maeko connect casestudy

"Maeko Connect has reduced order entry from 40 key strokes on SAP R/3 to only 3 touches of the touch screen."

- Garry Moloney

Arco are the UK’s leading supplier of safety clothing and equipment. The company was established in 1884 and now operate more than 30 wholesale outlets throughout the UK. Customers can order goods on-line, by telephone, by fax, by post or in person, at one of Arco’s trade counters. There are convenient places to try out products before purchase, and there is expert help and advice always on hand.

The Arco National Distribution Centre acts as the network’s central logistics hub, managing stock availability and providing a fast and efficient service to all its customers. The company invested in SAP R/3, the enterprise business solution, to manage its supply chain, successfully implementing it as a powerful back-office solution.

Using SAP R/3 stock control software at Arco’s trade counter check-outs proved to be less successful. Entering transactions was a slow and laborious business and the company urgently sought a supplier who could integrate a fast and efficient PoS system with SAP R/3.

In 2003, M Computer Technologies was contracted to integrate Maeko Connect with R/3 at all Arco’s retail outlets. One of the deciding factors for this choice was MCT’s willingness and ability to reconfigure their system to take Arco’s complex pricing and discount structures into account – it was far from a straightforward process.

The project started with a five-day blueprinting process, an intensive operation that brought together Arco’s terminal operators, Business and IT Managers and MCT staff. The effort paid off by generating a clear and detailed specification for the Maeko Connect implementation.

MCT took six months to deploy Maeko Connect to all Arco’s trade counters, working closely with Arco’s IT team to ensure a smooth and seamless implementation. The speed of order entry is now greatly improved and users are extremely happy with the system. Three touch screen operations now replace 40 key strokes on SAP R/3.

Garry Moloney paid tribute to MCT’s professional and capable approach to the project. System development is on-going and further work is planned which will exploit more of Maeko Connect’s substantial functionality, such as its extensive reporting capabilities, marketing support and staff management modules.