Opportunity
Chemical
supply chains forced to adapt to new expectations
As
global commerce continues to make its migration from “the main street” to
“mainframe”, organizations across all industries have been investing vigorously
in ways to digitize their operations. eCommerce has become a norm in everyday
life for most consumers, and as expectations for the same frictionless
experience continue to make their way towards other industries, the chemicals
industry has been no exception.
The
next generation of purchasing managers increasingly values speed, transparency,
and ease of doing business above other factors. Despite this fact, eCommerce
adoption in the industrial B2B setting has been evolving at a much slower pace
when compared to industries that sell directly to consumers. Industrial
manufacturing companies are challenged with the changes needed to existing
habits, processes, and systems, to adapt to the evolving expectations.
A few years ago, one company that had been manufacturing and distributing high
purity chemical products for over 25 years
recognized
that the traditional way of doing business was no longer able to keep up with
the evolving needs of customers and suppliers.
Too
many links in the chemical supply chain, combined with manual processes along
the way, not only prevents companies from delivering a better customer
experience, but also limits the visibility and insights that manufacturers need
to optimize inventory and production.
What
was needed was a truly digital point of sale and supply chain experience for
all stakeholders involved, capable of providing real-time pricing, inventory,
and demand signals.
To
stay in front of the competition, the company asked Aventior to help design,
develop, and launch the first truly digital marketplace for the chemical
industry.
Solution
Combining
scalability with industry-specific needs
Over
the course of 10 months, Aventior had completed the design, development, and
launch of the industry’s first truly digital
eCommerce marketplace
for the chemical industry. With scalability and user
experience at the forefront, the platform also needed to incorporate specific
features and functionality to support the chemicals industry.
Third-party
connectivity was another critical component of the platform – it had to be
capable of sending and receiving information seamlessly with external systems
to deliver an end-to-end digital
experience,
whether it be with logistics providers, suppliers, buyers, and other
third-party tools. The platform needed to support REST and SOAP web services,
as well as other more traditional file transfer techniques.
Aventior
collaborated with the client to finalize all the critical components for the
platform. Once features, functionality, and UX designs were established,
Aventior conducted an assessment to assist the client in finalizing the
platform architecture and solution approach.
Based
on the assessment, the client had settled on the following hybrid approach:
·
Leverage
a world-class eCommerce platform such as Magento (Enterprise Edition).
·
Customize
the platform to deliver the required features and functionality.
·
Develop
third-party integration capabilities to support the required connectivity.
·
Platform
hosting on AWS to provide unlimited server capacity and reliable encryption and
security.
The
solution agreed upon would enable the team to focus on developing innovative
features and functionality that would sit on top of an already robust
foundational architecture, which drastically reduces the time and cost for
delivery.
Using
this approach, Aventior was able to deliver the product on time, on budget, and
on spec.
Impact
Delivering
a truly connected chemical supply chain
With
the launch of the first (truly digital) eCommerce marketplace for chemicals,
the client was able to rapidly onboard new suppliers and products within the
first few weeks of launch.
Customer
experience improved dramatically for buyers. Suppliers saw transaction velocity
for purchase orders reduced drastically from multiple days to less than 15
minutes. Repeat sales increased. Suppliers now had the ability to obtain
real-time demand signals, enabling them to be smarter about inventory and
pricing.
By
working with Aventior to bring their vision into a
reality, the client has been able to establish themselves as a leader helping
chemical manufacturing companies improve sales and profitability with a
21st-century approach.
