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AIMS Limited |  |
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http://www.aims-ltd.com | ||||
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Retail | ||||
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| CLIENT AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS Coexistence supplies comprehensive contemporary furniture packages. It works with leading architects and designers and their clients in the UK and globally. It adds value by: - using its unrivalled product knowledge, gained through more than 30 years experience of Europe's principle furniture fairs - Cologne, Copenhagen, Milan, Valencia, Stockholm - and frequent visits to manufacturers' factories. - offering impartial, unbiased and independent sourcing of alternative products, based on one of the largest product portfolios in Europe. - providing competitive trading terms and strong purchasing power, through its relationships with more than 100 international manufacturers. - being a single point of contact for the whole process, from sourcing products through to their final installation. - managing any size of project from start to finish. CLIENT OBJECTIVES (the challenge) Since the mid-1980s, Coexistence had evolved a complex series of Excel spreadsheets to manage its business operations. The system relied on considerable data re-entry and copying/pasting, but was accompanied by data transfer errors. Much time was lost by skilled staff carrying out basic data entry tasks. The new system was required to eliminate data re-entry, and remove all errors caused by faulty data transfer. Coexistence has three departments - Sales, Logistics and Accounts. The data needed to flow from one department to the next ensuring that whoever gathered essential information made it available to all working further down the order fulfilment line. The system needed to provide prompts to each department helping them make the most effective use of their time. Finally, the company's managers needed to be able to access reports that would help them to manage the process, review staff performance, review sales history and forecast business opportunities. SOLUTION A modular system has been created that handles the requirements of each of the three departments. The system has clear handover points where the business process is passed from one department to the next. Whilst each department works on its area of expertise, its contribution to the process is made clearly available to the other departments. For example, where the terms and conditions for a particular client state that payment is required before delivery, the logistics department is informed of the current payment status on the job, and is prevented from creating a delivery note until the conditions have been met. The data entered by the logistics department in turn provides the accounts department with a clear indication as to when an invoice can be raised. The first stage of the system went live within months of starting the project. As each stage was refined and bedded down, the next stage of the system was started. This incremental method of installing the system has meant that no �down time� was suffered as the system came on line. The system has now replaced all the spreadsheets within the company, and is fulfilling all of the original objectives. During the four year transition from the Excel to the FileMaker system, there has been considerable iteration between the client and the developer. This continuing dialogue has reflected the dynamic nature of the project, in that new ideas were introduced into the emerging FileMaker system as the client started to appreciate the power of the software. An example has been the client's decision to invest in FileMaker Pro 8, in order to give Coexistence remote access to the data base that now lies at the heart of its business. The client is now exploring with the developer how to use features available under FileMaker Pro 8, in order to improve Coexistence's marketing activities. FILEMAKER VERSION USED Currently Using FileMaker Pro 8 and FileMaker Server 8 THE RESULTS (how did the new solution work? any time-saving and/or cost savings") |
 Mention of third party companies and products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. All product specifications and descriptions were originally supplied by the respective vendor or supplier. FileMaker Inc. assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance or use of these products. All understandings, agreements or warranties, if any, take place directly between the vendors and prospective users. |