Case Study

Master Data Management & Standardization at TIM SA – Implementing a Data Model for Retail

The implementation of Microsoft BizTalk Server at TIM SA, one of Poland’s leading distributors of electrical goods, created an integration platform that let the company replace selected areas of its MFG/PRO ERP with best-in-class systems — restoring its ability to automate business processes and integrate its IT environment flexibly.

Web Services Built

Systems Integrated (WMS, CRM, MDM)

Lowest TCO

Platform Selected

The Client

A Leading Polish Distributor of Electrical Goods

TIM SA is one of the leading companies on the Polish distribution market of electrical goods, with shares quoted on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since 1998. Its distribution network comprises a 30,000 m² logistics center in Siechnice and 30 wholesales across Poland, offering tens of thousands of products — several thousand of them kept permanently in stock.

Since 2001, TIM’s growth strategy had been supported by the MFG/PRO ERP system from QAD, modified many times to keep pace with the company’s expansion. As new activity areas, sales channels, and customer-service requirements emerged, the limitations of MFG/PRO became increasingly apparent.

The Operational Challenge

Reflecting even the smallest change to a business process in MFG/PRO required skilled programmers, making it costly and slow. Gradually, TIM SA lost the ability to respond quickly to a changing market — and decided to develop a new concept for its business applications.

“It was very difficult and more and more costly to reflect in MFG/PRO even the slightest changes introduced in some of our business processes. The system had to be corrected in several places by skilled programmers, which was costly and time-consuming — so gradually we lost the ability to quickly respond to the changing market.”

Tomasz Nowowiejski

Head of IT at TIM SA

The Solution

A BizTalk ESB Integrating Best-in-Class Systems with MFG/PRO

TIM SA decided to replace selected areas of MFG/PRO with specialized, best-in-class systems — WMS, CRM, and MDM — and to integrate them with the ERP through Microsoft BizTalk Server acting as an ESB platform. BizTalk was implemented in a nearshoring model by Multishoring.

1. Select the Platform

After evaluating Oracle, IBM, and the open Mule ESB, TIM SA chose BizTalk Server as the platform with the lowest total cost of ownership while ensuring a high level of security.

2. Build a Service-Oriented Layer

The new systems were built in a Service Oriented Architecture. In the first stage, 25 Web Services were created and cataloged in a UDDI registry, with data exchanged in the OAGIS 9.4.1 canonical schema (XML).

3. Integrate Systems in Stages

After the SOA layer, MFG/PRO was integrated with the WMS (Warehouse Management System); integration with CRM and MDM was scheduled to follow.

4. Ensure Availability & Monitoring

The solution was deployed on VMware for high availability, with the BizTalk ESB Management Portal from the ESB Toolkit used for error handling and monitoring.

Architecture & Setup

The platform combined a single ESB with a service-oriented integration layer and a high-availability runtime.

Integration Platform

Microsoft BizTalk Server acting as an ESB between MFG/PRO and the new specialized systems

Service Layer

25 Web Services cataloged in a UDDI registry, with data in the OAGIS 9.4.1 canonical schema (XML)

Specialized Systems

WMS, CRM, and MDM replacing selected areas of the MFG/PRO ERP system

Availability & Monitoring

VMware for high availability, with the BizTalk ESB Management Portal for error handling and monitoring

“At its simplest, the new solution means BizTalk provides the specialized IT systems with data from MFG/PRO as a web service — and the other way round, data from those systems is transmitted back to MFG/PRO. This lets TIM use the powerful functionality of new applications without complex, costly modifications to the MFG/PRO ERP system.”

Andrzej Biesiekirski

CEO of Multishoring

Project Outcomes

Business Benefits for TIM SA

Integrating best-in-class systems with MFG/PRO through BizTalk gave TIM SA flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and the agility to respond to market change.

Flexibility & Stability

Specialized systems offer functionality beyond typical ERPs and are continuously developed; TIM can swap or add systems later, while VMware and the ESB Management Portal ensure stability.

Cost-Effective Implementation

Replacing rigid ERP areas with integrated specialized systems reduced and spread implementation costs, further lowered by the nearshoring model run mostly from Multishoring’s Białystok center.

Faster Response to Change

TIM SA regained the ability to automate business processes and adapt quickly, with WMS integration addressing the most urgent needs first.

Logistics Services to Partners

BizTalk’s easy information flow between TIM SA and external companies lets the business provide logistics services to third parties.

Summary

A Flexible Integration Platform for Future Growth

By implementing Microsoft BizTalk Server as an ESB, TIM SA replaced selected areas of MFG/PRO with best-in-class WMS, CRM, and MDM systems — regaining process automation and the agility to respond quickly to the market.

The platform secured flexibility for future integrations, ensured stability through a VMware environment and BizTalk ESB monitoring, and was delivered cost-effectively in a nearshoring model with Multishoring.

contact

Thank you for your interest in Multishoring.

We’d like to ask you a few questions to better understand your IT needs.

Justyna PMO Manager

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