A major manufacturer with a growing global supply chain adopted MX Data Exchange as a scalable means of sharing data across a rapidly growing global supply chain.
MX’s superior data sharing capability had two significant advantages over the manufacturer’s previous solution: its ability to run entirely in browser and its capacity to transfer large files and entire folder systems; and its capacity for suppliers in different countries to be securely added for data sharing without being totally obstructed by different countries’ internet security policies.
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Business Challenges
The manufacturer’s old data transfer process caused frequent business disruption due to frequent upgrades alongside Java errors which both impacted the data transfer process.
The old solution’s handling of large files also caused upload and download delays, which affected project delivery across the business. The manufacturer adopted MX Data Exchange and successfully eliminated technical problems sending and receiving data.
In the years that followed, the manufacturer entered an exciting period of growth requiring rapid expansion of their supplier network to lay the groundwork for increased production, and diversification of their product range.
As many of the new suppliers who were brought onboard are located in China, the manufacturer needed to provide these new elements with accurate and timely data so they could become effective parts of the supply chain.
Having already modernised their data exchange with their initial MX adoption, the manufacturer needed to make full use of the platform to quickly and smoothly build a growth-supporting global supply chain.
The Majenta Solution
We showed the manufacturer that our browser solution did not require Java, thereby immediately eliminating one common issue that the manufacturer faced with Java updates. Instead, upgrades to MX are deployed outside business hours with no impact to the user and are available immediately. The secure by design user interface is simple and clear, with visibility of all internal and external users. Large CAD files, designs and business-critical data can be exchanged across their supply chain instantly upon request, with download limits controlled by the sender and a full audit trail of the data available.
The initial 50 license purchase demonstrated that MX Data Exchange could handle large file transfers significantly better than the previous platform, and with this in place the manufacturer had a powerful tool to handle any increase to their data exchange needs. The manufacturer have since been forming relationships with new suppliers with the aim of developing new products.
Unobstructed and secure data sharing across the supply chain was essential to this goal. With this in mind, Majenta provided MX licensing on a flexible agreement which would provide up to 800 licenses as expansion required. The customer’s supply chain is therefore free to expand, supported by streamlined data exchange, without the need to frequently purchase additional licenses.
Business Impact
MX was able to improve the technical efficiency of data exchange for the manufacturer, and better connect its local operations for global working.
The initial migration from their existing solution to MX was seamless, with a staged roll-out to a key user group before all users and external partners were migrated across to MX. Minimal time was required to get users started with MX, no training was needed as the browser platform is so simple to use, with no installation required. Therefore, there was no disruption or inconvenience to internal or external users.
The cost-effective and simple to use platform allows the manufacturer to transfer large files across their supply chain as part of their design workflow, without the previous concerns of uploads falling over, upgrades failing and other technical errors.
As the manufacturer began to expand its supplier network in China, MX provided a fast and reliable means of exchanging data, connecting UK sites with suppliers in China. As well as overcoming the technical errors of the incumbent solution, MX has allowed the manufacturer to exchange data with suppliers in China without encountering issues with supplier-end internet or security policies. Fully connected, the manufacturer has been able to pursue growth by working with a truly global supply chain.
Keys to Success
Majenta Solutions provide the manufacturer with local UK support and a dedicated account manager who is on hand to deal with any questions. Due to the issues surrounding their previous data exchange partner, the service element of MX is essential to this manufacturer.
As MX is cloud-based, it does not come with IT infrastructure requirements. Furthermore, as MX does not require integration with other business systems, its benefits do not have a high cost in terms of IT resource, and users can rely on MX to perform well as a dedicated data exchange tool.
Making the most of the reporting functionality within MX became a priority for the business as its supply chain became more global. MX allows the movement of data in and out of the organisation to be tracked in a granular level of detail with one-click audit reports; admin users can monitor exactly what data was sent to whom. With some platform support from Majenta, the manufacturer were ready to use reporting data exported from MX to create a clear picture of their data movement. With their supplier network expanding so quickly, this level of monitoring would help ensure that each new supplier was getting timely and correct data.
The Future
The manufacturer have enjoyed considerable growth in a short period of time, and it is likely that the company's technical requirements will change again in the next few years. One such requirement, which is particularly prone to rapid evolution, is that of data exchange.
MX Data Exchange lays the groundwork for a more bespoke MX+ solution to handle complex requirements. MX+ includes additional features in addition to those of MX Data Exchange, and allows a range of bespoke services to be delivered within the platform.
For manufacturers who need to manage and exchange data with hundreds of new users, MX+ would allow data exchange through customised workflows. An approval stage, for example, can be built into a dedicated workflow for handling sensitive data. For multi-stage transfers, omni-directional rather than simply A-B, setting up a dedicated workflow can bring robustness and consistency to a process that needs to be as error free as possible.