JSE-listed CS Holdings` IT education division, CS Education Solutions, is providing documentation and training to Commerce Centre on the company`s newly implemented CS-Pro application, which is used to capture data onto the EAN Product Data Catalogue (EANoPDC).
The EANoPDC is geared to improving supply chain efficiencies among the South African Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) community by providing a single distribution channel for static product data from suppliers to retailers.
EAN South Africa, the trading name of the SA Numbering Association (SAANA) is a voluntary, non-profit making association and a member of EAN International.
Its purpose is to promote and establish the EAN International system of numbering and identification standards. Developed initially for the retail and wholesale sectors, the EAN International system has subsequently spread to cover all market sectors for the identification of goods, locations and services.
The EAN identification numbers may be used in bar-coded form for scanning at retail, cash and carry, manufacturing and throughout the entire supply chain.
Commerce Centre specialises in e-business solutions with services and products from US-based Sterling Commerce and ParaRede in Portugal. The company focuses on business-to-business electronic commerce in market sectors such as retail/manufacturing, financial, pharmaceutical and agricultural.
"EAN South Africa appointed Commerce Centre as the custodian and provider of the infrastructure for the EANoPDC," says Ren'e de Kock, ERP director at CS Education Solutions. "While they are jointly responsible for monitoring the project`s progress, Commerce Centre contracted CS Holdings to provide the necessary documentation and training for suppliers and retailers on CS-Pro, a ParaRede product.
"CS-Pro is used by the FMCG community to manage product information (such as adding new products and changing product information) and then transmit the information via EDI (electronic data interchange) to the EANoPDC for viewing and subscription by retailers," she explains.
"Because the application is Web-based, different suppliers can access it through a web browser on the company`s local server, from where the information is communicated to the EANoPDC. Retailers use CS-Pro to receive product information and integrate it into their own ERP systems. As soon as suppliers make changes to a product on the EAN-PDC, a message is sent to all retailers subscribed to the product. In this way, data is always kept current."
According to De Kock, the use of CS-Pro holds several benefits for both suppliers and retailers. "For suppliers, it provides a single distribution channel for static product data, which invariably leads to a reduction in costs and cycle times and improved cash flow," she says.
"Retailers benefit from having one set of clean data for e-commerce, as well as accurate industry standard dimensions and measurements and barcode information. Additionally, product-related back door problems are eliminated, while the hierarchical integrity of consumer units and associated packing levels is ensured."
Before contracting CS Education Solutions, all Commerce Centre had to present for training purposes, was a technical manual written by ParaRede`s programmers.
"Although the manual is comprehensive from a technical perspective, it was not suitable for training purposes," says De Kock. "We began developing the documentation in December 2000, completed the pilot training sessions and are currently engaged in end-user training, as the product is rolled out to various industries and companies."
Says Commerce Centre director Chris Havenga: "We considered other training providers before deciding on CS Education Solutions, but eventually awarded them the contract for several reasons. Firstly, their training facilities are excellent, and the fact that they are situated in Midrand makes them easily accessible to customers. More importantly, CS Education Solutions are already familiar with the FMCG market, having previously presented courses in supply chain management, so they quickly understood the significance of the EANoPDC."
"As far as the documentation is concerned, their in-house printing facilities makes it easy to update documentation, which is further facilitated by already established formats," Havenga continues. "As a division of CS Holdings, CS Education Solutions is by no means a fly-by-night setup and boasts an established presence in the market place and an excellent track record. All these factors indicated that we would receive excellent value-for-money by signing them up."
De Kock says training on CS-Pro is scheduled to continue until June next year. "All suppliers must submit their products to the EANoPDC by February 2002. Just-in-time EANoPDC members will most probably extend the training need to June 2002. Once the bulk of the training has been done, we will follow up with ad hoc training to new subscribers to the catalogue, as well as advanced training as new versions of the product are released.
"At CS Education Solutions, we are proud to offer world-class services and products in any format that suits the client`s needs. This and our 10-year track record, allows us to cater for virtually any training requirement. Our training delivery is backed up by scientific needs assessment, top-rate trainers and competency-based course design. All this ensures that Commerce Centre will receive a return on their investment," De Kock concludes.
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