Codeless Platforms has revealed that Grant Westfield, the manufacturer of Multipanel waterproof wall panelling, has replaced its historic integration solution with BPA Platform making it easier for the business to upgrade its Epicor ERP system, as well as providing greater control and stability.
BPA Platform is now automatically processing Grant Westfield’s EDI orders, proof of delivery information and RMA (Product Returns & Replacements) data.
Established in 1881, Grant Westfield’s products are manufactured in Edinburgh and are then distributed via its regional depots. It has three streams for customer orders, including online orders via its eCommerce platform (integrated directly into Epicor), manually entered orders, and around 150 to 200 orders per day via TrueCommerce EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), which it needed to automate. Additionally, the vast majority of Grant Westfield’s deliveries are completed by its own vehicles, so it utilises two third-party proof of delivery (ePOD) systems.
“The orders we receive via EDI generates an XML file. BPA Platform processes and validates that file and loads it into Epicor. It is also processing files the other way – sending invoices out via email or by EDI. BPA Platform also uploads our delivery runs to a proof of delivery system that we use. We have some elements that use third-party couriers, but the bulk of it goes through our own transport. When we get acknowledgments back from the proof of deliveries BPA Platform processes them into Epicor,” explained Mark Yates, ERP Specialist, Grant Westfield.
“We also use BPA Platform to connect to a web returns interface which is linked to our RMA data, as well as printing some internal labels. It depends where you initiate the transaction as to where it wants to be printed, but I’ve implemented that task because it’s easy to do in BPA Platform.”
With its heavy reliance on Epicor to process essential data, especially EDI orders and proof of delivery information, Grant Westfield was looking to upgrade its existing integration and automation solution with a new platform that could take on the tasks already being run, whilst improving stability and maintenance, as well as allowing for future functionality with other systems.
“Installing BPA Platform has enabled us to move the business forward without having to worry about the upgrades and data continuity. Our previous solution was quite complicated and really slow when making the smallest of changes. However, with BPA Platform you’re using tasks and tools that you’re a little bit more familiar with. It’s quite visual and it’s easy to go back into it, pick up the thread and understand the processes. I can easily see where I need to make a little tweak to accommodate the latest change,” enthused Mark Yates.
“Automating our orders is obviously important, but the proof of delivery is where we’re probably getting the biggest benefit as we’re able to monitor them in real time. We can see where we are with deliveries getting marked off as they go through the day, so we can get a reasonably good idea of what sort of progress the depots are making with their deliveries,” said Mark Yates.
“There are probably around 600 drops to individual sites per day. There’s quite a lot of processing involved. Tablets are used to collect signatures, take photographs, change quantities etc. That information then gets sent to us as an XML file which BPA Platform automatically pushes into Epicor. It has sped up the process dramatically.”
BPA Platform’s flexibility has been another additional benefit to Grant Westfield, enabling the company to explore other tasks that can be automated.
“You can look at the tool set and think how you can use it, and then you can bend it to do other things. The printing task has been quite useful. It wouldn’t be something you’d think of out of the box because we’ve got various ways of printing. However, the fact that it can link directly into our SSRS reports and labels is quite clever. It would be really difficult to do this in any other tool,” concluded Mark Yates.
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