DocPath´s technology has been able to meet the document management needs of a distribution group that is the second largest in its sector. In particular, the group wanted to be able to print its labels rapidly and on an on-demand basis.
Data Management in Distribution Processes
Many distribution companies are faced with the challenge of optimizing their document generation, organization and management processes. After all, these companies manage many types of documents: labels, delivery notes, complaint papers, printed emails between employees, bills, etc. Managing this information is not only an expensive and slow process, but it also involves many departments, which, while spending time on documentation, cannot perform any higher value-added activities.
Since 1972, a French multinational retailer is standing out from the competition in its sector. This group is the second largest distribution chain in the world, with about 10,000 shops in 33 countries and more than 360,000 employees worldwide, and focuses its current operations on the Asian, European and Latin-American markets.
The group´s management team is fully aware of the fact that efficient and agile processes are essential when it comes to document management. After all, documentation is the basis of numerous business operations that affect both their functional and logistics processes. For this reason, optimizing these operations with an adequate document management solution will directly and positively affect the quality of their products and services worldwide.
Optimizing Label Generation
In line with the group´s strategy to optimize processes in order to increase the quality and speed of its activities, the management team in charge of technology decided to search for a solution to the groups growing need of label printing. Their existing system was slow and inflexible, as it obliged its employees to create the required labels during the day and keep the printing system running during the night. Moreover, the way in which these labels were sent to the different shops was inefficient.
Therefore, the group opened a selection process among different software solutions, which pointed to DocPath‘s Business Suite Pro for System i as the ideal document management solution for its label printing requirements. Business Suite Pro is a complete document management solution geared towards medium-sized and large organizations operating on System i platforms. The distribution chain purchased the solution with a real-time PCL and PS output printing system for environments with a large number of distributed servers and printers.
The Solution: DocPath Business Suite Pro
Business Suite Pro allows the group´s employees to generate and print labels in real-time and on an on-demand basis, as well as remotely request label generation.
However, the company not only needed to print in real-time, rapidly and at different locations. It needed to do that on its System i operating system. Therefore, a specific Business Suite Pro solution for System i was implemented, which allows data input via spool and leaves the processed data in a System i queue. Then the documents – labels – are generated in PCL or PS format.
As the implementation and production phases of the solution were very successful, the retailer added more DocPath features and document solutions to its technological infrastructure. These include: a passive backup system, disaster recovery and integration with their money transfer programs. Likewise, the group has implemented DocPath´s Business Suite Pro for Windows in all its administrative areas for its bill printing processes.
An Easy Road To On-demand And Distributed Printing
With DocPath technology, which has been able meet the specific document management needs of this distribution group, the company has greatly enhanced its label printing processes, turning it into a real-time, on-demand and distributed system. As such, the group has optimized it resources and processes and, therefore, has considerably improved overall customer satisfaction and production levels.