AHLSELL
When a major player like Ahlsell, with a well-established classic EDI for suppliers, wanted to expand and improve further in a step on their digitalization journey, Viaduct was asked to provide both a technical solution and contribute with expertise in the process.
Ahlsell contacted Viaduct with the question, “How can we create conditions for EDI with our less digitally advanced suppliers?” At Viaduct, we often talk about “capturing the tail” of counterparts/suppliers by offering them the ability to communicate digitally despite the lack of EDI. Sometimes, this involves offering an alternative that does not require an investment in a new technical solution. How does this work, and what opportunities exist to make it cost-effective?
Together with Ahlsell, we jointly concluded that the best way to achieve the desired digital communication was to offer a cloud solution where the communication is integrated into Ahlsell’s business system by establishing a portal solution for web-EDI. Thanks to the new solution, suppliers log in themselves and respond to the delivery-specific activities needed to eventually deliver their products to their customer, Ahlsell.
The right tool for successful onboarding
Viaduct has also supported Ahlsell with the onboarding process to get suppliers into the portal solution and start using it, which often takes a lot of time but is crucial during implementation.
Over the years, we have found that when introducing a new technical solution like a web-EDI portal, an onboarding tool is necessary to ensure a smooth process for integrating all trading partners. The onboarding tool reduces the risk of information gathering and workflows becoming unstructured and administratively burdensome, which can otherwise result in low usage rates and a lack of organization becoming a lower priority.
Viaduct’s tool, Implementation, became the solution to ensure oversight and control over all trading partners using the new solution.
Effective collaboration and good communication
Everyone involved at Ahlsell has been incredibly committed and has had a strong desire to achieve the desired improvement. An important part is understanding what the change will contribute and the tangible efficiencies, both in terms of work and economics, that the project will bring to Ahlsell. At the same time, entrusting Viaduct with our long experience and trusting that our highest goal is for the project to succeed has truly paved the way for smooth and trust-building progress.Success Factors
- Clear expectations, communication, and feedback
- Trust in progress and ongoing reviews led to a good collaboration
- The right tools & services - WebEDI portal, implementation tools, and the right expertise for supplier onboarding.
