BoekhandelsGroep Nederland (BGN)www.bgn.nl Item Level RFID Retail System Project Lead: Jan Vink, CIO
Project Description: When BGN opened its new Selexyz bookstore on April 25, it dubbed it a "smart store," as it was the first
in the chain to implement item-level RFID tagging. BGN used the following solutions: Progress Apama Event Stream Processing,
which tracks each book from the warehouse, reconciles the shipping notice with the books received, and locates each book in
the store. Customers can use Progress Easy Ask, a natural-language search engine available at the store's kiosks, to look
up books. BGN used OpenEdge as the development platform for the Selexyz Atlas project, and it manages front- and back-office
applications. The store's inventory is automatically updated, special orders are sent to a special location for pickup, and
any discrepancies are flagged. An e-mail or SMS is automatically sent notifying customers the order has arrived.
Hasbrowww.hasbro.com Business Process Management for Supply Chain Project Lead: Dave Adams, Business Integration Manager
Project Description: Before Hasbro adopted Lombardi Teamworks as its BPM solution -- known as the e-Connect project -- almost
all of the processes for determining an order and its supplier were paper-based and manually intensive. Hasbro used SAP to
manage all transactions, but it wasn't managing the RFQ process. Hasbro now receives orders electronically from its customers
directly into the SAP system. Individual quotes are separated, and RFQs sent to the vendors who can supply the items. Each
RFQ is sent to a vendor via e-mail and includes Internet links to a Hasbro Web form through which the vendor responds with
a quote for fulfillment. All vendor quotes received are aggregated, sorted, and queued for selection based on price and delivery
so that the optimal sourcing contract(s) can be identified. At any time, the business user can see the status of the quote
on a single screen instead of mulling through hundreds of faxes.
Marks & Spencerwww.marksandspencer.com RFID Tagging Trial Project Lead: James Stafford, RFID Manager
Project Description: Deployed BT's Auto-ID platform. This has been customized to suit M&S' needs and is integrated with its
other IT systems. Auto-ID is used to help machines identify physical objects -- items passing through various stages of an
extended supply chain -- and provide information about them through automatic data capture. The system has increased efficiency,
reduced data-entry errors, and freed staff to perform more value-added functions.
Volvo Cars Belgiumwww.volvocars.be SOA-Enabled Dealer Management System Project Lead: Christoph Cordier, Customer Service Director for Volvo Cars Belgium
Project Description: With XDMS Dealer Management System from XPower Automative System, car dealers are now able to track a
car through its entire lifecycle using the car's VIN (vehicle identification number). The system keeps records on the car's
maintenance history, warranty repairs, service appointments, technician time, parts, and customer invoices. It also handles
back-office functions such as monthly reporting for the vehicle manufacturer. The SOA (service-oriented architecture) uses
OpenEdge from Progress Software. Volvo placed an ESB on top of the application allowing it to reuse existing applications.
With the new system, dealers can access the company's Global Car Configurator to order new cars and Vehicle Information and
Diagnostics for After-Sale, which is linked directly to the car's onboard computer that diagnoses maintenance issues. The
dealers also have access to information in real time. Conversely, when dealers make updates to orders they are automatically
updated in the global system.
Richard Gincel is an associate editor at InfoWorld.
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