Software AG Case Studies the Webmethods Product Suite Drives Dean Foods’ Demand-Driven Initiatives

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	the Webmethods Product Suite Drives Dean Foods’ Demand-Driven Initiatives Software AG

the Webmethods Product Suite Drives Dean Foods’ Demand-Driven Initiatives

Software AG

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries	Food & Beverage
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development Quality Assurance
Use Cases	Inventory Management Supply Chain Visibility
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration
Challenge	Over the years, Dean Foods acquired several new businesses which operate as independent business units. This resulted in inconsistent data across its business units for the same products and a lengthy process to find and validate the data that customers needed. Tracking product formulas for all flavors within business units created inaccuracies and complexity that slowed the item maintenance process. As a result of company acquisitions, Dean Foods acquired a challenging number of new and inconsistent SKUs and UPC codes. There was inconsistent data between business units for the same products and a lengthy process to find and validate the data that customers needed. Dean also needed to simplify and homogenize complex product information. There were multiple levels of descriptions for the same product, and tracking product formulas for all flavors within business units created inaccuracies and complexity that slowed the item maintenance process. Read More
About Customer	Dean Foods is one of the leading food and beverage companies in the USA, and the largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products. It is also the nation’s leading manufacturer of soy milk, organic milk and other organic foods. Through its WhiteWave Foods Company, it offers a variety of nationally branded products, such as Silk soy milk, Horizon Organic dairy products, International Delight coffee creamers, LAND O’LAKES creamers and fluid dairy products. Dean Foods operates more than 110 plants in the United States and Spain. Over the years, Dean Foods has grown through acquisitions, resulting in a complex and diverse business structure with multiple independent business units. Read More
Solution	Dean Foods decided to leverage the webMethods product suite to create a Master Item Synchronization Process that ensured consistent data use across multiple business units and customers; a process that adhered to industry and customer mandates for information and involved end-users from different functional areas of the business. With the webMethods solution, end-users from different functional areas of the business would be involved in item setup and maintenance activities to validate data accuracy. webMethods Business Process Management (BPM) workflow and portal bring together end-users from different areas of the business to support best practices and ensure visibility and accuracy of item information. No one individual owns the product data but everyone has a part in ensuring consistency and accuracy. Dean Foods employed the use of a webMethods item canonical to describe products used by different business units and customers. Their ability to achieve consistency and accuracy with product information across the company and with customers has been largely driven by their commitment and adoption of a single process leveraging a single item canonical. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Applicable Industries

Food & Beverage

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Inventory Management

Supply Chain Visibility

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Challenge

Over the years, Dean Foods acquired several new businesses which operate as independent business units. This resulted in inconsistent data across its business units for the same products and a lengthy process to find and validate the data that customers needed. Tracking product formulas for all flavors within business units created inaccuracies and complexity that slowed the item maintenance process. As a result of company acquisitions, Dean Foods acquired a challenging number of new and inconsistent SKUs and UPC codes. There was inconsistent data between business units for the same products and a lengthy process to find and validate the data that customers needed. Dean also needed to simplify and homogenize complex product information. There were multiple levels of descriptions for the same product, and tracking product formulas for all flavors within business units created inaccuracies and complexity that slowed the item maintenance process.

About Customer

Dean Foods is one of the leading food and beverage companies in the USA, and the largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products. It is also the nation’s leading manufacturer of soy milk, organic milk and other organic foods. Through its WhiteWave Foods Company, it offers a variety of nationally branded products, such as Silk soy milk, Horizon Organic dairy products, International Delight coffee creamers, LAND O’LAKES creamers and fluid dairy products. Dean Foods operates more than 110 plants in the United States and Spain. Over the years, Dean Foods has grown through acquisitions, resulting in a complex and diverse business structure with multiple independent business units.

Solution

Dean Foods decided to leverage the webMethods product suite to create a Master Item Synchronization Process that ensured consistent data use across multiple business units and customers; a process that adhered to industry and customer mandates for information and involved end-users from different functional areas of the business. With the webMethods solution, end-users from different functional areas of the business would be involved in item setup and maintenance activities to validate data accuracy. webMethods Business Process Management (BPM) workflow and portal bring together end-users from different areas of the business to support best practices and ensure visibility and accuracy of item information. No one individual owns the product data but everyone has a part in ensuring consistency and accuracy. Dean Foods employed the use of a webMethods item canonical to describe products used by different business units and customers. Their ability to achieve consistency and accuracy with product information across the company and with customers has been largely driven by their commitment and adoption of a single process leveraging a single item canonical.

Impact #1	Dean Foods now has the ability to get the right data to the right place at the right time.
Impact #2	The company has increased data accuracy and reduced the overhead normally required to manage data complexity and handle exceptions.
Impact #3	It gains the advantages of integration while maintaining the benefits of using “best of breed” applications.

Impact #1

Dean Foods now has the ability to get the right data to the right place at the right time.

Impact #2

The company has increased data accuracy and reduced the overhead normally required to manage data complexity and handle exceptions.

Impact #3

It gains the advantages of integration while maintaining the benefits of using “best of breed” applications.

Benefit #1	Reduce time from five days to one day for each item introduced
Benefit #2	Save $60,000 per year in VAN transaction fees

Benefit #1

Reduce time from five days to one day for each item introduced

Benefit #2

Save $60,000 per year in VAN transaction fees

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Overview

the Webmethods Product Suite Drives Dean Foods’ Demand-Driven Initiatives

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit