 15 minutes. So the finance team could now view the company’s progress in near real-time.

The benefits

Low-cost, real-time, high-impact BI

Manufacturer gains a single version of truth across locations with our SharePoint expertise

The challenge

Disorganised information was slowing growth

At the time of contacting us, this manufacturing client was in a period of expansion. With a second factory set to open imminently, the company realised that ensuring efficient communication across locations was crucial.

However, this efficiency was hindered by the disparate and disorganised use of company documents in the HR and Quality Control departments. Employees used a range of unconnected applications to complete their daily tasks. But with new staff due to start at the second factory, HR had to rise to the challenge quickly.

Overall, the drawbacks of the existing information processes were:

• inefficiency caused by a lack of centralised document management
• high risk of human error when users copied information between applications
• spiralling IT costs from managing and securing many types of software

Based on these concerns, the company was searching for a manufacturing intranet solution that fit its business requirements.

The solution

A bespoke manufacturing SharePoint solution

Based on our reputation as expert SharePoint consultants, the company contacted egforit Software to develop an intranet proof of concept (POC). Because the management was weighing up other intranet options, this POC was an important step in convincing them about SharePoint.

We started by presenting the value of SharePoint to key stakeholders. This included a show-and-tell session highlighting our recent SharePoint successes, including:

• Property investors become customer-centric with Power Apps data integration
• Engineering group engages its staff through intranet development

Our consultants also gave a fully costed analysis of the alternatives to SharePoint, and how we would carry out the implementation. And once the company had agreed to our POC proposal, we developed the required functionality in a matter of days.

The benefits

A launch pad for digital transformation

Engineering group engages its staff through intranet development

The challenge

Lack of communication

Staff engagement was low and the client believed that their outdated intranet portal was to blame. With most of their staff working out of the office, it was important to keep engagement and communication high. The pre-existing intranet design had the following issues:

• no personalisation for staff
• looked like a corporate newsletter
• slow and difficult to navigate

In brief, the company needed a new design that was less corporate and more engaging. The client also wanted to make sure that staff could easily access and interact with the intranet from any device in any location.

As the main objective was engaging staff in the field, it was important that workers could access the intranet from their phone or tablet. As part of this effort, the company wanted to promote a new benefits scheme through the intranet as well.

The primary goals of this new portal were to:

• promote the new staff benefits
• mirror company branding
• ease internal communication

The solution

Building a modern SharePoint intranet

Based on our reputation as SharePoint development experts, the client approached us to redesign its SharePoint intranet.

As the intranet’s foundation was fit for purpose, we focused on redesigning the interface and branding. One of our main goals was to make the intranet more comfortable to use for non-technical staff. SharePoint was a good fit for the following reasons:

• fully customisable branding
• promotes the flow of information
• encourages transparency
• enhances productivity

The benefits

Unified workforce with staff intranet

Manufacturer cuts costs and boosts sales with an integrated document retrieval system

The challenge

Need for eCommerce platform integration

When you’re producing, selling, and delivering industrial parts across three continents, efficiency is a must. Seeing how competitors were using technology to their advantage, our client wanted to retain its edge by automating inefficient processes.

One of these inefficiencies lay between its central eCommerce platform and its sales points worldwide. Due to lack of integration between the eCommerce platform and global servers, customers had to call the company to ask questions about their orders. This had the effect of taking up time that the back-office team could have spent on growing the business.

In summary, the negative outcomes of these unintegrated systems were:

• low customer satisfaction due to time-consuming calls
• a greater risk of quoting incorrect information
• more time spent on manual data processes

The business recognised these barriers to higher customer satisfaction and decided that an automated document retrieval system was the answer.

The solution

Achieving Azure cloud to on-premise connectivity

This manufacturer had previously benefited from our expertise in MuleSoft support and Azure systems integration. Naturally, this made us the client’s first choice for development of its new document retrieval system.

As the global servers were on-premise and the eCommerce platform was cloud-based, we proposed leveraging Azure cloud to on-premise connectivity. The client agreed to this strategy and engaged us to take a two-phased approach comprising discovery and delivery.

Our technical plan was to connect the on-premise servers to Azure with on-premise data gateways. Next we used a custom connector and an Azure Logic App to connect the servers to the company’s API management layer. Finally, Azure Table Storage and Azure Storage Explorer allowed customers to access the data via the eCommerce platform.

With three days of discovery and 11 days of delivery, our team completed the Azure hybrid integration within two weeks. The company’s document retrieval system provided instant value in the form of more satisfied customers and less time spent on customer service calls.

The benefits

Serving customers with on-demand global data

Manufacturer connects factories to the back office with a custom IoT integration solution

The challenge

Disconnected IoT and ERP were slowing growth

Today’s IoT technology provides the kind of real-time factory data that manufacturers have always dreamed of. Seeing how competitors were using IoT tools to their advantage, our client was eager to follow suit.

The use case for adopting an IoT solution was simple: sensors would be attached to the machines that the client shipped to customers’ sites, and the IoT software would interpret the data from these sensors. This data would then be used to understand the products’ performance and predict which machines would likely require replacement or repair. This information was also crucial for the finance team to estimate the cost of upcoming warranty claims.

The client’s chosen software, called ConNXT, is an out-of-the-box cloud solution for monitoring, analysis, and control of IoT-enabled devices. But while the ConNXT software worked well in itself, it had no built-in integration with the client’s back-office systems, most importantly its on-premise SAP ERP software.

This lack of integration between the ConNXT IoT software and the company’s SAP ERP caused the following issues:

• the finance team did not have real-time data on product repairs and replacements
• the repair team was unable to match IoT data to customer details for each product
• these had an adverse impact on customer service and back-office efficiency

As part of its longer-term integration strategy, the client saw that SAP ERP-IoT integration had to be the next step in its digital transformation.

The solution

Delivering a custom SAP ERP IoT integration solution

Our team had not worked with ConNXT software before this project — but thanks to our systems integration expertise, we were quickly able to devise a solution. Having previously delivered multiple Azure-based integration solutions for this client, it was logical to leverage that platform again. This ensured faster development and a single, easily manageable integration hub for the client’s use.

The SAP ERP-IoT integration we delivered included the following steps:

• a REST API connection between the IoT software and the client’s Azure cloud
• an Application Gateway leading into the client’s Azure API Management layer
• Azure Logic Apps configured for connection with SAP ERP
• an on-premises data gateway giving secure access to the client’s on-premises SAP ERP

When connected together, these elements allowed data to flow from the IoT application to the SAP ERP and vice versa.

Our team in this project comprised a chief architect, a QA tester, a DevOps engineer, and a project manager. Working in agile sprints, we demonstrated our progress to the client fortnightly. In this way we managed to overcome any unforeseen adjustments and challenges within the client’s specified time frame.

Completing the project in fewer than 11 man-days, our team achieved the desired IoT integration solution with time to spare. And the client now had the real-time connectivity that enabled its factory and finance teams to excel at their core tasks.

The benefits

A cost-effective IoT integration solution

Global vacuum producers boost back-office efficiency with an automated invoice processing system

The challenge

Manual data entry was slowing the business

In manufacturing, perhaps more than any other industry, synchronisation and efficiency are paramount to success. For this reason, our client understood the importance of eliminating bottlenecks in its business processes.

The bottleneck in this instance lay between the client’s finance team and external freight suppliers. When our client received Excel invoice spreadsheets from the freight suppliers, finance staff had to input this data by hand. The negative outcomes of this manual data entry were:

• greater risk of error due to manual entry
• a delay in freight expenditure information
• reduced ability to optimise freight spending

The client’s management realised that these inefficiencies had the knock-on effect of preventing fast and strategic decision making. It was time to automate this manual task with a cost-effective invoice processing system.

The solution

Creating a BI-ready invoice processing system

Our systems integration engineers had previously helped this manufacturer with MuleSoft support and Azure data integration. After the success of those projects, it was natural for the client to approach us for this invoice processing system.

We proposed that it would be most cost-effective to develop the invoice processing system in Microsoft Azure. Our solution covered receipt of the suppliers’ Excel spreadsheets, data conversion for reporting, and data storage on an Azure database.

Low-code tools including Azure Logic Apps, Azure SQL, Azure Blob Storage, and Azure Storage Explorer helped us accelerate delivery. The client also approved of this low-code solution because it gave the flexibility to make alterations at little cost.

Our team, consisting of a principal architect, a delivery lead, a DevOps engineer, and a project manager, delivered the system in 20 man-days. The client’s staff saw an instant reduction in invoicing errors and the management received the up-to-date financial data they needed.

The benefits

Accurate and automated financial data

Manufacturer achieves timely reporting on warranty claims with our SAP ERP integration solutions

The challenge

Siloed warranty data was hindering financial transparency

For a manufacturer of complex industrial goods, accurate and real-time information is critical to maintaining a competitive edge. For this reason, our client had identified systems integration as key to its business growth. At the time of this project, the client was working to identify inefficient processes that could be improved.

One such inefficiency lay between the client’s ERP software and its Product Analysis & Reporting System (PARS). This system is effectively the company’s warranty claims management software. By analysing signs of use, the system determines whether customers can have products repaired free of charge. If the product has been used in a way that violates the warranty agreement, then the customer will have to pay for the repair.

But while this warranty claims management software worked on its own, it had no built-in connection to the company’s ERP software, SAP ECC. This disconnect meant that the client’s finance teams had no reliable way of accessing warranty claims data.

In brief, the downsides of this unintegrated warranty claims management software were:

• error-prone and time-consuming manual input of claims data
• difficulty in producing accurate forecasts for warranty payouts
• inability to respond quickly to reported product defects

Recognising these negative effects, the manufacturer decided that SAP ERP integration was needed to turn the situation around.

The solution

SAP ERP integration with warranty claims management software

Having worked with our systems integration team previously, the manufacturer approached us again to solve this SAP ERP integration challenge. We recommended building on the Azure-based integration platform that we had designed for the client at an earlier stage. This solution promised the best outcome in terms of cost, speed, and security.

We proposed to achieve the integration with Azure Logic Apps and Azure API Management Service. Firstly our integration engineers configured and deployed APIs to send the warranty claims data to the client’s API management layer. Then we configured and developed Azure Logic Apps that connected this data to the client’s SAP ERP software.

Our integration team comprised a principal architect, delivery lead, QA tester, account manager, and DevOps engineer. Working in development and test environments initially, we deployed the finished integration within nine man days. The new SAP ERP integration proved its value immediately in the form of faster and more accurate financial reports and forecasts.

The benefits

Turning today’s data into tomorrow’s growth

Global vacuum producers streamline operations through manufacturing systems integration

The challenge

Outdated stock data was hampering field workers

As our client knows, producing a wide range of complex industrial goods for clients worldwide is not a simple task. The communication between production and operations must be flawless if the business is to succeed. Being aware of this, the company was looking to improve manufacturing efficiency by integrating its disparate systems.

One major bottleneck lay between their back-office systems and the technicians raising work orders in the field. Their central ERP software was SAP ECC, hosted on-premises, while their field workers used a custom-made application to raise orders. As there was no data sync between these systems, the field workers had to manually input stock and equipment data before visiting customers. The drawbacks of this situation were:

• increased risk of errors from manual entry
• disorganisation between field teams and operations
• less time to focus on customer service

The company’s management knew that these issues were preventing field workers from providing the best service possible. They tasked the IT department with researching how to break down manufacturing data silos with minimum disruption to the business.

The solution

Using Azure to break down manufacturing data silos

The company had previously engaged our digital engineers to maintain, support, and develop their MuleSoft integrations. At this point the company was making a strategic shift away from MuleSoft in favour of Microsoft Azure. As Azure is one of our core specialisms, the company asked us to demonstrate that Azure could meet their requirements.

Our proposed solution was to integrate the on-premises SAP ECC with the web-based SQL Server application using Azure Logic Apps. These serverless applications allowed us to build automated workflows based on events or timers, between on-premises and the cloud.

After seeing the many low-code, best-practice, security-focused solutions we had developed with Azure in the past, the client was convinced. The low-code method also ensured that the client could adjust the integration with relatively little time and cost.

Our integration engineers designed and delivered the new integration solution in five days. At the same time we provided the IT department with consultancy on Azure resourcing, cost control, and continuous deployment mechanisms. When the manufacturing data integration solution was deployed, the client saw results immediately in terms of errors eliminated and hours saved.

The benefits

Low cost, high speed, strong ROI