Gillani Integrated Distribution Management

Business Challenge

Whether distribution is only one part of your larger manufacturing or retail operations or it is your main business focus, you need software that comprehensively addresses supply chain execution. Today's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications work well for manufacturing and corporate-level transactions. Many companies are realizing, however, that they can't handle the dynamic and complex requirements of order fulfillment and distribution management.

Solution

Gillani's Integrated Distribution Management Solution, iDistribute™, can help. iDistribute is an enterprise application suite. It includes ERP, Accounting, Supply Chain and Distribution Management, e-business, and FourGen® rapid application development CASE tools for further customization. iDistribute can manage: Order capture, validation, and execution Product sourcing, inventory management, and shipping Advanced planning, inventory replenishment, and purchasing Order fulfillment and settlement Integrated financials, multi-currency, multi-lingual, WMS and security Support for third-party electronic commerce, reporting, data warehousing, and tax compliance

iDistribute is built from a distribution organization's perspective, where the focus is on the customer. You can modify it to reflect your successful best practices. It links to existing ERP operations of manufacturers and provides a comprehensive, total supply chain solution for wholesale distributors. iDistribute also supports electronic commerce through interfaces to several EDI packages and through Gillani's Web order management product, eSCM™.

Gillani, Inc. is a pioneer in the development of synchronized supply chain management, distribution management, and accounting applications that facilitate the collaborative and coordinated execution of the order capture, inventory management, fulfillment, accounting, and customer relationship processes. Since 1983, Gillani (formerly FourGen and Endura® Software) has been a leading provider of distribution and supply chain management solutions.

At a Glance - Solution Components

The Gillani Integrated Distribution Management solution is available worldwide. It is suited to small- to medium-sized businesses in the following vertical markets: Appliance & Automotive Parts Electrical & Electronics Fasteners & Fluid Power Gaskets & Rubber Products Health (medical/dental) HVAC Industrial & Security Paper Products Pipe, Valve, Hose & Fittings

IBM Hardware	IBM xSeries and IBM pSeries servers

IBM Middleware	Informix

Services and Support	IBM Technical Services, IBM Global Services, and Gillani iCare Services

ISV Application	Gillani iDistribute V8.1 FourGen Business Accounting

Linux Distribution	Red Hat Linux, SUSE LINUX

Benefits

For over 20 years, Gillani has addressed the need of organizations of all sizes to efficiently manage their financials and supply chain to acquire, retain, and provide efficient service for customers. Gillani's iDistribute solution can provide the following benefits:

Customer satisfaction through accuracy of product availability, customer order handling, product delivery, customer billing, accounting, and product replenishment
Customer retention through order fill rates, fast substitutions, and minimal errors in picking, packing, and shipping processes
Support of unique user and customer value propositions, thus avoiding the necessity for client's and their customers to force-fit existing processes into a new solution
Open systems and open architecture for integration of iDistribute with existing systems
Integrated tools to analyze customer and product cost and profitability
Products, processes, and systems that facilitate transitions to new technologies to create new value for users and their customers

Real World Customer Success Story

Stober Drives, Inc.

Stober Drives, Inc., a manufacturing and distribution company, has run Gillani solutions for over 10 years. Stober chose the Gillani solution, "because we needed the Modifiability by Design concept," says Bill Marshall of Stober. "We did not want to reinvent the basic 70% of the code that is the same everywhere, but we did need to make the last 30% exactly fit our needs. I have used the FourGen tools to develop a modular configurator that dynamically generated bills of materials for our products. We also have customized the sales reporting and developed a replenishment system to meet our exact needs... The FourGen tools have allowed me to do this on a part time basis. As you can appreciate a small but fast growing company does not have the budget for a dedicated MIS staff or for live-in consultants."

Technical Details and Architecture

The iDistribute solution suite is a complete end-to-end supply chain management solution. FourGen tools provide a rapid application development environment for industrial strength applications. They also help clients customize iDistribute to meet their specific needs. Given IBM's commitment to Linux and Gillani's relationship with IBM, it was a natural decision to port iDistribute to Linux.