B2B eCommerce Exchange - Foodstuffs

PumperNickel implements a full connector from Prophet to Foodstuffs b2b Exchange.  This allows retrieval of purchase orders, and sending of acknowledgements, advanced shipping notices and invoices.  The benefit of using PumperNickel over manually retrieving orders from the Foodstuffs web interface, or by post, are faster, more reliable order entry, less work in manual keying, and quicker order processing time. The more line items per order, and the greater the number of orders, the bigger the savings.

PumperNickel takes care of retrieving the order via ftp, converting into Prophet format and importing to Prophet. It keeps track of order status and progression through Prophet. An acknowledgement message is sent back to the exchange as soon as it has the order has successfully been retrieved.  An advanced shipping  notice is sent to the exchange once the order has been prepared. This is normally done when the order picking is complete, and any changes to the order from out of stock have been applied.  Once a Prophet invoice exists for the order, an invoice can be sent to the exchange.

PumperNickel can process order retrievals automatically, on a scheduled basis.  Triggers can advise you of new orders, or you may integrate them into your normal order control process, by reviewing order status reports and printing picking slips.  Advanced shipping notices can be manually initiated, or triggered when an order is completed and invoiced. Invoices can also be automated, sending when an invoice is posted.

To get started on Foodstuffs Exchange, you need the following items:

• Trading relationship with Foodstuffs (Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch)
• Registration on Foodstuffs web-based system to familiarise with concepts, process manual transactions
• Access codes for exchange
• A period in testing mode
• Data synchronisation for stock and customer master files with cross matching of codes
• A broadband internet connection at your office
• PumperNickel installed and connected to your Prophet system
• Prophet OLE DB driver module
• A staff member to co-ordinate and control data and process functions

Foodstuffs have extensive documentation on connecting to the exchange and the steps needed for a successful implementation. Foodstuffs are also moving on to the next step of ecommerce integration, using EAN|net to store and synchronise product master file data. When they have completed their pilot and resolved issues we will add a connector from PumperNickel to EAN|net. Suppliers (Prophet users) should be members of EAN, and keep abreast of developments in this area. The "exchange" is the front end computer system that processes orders and other XML documents, and converts them into formats that the individual Foodstuffs company systems can recognise. It provides a single point of access and common format for all Foodstuffs companies.

The Foodstuffs module for PumperNickel is available now. Price is $3,000.

This is a sample Purchase Order document from the Exchange. PumperNickel takes this order and matches the codes to Prophet customer codes, matches stock codes by bar code, and brings the order into Prophet.  It can perform other transformations, such as sorting the stock lines, or applying other business rules prior to importing. The look and feel of the PumperNickel screens has been aligned with the look of the Foodstuffs web site, to provide familiarity and theme.  Try the links on the left to see what several PumperNickel screens look like.