Hunter Douglas - advantage BI solutions of New Frontiers

HunterDouglas was one of the first customers for NewFrontiers. Jointly we have worked on a solution based on a solution that is typical to NF and of which many followed later. The story of August 2000:

Hunter Douglas, an international manufacturer of window treatments, faced a number of challenges when it wanted to link its SAP R/3 ERP back-office software to its assemblers. After unsuccessfully trying to do so on its own, the Netherlands-based company turned to solution provider New Frontiers, also in the Netherlands, which had previously worked with Hunter Douglas, says Patrick Teunissen, director of sales and projects at New Frontiers.

In turn, New Frontiers engaged Acta, a Mountain View, Calif.-based Web optimization software developer, whose Acta eCommerce Data Platform, including eCache, incorporates data-caching technology to deploy the developer's software solution. Acta works primarily with solutions providers with expertise in back-end solutions, such as SAP AG products.

"The technology was new, and we were really interested in the concept," Teunissen says. "We thought we could use SAP data in eCache to validate information on the Web site before it got sent to SAP."

Caching is Key
Acta's caching capabilities were important, since Hunter Douglas' assemblers often reuse information such as data on materials, Teunissen says. The interface has basic information, such as quantity, product number and name. "The concept of keeping it simple and not making your Web site too complicated is very important for B2B," he says.

Today, validation requests go through caching approximately 90 percent of the time, speeding orders dramatically, according to Teunissen.

"To be a true business-to-business e-commerce player, you need to provide easy access to key back-office data," adds Bob Cook, vice president of administration and CIO at Hunter Douglas. "With Acta, Hunter Douglas will be able to share up-to-the-minute information that is essential for maintaining good business relationships over the Internet."

The story was publised in VAR business: read article.

Quote Aart van Leeuwen of HunterDouglas: