Transoft Case Study

TRANSOFTCASESTUDY
Application
Integration
Improving profitability with Transoft U/SQL and Gateway Adapter
“We decided to develop the new product, FASPAC Web
Interface, with the Transoft Gateway Adapter. Our developers
find it very easy to use – they bought into it right away.”
Bill Muehlbauer, Vice President and General Manager,
Faspac Systems, Inc
At a Glance
The Requirement
To web-enable the Faspac manufacturing system so
that manufacturers and distributors using the
software can provide their own customers with Webbased order processing.
The Solution
Enhancing an already successful product line with a new
web interface has proven to be a profitable business move
for Faspac Systems, Inc. of La Jolla, California. This provider
of software systems for the fastener industry was able to
offer a cost-effective e-commerce solution for their
customers through the use of the Transoft Gateway Adapter.
This follows their use of Transoft U/SQL for PC reporting.
CLIENT PROFILE
• Develop an e-business front-end and link it directly
to existing Faspac application
• Maximize use of existing code and data
The Technology
• Front-end built using Active Server Pages (ASP)
• Transoft Gateway Adapter directly connects the
front-end to COBOL data on the server
Faspac Systems, Inc. is the recognized industry leader in enterprise
software systems specifically designed for distributors and
manufacturers of fasteners and related hardware (nuts and bolts to you
and me). Founded in 1979, the company provides complete hardware
and software systems to handle virtually every function in a fastener
hardware distribution or manufacturing business, from Purchasing and
Receiving, to Sales Order Entry, to complete Accounting. The FASPAC
Manufacturing System includes Quoting and Estimating, Production
Scheduling, Shop Floor Control and Tooling sub-systems.
The Benefits
By making many changes and enhancements to keep pace with
changing industry needs and computer technology, Faspac Systems
has grown to be a leader in providing systems that are used daily by
thousands of fastener hardware company employees.
• Data accessible through the web in real-time
THE CHALLENGE
• Improved profitability and convenience for users
and their customers
Customer cost-savings and ease of use are the key issues that Faspac
Systems must consider when designing enterprise software systems
for the fastener industry. These issues add to the challenge of providing
systems that take full advantage of the valuable information stored in
the application's databases, and in particular making this information
accessible via the web.
The Modernization Experts
According to Bill Muehlbauer, Faspac System's
Vice President and General Manager, many of
their customers are running on Unix systems
with minimal support staff, so they want their
software to be fully integrated and easy to use.
In addition, they want it to be web-enabled.
THE TRANSOFT SOLUTION
Faspac Systems was able to address those
demands by using the Transoft Gateway
Adapter to develop the FASPAC Web Interface
(FWI), their newest add-on module to their
FASPAC product, which provides dynamic, web
access to the core application database.
Muehlbauer said that the benefits of having the
data accessible through a web-based
application are leading directly to an improved
bottom line for FASPAC users.
“We're extremely pleased about this. If we can
help our customers double or even triple their
profitability – that's good for everyone!”
‘‘
‘‘
Since our market base is
so price-sensitive, we needed
a cost-effective solution.
Fortunately, we soon
discovered that the Transoft
Gateway Adapter was the
missing piece.
Bill Muehlbauer,
Vice President and General Manager,
Faspac Systems, Inc
Faspac Systems has used Transoft U/SQL for
several years as it allows integration of nonrelational COBOL data with a wide choice of
ODBC-enabled PC products, such as report
writers, business intelligence tools and
Windows-based development tools. The
FASPAC Distribution and Manufacturing
Systems use Transoft U/SQL to pull data from
very large databases to generate reports that
are easily modified by the customer.
“For us, developing with U/SQL is simple... the
hard part is helping our customers become
more familiar with what their capabilities are and
what's in their database,” said Muehlbauer.
“But once the customer understands this, the
financial benefits become clear. In fact, some
of our customers are developing and modifying
their business strategies based on having
this valuable information formatted in just the
right way.”
Although Transoft U/SQL provided the tool that
Faspac Systems needed for easy PC access to
its non-relational data, the customer
requirements soon shifted toward an emphasis
on web-enablement and Faspac Systems began
to plan for an appropriate implementation that
would make maximum use of existing systems.
“U/SQL gave us the reporting flexibility we
needed, but we still needed a FASPAC Web
Interface,” explained Muehlbauer. “We talked to
a lot of companies when we were looking for the
solution, but the quotes were astronomical.
Since our market base is so price-sensitive,
we needed a cost-effective solution. Fortunately,
we soon discovered that the Transoft Gateway
Adapter was the missing piece.
Our biggest struggle was to build an
economical architecture. We decided to develop
the new product, FASPAC Web Interface, with
the Transoft Gateway Adapter to populate an
SQL database on an NT server for basic
processing. Our developers find it very easy to
use – they bought into it right away. We also
worked with a company called Quexion to build
the Microsoft ASP code for the Web application.”
MAJOR bENEFITS
FASPAC Web Interface has been shown to
improve profitability and increase convenience
for users by giving them the ability to view
products, request quotes and place orders 24
hours a day, 7 days a week.
“Now customers have quick lookup to data and
contracts,” said Muehlbauer. “They can place
orders, as well as check on the status of
orders, product availability and usage history
via the web.”
Many customers now have remote Unix servers
throughout the country, with transactions
conducted over the Internet. Faspac Systems
provides the security, backup and necessary
ASP development.
“Some of our customers had to run batch
updates, but are now able to run real-time
queries, thanks to the Transoft Gateway
Adapter. It works extremely well.”
In addition to the cost-savings and improved
customer services, the Transoft Gateway
Adapter has provided Faspac Web Interface
customers, who are manufacturing companies
and distributors, with one more unanticipated
benefit: web-enablement helps to show their
customers that they are technologically
advanced, giving them an edge over
competition. Muehlbauer added that some of
them are actually leveraging their web-based
capabilities as a selling tool.
Muehlbauer anticipates that the future will bring
more advanced customers with more stringent
demands for added web-based capabilities.
With Transoft Gateway Adapter, Transoft U/SQL
and the FASPAC Web Interface, Faspac
Systems will be ready to meet those demands.
AbOUT TRANSOFT
Transoft is a leading provider of innovative and pioneering modernization solutions, with hundreds
of thousands of organizations worldwide using our products and services. Our aim is to enable our
customers to increase business value and maintain competitive advantage by maximizing the
potential of existing data and applications. This provides rapid return on investment, reduced costs,
improved productivity and efficiency, and the ability to manage operational risk.
T: +1 770 933 1965 (US office)
T: +44 (0)1753 778000 (UK office)
E: [email protected]
W: www.transoft.com
With 25 years’ experience, and expert staff dedicated to servicing the needs of organizations with
legacy systems, we pride ourselves on a tailored approach to customer service. Major
organizations such as The Gap, L’Oreal, Boeing and Balfour Beatty have enjoyed the business
benefits of a Transoft application modernization strategy. We work with a large network of VARs,
System Integrators, ISVs and technical partners to offer unparalleled solutions.
Transoft is a trading name of Transoft Group Limited and Transoft Inc, which are a part of the CSH Group of companies. Transoft is a trade mark. © Transoft
Group Limited and Transoft Inc 2012. All rights reserved.