IEWC is a global leader in the distribution and manufacturing of wire, cable and fiber optic solutions. Established in 1962 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, IEWC has grown to encompass 22 locations in 11 countries.
With over 600 employees, it serves a diverse customer base of over 12,000, including original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers, assemblers and installers.
Challenges: Simplifying a complex process
IEWC initially implemented Stibo Systems Platform in 2016 to support the company’s ecommerce platform. But IEWC’s product onboarding process remained complex and time-consuming due to its reliance on SAP for material creation and only using a fraction of Stibo System Platform’s capabilities.
Material creation in SAP
Creating new materials in SAP was a cumbersome process involving multiple transactions, as many as 35 screens, and a significant time investment (5-10 minutes per material).
This complexity often led to data quality issues and a steep learning curve for new users.
Minimal data governance
IEWC lacked standardized data governance procedures for product information. The company relied heavily on the tribal knowledge of its sourcing team, and differing taxonomies among its supply base, which led to inconsistencies and potential inaccuracies in its supplier and product data.
Slow integrations
The integration between Stibo Systems Platform, SAP and Salesforce was slow and inefficient. It could take days for new materials created in SAP to become available in Salesforce for quoting and visible on IEWC’s website for customers.
Sales processes were held up, and it was impossible to respond quickly to customer inquiries.
“Our slow integration between SAP and Salesforce, where we do our quoting, meant it would take days before a new material was created so the sales team could use it and see it in their system.” - Grant Sayler, Data Governance Manager, IEWC
These challenges highlighted the need for smoother and more efficient product onboarding. IEWC knew it didn’t leverage Stibo Systems Platform anywhere near its full potential. The task became using the platform to improve data quality, speed up onboarding and integrate with its other critical business systems – while also introducing data governance into the workflow.
“For the longest time, Stibo Systems Platform was really just this big fancy car that we only knew how to drive in first gear.” - Grant Sayler, Data Governance Manager, IEWC
Solution: Unshackling Stibo Systems Platform
To overcome all these product onboarding challenges, IEWC embarked on a project to simplify the process and make sure the company realized the full capabilities of Stibo Systems Platform.
Moving material creation to Stibo Systems Platform
IEWC shifted the responsibility of material creation from SAP to Stibo Systems Platform. This allowed it to take advantage of the latter's user-friendly interface and workflow capabilities.
By simplifying the process and reducing the number of steps involved, IEWC significantly decreased the time and effort it needed to onboard new products.
Simplifying the workflow
The company designed a simpler workflow within Stibo Systems Platform. The process no longer needed 35 screens and multiple transactions in SAP.
Now, the team only needed a single web UI with just four tabs. Not only did this simplification make it easier for users to create materials, but it also made data more accurate since there was far less risk of errors along the way.
Improving the user experience for asset management
IEWC also recognized the need to make it easier for users to manage product assets. The old system was too cumbersome, which meant users often shied away from using it and the available product information didn’t live up to the company’s standards. So, it developed a new, streamlined web UI specifically for that.
Implementing data governance
To introduce data governance standards, IEWC used templates within Stibo Systems Platform – templates that pre-populated critical product information.
As with all templates, this made information consistent and accurate across all materials. It also meant users weren’t reliant on tribal knowledge to succeed.
Near real-time integrations between the major systems
The near real-time integrations between Stibo Systems Platform, SAP and Salesforce eliminated delays and manual efforts previously needed to keep data synchronized across systems.
Product information was readily available in all systems, speeding up the sales process and improving customer service. Sales teams could now access the latest product data in Salesforce for quoting, and new products were quickly reflected on the IEWC website, creating an even better customer experience.
Outcomes: Efficiency, accuracy and automation
IEWC's project to streamline its product onboarding process using Stibo Systems Platform delivered impressive results, exceeding its initial expectations and driving significant improvements across various areas of its business.
75% shorter onboarding time
By shifting material creation to Stibo Systems Platform and simplifying the workflow, the company could bring new products to market much faster. It decreased the onboarding time by 75%, from an average of 5-10 minutes per material in SAP to a mere 2-3 minutes in Stibo Systems Platform.
High-quality data all around
The implementation of data governance standards and the use of templates within Stibo Systems Platform substantially improved data quality. Since all critical product information was consistently captured and validated, IEWC reduced errors and inconsistencies.
This gives sales, marketing and operations teams the reliable data they need to make better informed decisions and give customers more accurate information.
More complete product information
The new web UI provided a one-stop shop for updating reference data, adding specifications and uploading images. This made the process much simpler and more user-friendly, encouraging more people to use the system, while also improving the quality and completeness of product information.
An even more productive sourcing team
The smooth workflow and automated processes freed up valuable time for IEWC's sourcing team – a team that up until then had to spend a lot of time and effort on onboarding.
Instead of manually entering and validating data, they can now focus on more strategic tasks, such as managing supplier relationships and product development. They are now productive on a different level and can contribute more strategically to the business.
Cost savings
By reducing manual effort and improving efficiency, IEWC saved around 200 hours of manual labor through the automation and streamlining of its product onboarding process. Cost savings that could be reinvested in other areas of the business for growth and innovation.
“In only one year we have created over 2,000 parts in Stibo Systems Platform and saved around 200 hours of manual hours – and improved data quality along the way.” - Clayton Aschliman, Data Specialist, IEWC
