The Challenge: Consolidating After Acquisition
A medium-sized agriculture component company faced a common post-acquisition challenge. After acquiring another company to grow their business, they found themselves managing two separate EDI systems, each with its own trading partners and unique requirements. The company’s goals were clear:
- Consolidate to a single EDI system to reduce maintenance costs
- Minimize disruption to existing trading partners
- Streamline operations without losing business relationships
Running parallel EDI systems meant duplicate maintenance fees, VAN costs, and the overhead of managing multiple support teams—all cutting into the acquisition’s expected returns.
DCS Solution: Methodical Integration Plan to Minimize Trading Partner Disruption
DCS developed a systematic approach to merge the two EDI environments. Our strategy centered on using historical transaction data and order patterns to design the new unified data flow. This data-driven method allowed us to complete the integration with minimal disruption to trading partners, and in some cases, the trading partners did not need to be contacted at all.
EDI Planning and Integration Roadmap
Analysis and Planning (3 days)
- Trading partner requirement analysis
- Integration roadmap development
ERP Configuration (10 days)
- Adjusted the system to accommodate the acquired company’s business processes
- Ensured compatibility with existing workflows
EDI and AS2 Configuration (20 days)
- Configured EDI and AS2 communications for acquired company’s trading partners
Customer Cut-Over (1 day each)
- Migrated trading partners to the new system
- Included time to transition to AS2 where needed
End User Training (2 days)
- Trained customer service team and other end-users on the new system
Post-Implementation Support (30 days)
- Monitored system performance
- Addressed any issues that arose during the period (16 hours)
Results: Operational and Financial Benefits
Cost Reduction
- Eliminated duplicate maintenance fees from the acquired division
- Reduced VAN costs by converting trading partners to AS2 connections
- Decreased staffing needs for EDI monitoring
Operational Efficiency
- Reduced data entry time across the organization
- Minimized transaction errors through system optimization
- Created a single point of management for all EDI operations
Business Continuity
- Maintained all existing trading partner relationships
- Achieved integration with minimal partner disruption
- Established foundation for future growth and new partner additions
EDI Solutions from DCS
DCS brings over 30 years of EDI experience to challenging integration projects. Our development services combine the expertise of seasoned EDI specialists with lessons learned from thousands of successful implementations since 1991, ensuring your EDI projects meet requirements while maintaining critical business relationships.
Ready to discuss your EDI integration or conversion challenges? Contact DCS to learn how our proven approach can streamline your operations.