Dalton Box Case Study

Background

Dalton Box, a division of National Packaging Solutions Group (NPSG) is a conglomerate of corrugated packaging manufacturers in the Southeastern United States. The focus of NPSG is to serve the customer better than any other packaging provider. They provide custom corrugated packaging products and services to meet their customers' needs and exceed their expectations. These services range from packaging design and testing to complete outsourcing of inventory management.

Problem

The ultimate goal from an inventory management perspective is 'Just In Time' delivery of packaging products. This can drastically reduce or eliminate the packaging inventory maintained at a customer's location. The result is a release of working capital for other activities and a much better utilization of floor space at the customer's location. Realizing that having the right packaging materials at the right time is 'Mission Critical' to the success of its customers, the NPSG commitment is to '100% on time and complete delivery'. This includes providing emergency solutions to NPSG customers within 24 hours or less of ordering. In order to reach these goals, NPSG initiated a new e-commerce service. The goals of the implementation included enhancing its web site to enable customers at all locations to place orders, check inventory levels, and check order status on-line. This will save time and ensure accuracy for all orders.

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Solution

Shared Vision Group joined the project to transition the idea to implementation. Leveraging the client's business expertise, Shared Vision Group's JumpStart methodology, and IBM's WebSphere Commerce Suite Start Now Offering, we created a B2B internet application enabling clients and NPSG account representatives to define, submit, and review orders. This system allows both customers and the account representatives to place orders in real-time as a function of inventory management to meet customer demands for packaging products. The reduction in overhead required to place orders has been translated into an operational cost savings.

Results and Benifits

The IBM Start Now package provided NPSG with a low cost of entry, and Shared Vision Group's WebSphere Commerce Suite implementation experience allowed NPSG to realize the vision within a short timeframe. Advanced features of the site (http://commerce.nationalpsg.com) include customized Order History views, and email notification when orders are placed. The site is currently under the Shared Vision Group Standard Maintenance Agreement, which includes monthly hosting and application maintenance updates, as well as on demand catalog updates and synchronization. This service is currently provided by NPSG to four customers, and is available for adoption as part of its general services offering. To date, the system is averaging $12,000 per month in revenue.