Case Study: |
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Benefits
Thanks to the Microsoft Navision Retail Supplier Link
solution, Bi-Lo is boosting productivity and reducing costs;
gaining new customers and revenues; ensuring retail
compliance to avoid
costly charge backs; and gaining real-time information for
better decision making.
Reduced Costs
Bi-Lo has achieved significant reductions in ongoing costs
as a result of the Microsoft Navision solution. It has been
able to reduce the size of its order entry staff by 33
percent and the size of its accounts payable staff by 67
percent. In addition, an IT professional no longer needs to
run reports for management because he or she can easily
obtain data directly from system reports or online drilldown
capability. That frees nearly 50 percent of the IT
person’s time, which can be deployed in ways that add value
to the company. “Thanks to Microsoft Navision Retail
Supplier Link and Access IT, we’re seeing a significant cost
savings,” says Lowe. “We achieved payback in well under a
year.” Increased Revenues and Customer Base
Beyond saving money, the Retail Supplier Link solution has
been crucial in helping Bi-Lo attract and retain new
customers. EDI capability, for example, was a requirement of
a national housewares
chain that is now a Bi-Lo customer. Lowe says he
expects EDI to enable the company to attract other major
retailers as new customers. “EDI capability is the
only way to move into the retail chain market,” says Lowe.
“And Microsoft Navision and Access IT, through Retail
Supplier Link, gave us the easiest way to implement EDI.
Without it, we would not be able to attract these new
customers or capture these additional revenues.”
Efficiencies Enable Better Decisions
Bi-Lo is also able to respond faster and more effectively to
changing market conditions, thanks to the Microsoft Navision
solution. Having one system with a single database, rather
than four separate systems for the business system,
forecasting, shipping, and EDI, enables users to obtain
up-to-date reports on inventory status and related supply
chain measures instantly, whenever they want, without having
to go through the IT staff and wait several hours for
reports to be run. That means they can obtain that
information more frequently and act on it whenever
appropriate. The Retail Supplier Link E-Ship feature
enables the company to identify the best carrier for any
given order, based on delivery needs and costs, thereby
reducing costs while optimizing shipping.
Its AFP granule, when fully implemented, will increase
savings by optimizing forecast data to carry the right
inventory at the right time. “We wanted a solution that
would support our continued growth,” says Lowe. “That’s what
we have with the Microsoft Navision Retail Supplier Link
solution from Access IT.” |
