Viking Group, Inc. is a global leader in the manufacture and distribution of innovative fire protection and life safety systems that include fire detection, control, and suppression technologies. Viking established Viking SupplyNet in 1988, linking together all the essential elements to provide seamless, complete solutions for contractors. Now, Viking SupplyNet distributes the largest selection of sprinkler system components to customers in over 70 countries. Worldwide, Viking SupplyNet is represented by over 30 wholly-owned locations, as well as a large network of independent distributors.
For contractors, finding the right equipment and tools to build a dedicated fire suppression system with Viking SupplyNet was problematic for several reasons.
The system was utilizing JD Edwards World along with a legacy AS/400 system resulting in a cumbersome user experience.
Because the existing process was text-heavy and document-based – just grids and product data – it was very difficult for users to find what they needed. In fact, users first had to go to the Viking company website vikinggroup.com to view a catalog of Viking products. Then, customers had to visit the legacy supplynet.com to find the SKUs and place the order.
Another function that needed to be addressed was the ability of customers to access their pricing models. Viking SupplyNet included a vast number of SKUs, and each customer has their own custom price for each SKU.
As you can imagine, the streamlined user experience saves a tremendous amount of time. A process that could take hours of research can now be handled in a matter of minutes. It is a project that has surely paid for itself. Viking is now moving forward with integrating an ERP eCommerce solution to facilitate coordination between a company's eCommerce site and back-end accounting and inventory.
Viking needed a fully integrated website and contractors needed an easier way to support building a fire suppression project, based on the specifications and requirements for each commercial or residential structure and the individual instruments and parts necessary to support the recommended system.
Briteskies supported the initial implementation of SupplyNet.com with a brand-new user experience. Supported by MuleSoft Mule ESB, catalog data updates nightly, and pricing data updates instantly. Now, rather than having to find each product page and download the relevant tech specs, customers can click to create a submittal package through their shopping cart at any point in the buying process. From there, functionality creates one PDF with all tech specs for the items in the cart, combining the documents in one place with a cover sheet for easy access.
The entire scope of the project involved:
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