With Digia’s messaging solution the operational applications of Wihuri’s daily consumer goods chain have been integrated into an efficient and seamless entity. Information moves fast and safely from one place to another. The automated monitoring ensures that every single message sent always reaches its destination.

Solution benefits

• Faster communication between the retail shops, wholesalers and the central corporation
• Shorter delivery times
• Automation reduces errors and routine tasks
• More efficient business process
• Ease of use
• Centralised administration
• Centralised terminal software upgrades
• Fast barcode entry by use of PDAs
• Automated monitoring and control of message communications
  
  

PDA-devices - an integral part of the solution

The solution delivered to Wihuri Oy makes the daily functions between the shops, wholesalers and the central corporation more efficient. The solution provides the wholesale customers with a fast and secure way to enter their orders directly into the backend system of the central corporation. The system delivered to Wihuri is built on messaging service based on centralised message communications and wireless PDA terminals.

With Digia’s messaging solution the operational applications of Wihuri’s daily consumer goods chain have been integrated into an efficient and seamless entity. Information moves fast and safely from one place to another. The automated monitoring ensures that every single message sent always reaches its destination. The system provides information about errors in the data flow, e.g. via emails or text messages. Thanks to this, problem situations can be dealt fast.

Order reliability through barcode reader

The use of PDA devices to carry out everyday shop routines is an essential part of the comprehensive solution. With the user-friendly Digia Retail@Hand PDA solution, the staff can take care of most of the shop’s order and stock functions, such as orders, goods arrivals, inventories, deposit bottles and stock transfers. With the solution, it has been possible to automate time-consuming and error-prone routine tasks, which has had a positive effect on staff’s job satisfaction.

The barcode reader belonging to the system has increased the reliability of the delivery orders – entry errors have been reduced to the minimum resulting in essentially less incorrect orders. Digia’s messaging software handles also the message communications between the PDA devices and backend systems. This ensures that the data from the shops is available also to the other parties of the supply chain.

The system has been received favourably also by the wholesale trade. Before the system was taken into use, customers placed their orders by phone, which tied the staff to phones most of the day. Today customers place their orders via wireless PDA devices straight into the central corporation’s SAP R/3 system from where the order is then directed to order processing.

Wihuri’s integration solution which is based on centralised message communications was implemented with Digia iSuite software. iSuite monitors, collects, sorts and transmits data collected with the terminal devices. The software is composed of a data hub (Digia iSuite Server) and smart interface components (Digia iSuite Client) connected to the systems to be integrated. With the solution, e.g. the cash-register and mobile terminals, the SAP R/3 ERP system and a number of other systems were integrated together.

Quick and easy to install, take into use and update

The PDA software is exceptionally easy to install and take into use. With the installation program, the shop main users can install the software on the shop server and on the PDA devices. All software upgrades can also be delivered via the messaging software.

The PDA software is the user interface of the solution. It is used to carry out all end user functions of Wihuri’s SAP R/3 background system. The operating principle of the software in brief is as follows:

• User authentication upon starting the program. 
• User selects the function to be used, e.g. orders.
• User enters the lines by scanning the EAN code with a barcode reader.
• User can move to another function anytime, e.g. from an order to goods arrival. The application remembers the lines entered.
• User can change or delete lines entered as long as the product lines are still in the application memory by clicking the desired lines on the device display.
• When the desired functions have been completed and the user places the device in the dockingstation, the application automatically transfers the product lines to the server and clears them from its memory. The software can be used also via GSM, GPRS or WLAN connection.
• The data transfer module (Digia iSuite Client) is in charge of the messaging to the server and the point- of-sales terminal system.
• With the barcode reader the user can easily enter a number of lines without having to worry about errors.
• The correctness of the entries can be checked by calculating the check digit of the EAN code.
  
  

“We were searching for a user-friendly, yet infallible and fast system for our shops – a system that works well together with other ERP systems. We wanted to make sure that our shop personnel can carry out all necessary tasks with one device and always the same way. With Digia iSuite and Digia Retail@Hand applications this can be done.” IT Director Aisa Aarnio-Wihuri, Wihuri Oy

Applied technology

• Digia Retail@Hand
• Digia iSuite