Company background
Jewelry Supply is a dynamic distribution company located near Sacramento, California, USA. “For over 25 years the company’s goal has remained simple” says Tony Roberts, Vice President of Jewelry Supply. “We strive to be the leader in our industry. This means the best products, the best prices and the best service for our customers.”
As its name indicates, the company supplies products related to jewelry, including Swarovski crystals, beads, charms, gifts, jewelry, packaging, tools, watch supplies and much more. The company serves as a distributor to a wide range of customers around the world.
Jewelry Supply has a growing workforce, currently with 40 employees.
Internet orders
Jewelry Supply needed an automated solution for customer creation and orders placed on its web site. The old process was prone to errors, as orders were manually entered from the web into the company’s supply chain system before processing. “We needed about four to five order entry positions, eight hours per day, to keep up with orders from the web,” explains Roberts. “As we continued to grow, we realized we needed a scalable solution, so we turned to our IT supplier IBS for an answer.”
IBS had successfully implemented its supply chain software, IBS Enterprise, earlier at Jewelry Supply. The solution has helped the company increase profitability by boosting sales, reducing costs and tied-up capital, shortening lead-times, improving customer service and generally increasing efficiency.
To see total supply chain visibility throughout its growing business, Jewelry Supply wanted a fully functioning website where customers could shop for items as well as enter and check the progress of their orders.
The scalable IBS Integrator product has offered Jewelry Supply an IT solution that simplifies the complexities of system integration, data management and replication, and process synchronization. “IBS Integrator software allows us to gain access to all of the data we need to drive our web ordering process,” comments Roberts.
IBS Integration software provides the resources to perform with flexibility in a business climate of constant changes. By integrating information and processes efficiently and quickly, Jewelry Supply is better able to respond to business demands.
The integration system ensures that employees work with accurate data and improved response methods. Thanks to the ability to source data from anywhere, the solution provides managers with the best possible information for planning and decision-making.
Working in partnership
Jewelry Supply worked with IBS to develop an XML file-based system so its website could communicate with the company’s IBS Enterprise system. IBS Integration software allows users to create simple scripts that either manually timed to execute or are set to execute automatically based on a defined system event. IBS Integrator does the complex work creating scripts that convert, transfer and encrypt data and carry out other integration processes.
Jewelry Supply’s web site creates customers and sales orders and FTPs the files to the integration system. The web then waits for a confirmation XML file, which lets Jewelry Supply know the customer and order were created. “Thanks to this new process in place with IBS Integrator, we now only need one order administrator, instead of five people, to process our web orders.” IBS Integrator software acts as a central hub for order management, converting and receiving orders from large and small customers alike. This means that orders can be received from any customer at any time and from anywhere in the world.
Web updates
The partnership has also developed a product-based XML file to update prices and inventory on the web every hour. This means the web site accurately reflects inventory levels and updated pricing information.
Order history is uploaded nightly to the web so customers can check order status and tracking information for their shipments. “This has resulted in greatly reduced calls from customers checking the status of their orders,” comments Roberts.
The future looks bright
“Since implementing IBS integration software we have taken control of our inventory issues, developed an automated order system and increased our warehouse productivity,” explains Roberts. In the future, Jewelry Supply intends to produce a print catalogue to try and capture a wider customer base.
