Hunter Douglas has turned to NewFrontiers for SAP data integration and business intelligence expertise since 2000. One of their most successful projects together was featured in several press articles at the time; as it was one of the first live examples of SAP systems being used to support ecommerce.

Share SAP Data Throughout Supply Chain

Hunter Douglas, a global manufacturer of configurable window fashions, sold $1.7 billion of customized window treatments in 2000 to 5,000 customers through a complex channel of over 300 companies, manufacturing, and assembly plants. Hunter Douglas needed to share inventory, order status, and capacity data throughout their supply chain to streamline processes, reduce operating costs, and improve customer service.

In particular, they needed to improve the ordering process for customers. Moving from manual processes to ordering online would be a competitive differentiator as they reduced paperwork and improved accuracy, delivery times, and value.

SAP Data Integration Challenge

The Hunter Douglas IT team faced a number of technical challenges when it tried to link Hunter Douglas’ SAP R/3 back-office systems to its network of assemblers. They quickly realized they needed professional expertise and new technology.

NewFrontiers provided a solution, using technology from Acta, a Silicon Valley startup. Together they designed and implemented a data cache (or operational data store) for Hunter Douglas’ relevant SAP data with regular refreshing of product configuration, order, and inventory information. This acted as a buffer, ensuring that

• All data being sent to assemblers was consistent and secure
• The Hunter Douglas production SAP R/3 was protected from any performance or security risks
• Only clean validated data was sent to SAP R/3

Improved Order Process for Customers

This information management solution for SAP, greatly simplified the ordering process for Hunter Douglas' assemblers without impacting the production SAP system. 90% of sales order were validated and processed using cached data, which dramatically sped the ordering process and the responsiveness of the entire supply chain.

"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. "Hunter Douglas will be able to share up-to-the-minute information that is essential for maintaining good business relationships over the Internet."