BEDFORD, Mass. October 10, 2001 The written word may be one of the oldest symbols of human society, but, recently, the written word has been hurled into the 21st century. Indeed, the move by Barnes & Noble and B. Dalton bookstores to implement supplier relationship management (SRM) software in their stores nationwide is proving further that automated technology is not just for manufacturers.
The SRM software supplier, SupplyWorks, recently announced that it has successfully completed installation of its Web-based SRM solution in nearly 1000 Barnes & Noble and B. Dalton stores nationwide. Reportedly, Barnes & Noble chose SupplyWorks after an extensive competitive review to streamline the process by which its stores order and track supplies. The project was completed in less than 6 months.
By integrating SupplyWorks' Web-based SRM solution with Barnes & Noble's Intranet and Oracle-based financial systems, Barnes & Noble is able to automate the ordering of supplies for stores and more effectively manage their transactions with suppliers. The SupplyWorks system provides an efficient and easy-to-use interface for store management and gives administrative control and reporting at headquarters. By eliminating fax and phone communications at the store level, the new system gives Barnes & Noble greater operational control and their store managers and booksellers more time to concentrate on selling books.
It was imperative that we develop and implement a streamlined online supply ordering solution quickly and efficiently, said Jack Kelleher, vice president of operations for Barnes & Noble, Inc. SupplyWorks impressed us with their ability to meet our aggressive implementation goals. And the smooth transition from our manual procedures to the SupplyWorks SRM solution allowed us to complete the project on time for the Fall selling season.
Within sixty days of starting the project, SupplyWorks completed the business process analysis and software configuration and immediately established a successful pilot program, which included 45 participating stores by August. Through careful planning and coordination between Barnes & Noble and SupplyWorks, rollout to the remaining 900+ locations took just 30 days. Barnes & Noble stores are using the system to order supplies for regular monthly supply replenishment. The system has been designed to facilitate routine restocking of common items with templates across multiple vendors for easy ordering.
SupplyWorks is focused on enabling industry-leading companies like Barnes & Noble to lower costs and improve supply ordering processes, said Jeff Herrmann, president and CEO of SupplyWorks, Inc. While most of our attention has been aimed at discrete manufacturing companies, Barnes & Noble challenged us to apply the same technology to operational replenishment for their large number of individual stores. Our Web-based solution was perfect for that application. As one of the nation's largest retailers, Barnes & Noble understands that in order to stay competitive, they must find new and innovative ways to cut costs while allowing them to focus on their core business operations.
