STORES Magazine - January 2009 - (Page 58)

NUTS AND BOLTS / SOA They Did IT iWay Software helped Coty integrate, streamline disparate systems BY FAYE BROOKMAN n the fragrance world, timing is everything. As Coty has grown via acquisition, the fragrance and beauty products giant realized a critical need to integrate its IT infrastructure. I “We went from a standing start in the middle of 2006 to a live start in France and Spain six weeks later,” he says, and all subsequent back-up and troubleshooting have been effortless. Coty planned to use iWay adapters to implement SAP; it also had a large long-term procurement outsourcing contract with IBM that required additional integration. “So we decided, why not use the SOA technology?” Berry says. “It took some convincing, but it paid off.” In addition to assimilating Unilever’s fragrance division (consisting of wellknown names like Calvin Klein, Vera Wang, Chloe and Lagerfeld), Coty wanted to capitalize on savings by linking its legacy systems and streamlining its global procurement and distribution facilities “We went around the country sniffing for systems” that could be implemented within a strict six-month window, says Coty senior vice president and CIO Dave Berry. “Having to code manually would have taken a year; ROI: 415% in six months missing our target date would have cost us several million dollars and possibly impacted revenues.” Berry chose iWay Software from New York-based Information Builders, and the companies worked to integrate Unilever’s IT infrastructure, implement service-oriented architecture (SOA) and reap other benefits. The result was a 415 percent return on investment in six months. Planning for the future Integration of a complex computing infrastructure with many ERP platforms and databases was accomplished in five months. Using point-and-click interfaces, iWay’s software creates services without coding, and the project “essentially laid the groundwork for any future Coty acquisitions,” says John Senor, president of iWay Software. Coty put that declaration to the test in 2007 when it bought Del Cosmetics, which manufactures thousands of SKUs under multiple brands. According to Berry, that transaction integrated seamlessly because iWay allowed Coty to build reusable components from existing applications. Some applications currently in the works include more efficient use of inventory and billing. Customers will be able to see where a shipment is in real time, and rather than batch-processing bills at the end of each day, “we can bill immediately and condense the time frame,” Berry says. “We are looking at new ways StORES to ‘relook’ at the clock.” Faye Brookman is a Skillman, N.J.based writer who reports extensively on the drug store industry. 58 STORES / JANUARY 2009 WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - January 2009

STORES Magazine - Jauary 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Mechanical Marvel P&G Invests in Ocado Now I Remember What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Breaking the Monotony Multi-Channel Concept2Watch E-Commerce Analytics Category Management IT Systems In-Store Technology IT Systems Communications Website Strategy Communications SOA Energy Video Surveillance Employee Theft Online Fraud Industry Perspective Loeb Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword End Cap

STORES Magazine - January 2009

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