October 4, 2020
Case Study – Integration & Optimisation
This customer owns, operates and maintains a regions electricity distribution network, connecting 2.4 million properties, and more than 5 million…
streamlining ordering processesthrough an intuitive e-commerce platform
TVS SCS’ eCommerce solution (Msys.eCOM), has transformed our client’s in-service supply chain operations. The platform is fully integrated with our Product Data Management (Msys.PDM) system promoting easy part identification. It provides a customer-facing web front-end to the Msys.PDM data repository which manages parts technical data, supersessions, obsolescence and new part additions. This functionality removes the ability for users to place demands for items which are obsolete or have been superseded; this reduces the risk of inventory waste.
This content-rich catalogue capability can improve the efficiency of a client’s supply chain through enhanced product identification, which in turn leads to fewer stock returns and a more accurate stock profile.
Easy item identification is a critical functional component of an effective catalogue solution. Msys.eCOM delivers this requirement through two primary solution design components described as follows:
- Msys.PDM Catalogue content data structure:
Msys.eCOM holds the published output from Msys.PDM. The structure of Msys.eCOM published catalogue data is defined in Msys.PDM. TVS SCS has several years’ expertise in structured data analysis – which is fundamental in generating an ‘easy to use’ parts catalogue. The first level catalogue structure presented after the welcome page is normally designed to deliver the catalogue content by meaningful product families.
- Msys.eCOM Graphical User Interface (GUI):
The GUI design provides an intuitive look & feel towards rapid item identification and purchase. The GUI can be configured to suit the catalogue product content. Product photographs and technical drawings are related to their associated items – the relationships being ‘active’ between the item list and image pane. Identified items may be selected to be included in the Msys.eCOM ‘Shopping cart’ for order placement. Shopping cart contents can be saved for future catalogue processing or exported to external Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
The catalogue is also fully integrated with TVS SCS’ ERP system (Msys.ERP) – TVS SCS’ business process system for commercial data, demand inventory, availability and demand order entry & tracking.
The web-based platform branding is configurable to support the latest customer brand guidelines. It has secure user access by way of entering a unique user profile and password or via Single Sign On (SSO). For SSO, encrypted details will be passed to Msys.eCOM via a ‘token’ so the end-user will access the E-Commerce platform by a single sign-on process.
The technical documentation we publish can include Material Safety Data Sheets, COSHH and technical drawings with active relationship links to the relevant item(s). This ensures that when searching for items, any related documentation is automatically presented to the user, proactively prompting any required action.
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120 ,000
Number of Users
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1 ,500,000
Products managed globally
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24 /7
Access
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20 +
Years of development
The benefits of choosing TVS SCS for this service:
- Secure - Secure ordering platform managed in accordance with Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO27001.
- Supported - Online technical support, multi-language and multi-currency options available.
- Availability - Available anywhere with an internet connection 24/7/365.
- Accuracy - Precise part identification improves accuracy and significantly reduces returns.
- Traceability - Full order traceability with real-time status updates.
- Intuitive - Designed with the user in mind, simple to use platform eliminates need for training.
- Expertise - Built by experts providing powerful, predictive search functionality for products by a range of search terms.
- Compatibility - Compatible with any device that has an internet connection, desktop and mobile.
- Tailored - Can be enhanced to reflect client brand guidelines.
- Control - Secure user accessibility based on selected permissions.
Why TVS SCS?
Years Of Excellence In Trading And Technology
Pivotal Supply Chain Solutions To Top Companies In The World
Warehouse Space, Labour & Technology Anywhere It’s Needed
Customised Solutions With AI Integrations And Machine Learning
FAQs
What benefits would I get from implementing an eCommerce Solution, and how will this solution improve overall efficiency?
eCommerce solutions replace the normal manual business processes – ordering, delivery and payment procedures. It allows your products to be sold to a global market sector, which would have otherwise been expensive and difficult to do – ultimately increasing sales while decreasing investment costs.
The platform can be managed and operated from anywhere – with no opening time restrictions.
Creation of an eCommerce platform built using a Content Management System (CMS) gives improved flexibility. Every feature is a module which can be enabled, disabled or replaced. Defined roles and permissions for all your users will allow you to track changes and see the history of your content. Multi-tenant capability means a single installation of the CMS lets you manage multiple sites.
What technology is required to run our E-commerce platform?
The latest eCOM platform is mobile-ready. It can be used anywhere with an internet connection and viewed through any of the major web browsers.
Is the data presented in the platform real-time and up-to-date?
Technical data is published to the ‘live’ site at scheduled times of the day/night – every weekday. Any technical refresh is updated in the background while users still navigate the platform. The commercial data is published from Msys.ERP in real-time.
Can you set authorisation levels based on budget and product control?
Budget control, in the main, is managed in our enterprise resource planning application (Msys.ERP). This information is then reflected in Msys.eCOM. In ERP, the following budget controls can be applied:
- Credit limit applied to a user account
- Spend control and order authorisation control by the user (max spend per order and also approval level)
- Specific price list(s)/discount matrix applied to a user account
- HOT (Heavy Order Trap) applied to item(s) where items are held where they breach a sales quantity
How often is the platform updated and new features added?
TVS SCS’ E-Commerce system is released and updated very regularly; the team works in two-week iterations to deliver and release new and modified features. The Business Technology Solutions Team’s analysts plan and document the new requirements ready for the developers to pick up, who are then, in turn, developing and passing to the system test function, before being passed in front of the change advisory board for release. The process of release is carried out in conjunction with the clients to ensure no disruption to users. New features and capabilities are communicated regularly so our clients can consider incorporating these new features into their platforms too.
What visibility does this solution give me?
eCommerce made around $3.5 trillion in sales in 2019, and it’s anticipated that the sector will experience even more significant growth in the future. A well-designed eCommerce platform which is secure, intuitive to use, content-rich, visually strong, has the right product range and is competitively priced will enhance your reputation and significantly increase your sales.
To attract the attention of customers, online shops have to make themselves more visible. The key to this is targeted product data optimisation.
Is any training required to use this platform?
A well designed and easily navigable site is pivotal in providing your customers with a great end-user experience. We understand the features that will support an overall experience that pleases customers, keeps them engaged and urges them towards a purchase.
As most users of the TVS SCS eCOM platform are used to making purchases on these major eCommerce sites, the need for training is not required.
Online tutorials, FAQs, eCOM documentation, remote or on-site training can be provided on request.
How will our required products be illustrated in the platform?
Our Technical Publications team can take source raw client data and present it in a variety of different formats: interactive CAD, CAD, 2D exploded technical illustrations, 2D isometric technical illustrations, and photographs can all be created and associated to the parts/BoM.
The desired output will be agreed with the client at the outset of the project.
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