John Adams, Program Manager of Channel Enablement at Keysight 
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SATO Vicinity
SATO Vicinity's custom logistics management app helps its client process orders 83% faster
SATO Vicinity develops and sells products that use its global-standard PJM RFID (Phase Jitter Modulation Radio Frequency Identification) technology to track and identify tagged items. Uniquely, PJM RFID can quickly identify large amounts of tagged items with 100% accuracy, even when randomly or tightly packed. A subsidiary of electronics manufacturer SATO Global, SATO Vicinity builds high-end, customized applications for customers worldwide from industries including healthcare, blood and pathology, and wholesale diamonds.
The challenge
Building a custom order management app which integrates with SAP Inventory Management.SATO Vicinity was asked by a client to build an application that would automate and speed up order management in its warehouse. The client is a third party logistics (3PL) company that provides inventory management, warehousing, and order fulfillment services for companies that supply orthopedic implant kits to hospitals.
The client's main objective was to replace its slow, manual process for checking items in and out when dispatching orders and reconciling returned items. Improving the speed and accuracy of this process was crucial for growing their business.
"To fulfill an order, staff used to put all the kit items onto a long table, manually check each item against a list, then put them one by one into a box. Bigger orders could have 500 items, which would take up to an hour to check. So it was really a struggle. The client wanted to take on a lot more orders, so they needed to improve this process."
The client used SAP for inventory management, but found SAP couldn't provide the kind of order management it needed. Instead, staff had to manually pick out and compile order data from multiple emails.
Because all the client's back end data was held in SAP, the application SATO Vicinity built would need to integrate smoothly with SAP. It also needed to be flexible enough to accommodate the fact that the client receives orders from multiple orthopedic companies, who each supply multiple hospitals.
The solution
Zato provides a quick development process and seamless SAP integration.SATO Vicinity asked Zato Source to help them develop a custom application, EZ Booking, for the client. EZ Booking uses PJM RFID tags and readers to ensure 100% accuracy in identifying and tracking items for dispatch, returns, and reconciliations.
EZ Booking's backend was built in Zato, a flexible, powerful integrations platform with advanced integrations capabilities. Zato Source developed an integration with SAP Inventory Management. This enables EZ Booking to pull data from SAP and push back data on order updates and individual items' status.
"The Zato team guided me on the details of how to go about doing certain things and what is best practice. I learned a lot from Zato Source on this project."
The outcome
A custom app, called EZ Booking, that helps process orders 83% faster, supporting operational efficiencies and business growth.EZ Booking displays all orders on a customized calendar, so staff can see at a glance what to process each day. The app also sends daily email reminders to help ensure no orders are missed.
To process an order for delivery, staff put the whole implant kit into the RFID reader. This swiftly verifies the hundreds of items in the kit are present and correct, and EZ Booking then shows that order as ready for dispatch.
Once sent off, staff mark the order as dispatched with one click in EZ Booking. This automatically triggers an order status update to the SAP inventory management system.
SATO Vicinity delivered the new, custom application to its client on time and to the brief. Thanks to the PJM RFID technology and Zato's integrations capabilities, the client can now check out a kit for a customer order in 10 minutes or less - 83% faster than before.
"The client is definitely happy with the system because it's a lot faster to process orders now."
This means the client can process a lot more orders in a shorter amount of time. The increased operational efficiency enables the client to accept more orders and expand its business.
The integration with SAP ensures the client always has accurate, timely order data across all systems. EZ Booking has eliminated manual processing errors, helping the client ensure the right kits are sent to the right hospitals at the right time. The improved accuracy has also reduced disputes over miscounted or missing items, which previously could have led to financial losses for the client.
"Building the product in Zato was straightforward and fast. I got a lot of help from the Zato Source team to make this product work. They guided me on the details of how to go about doing certain things & what is best practice, and assisted me with things I was stuck on."
Business Challenge
Building a custom app to provide speedy order dispatch and returns, and integrated inventory data for a logistics company
Solution
Zato provides a fast, straightforward development process, seamless integration with SAP, and expert guidance to facilitate project success
Benefits
The new app makes checking items in and out 83% faster, meaning SATO's client can accept more orders and customers
"This was quite a large project and I delivered it on time. I'm happy I chose Zato to help develop this product, because if I hadn't, it might have taken much longer."