"The Magic xpi Integration Platform has enabled us to synchronize data from Creed's various information systems on an international scale. Intuitive and powerful, the tool accelerated the implementation of the new ERP, helping to stabilize our fast-growing environment".says Emmanuel Schoenberger, ERP project consultant at Creed.
Founded in England in 1760, and with a factory in France since 1864, Creed is a high-end company dedicated to creating original fragrances for men and women, using exceptional ingredients. Rose from Bulgaria, jasmine from Italy, tuberose from India, vetiver from Haiti... These raw, natural ingredients undergo a demanding manufacturing process, based in particular on hand maceration in the Fontainebleau factory. Creed perfume boutiques are present in Europe, the United States and Dubai.
In 2022, the company faces an international challenge: to centralize data from its various information systems (IS) in the UK, France, the USA and the Middle East. "Everything was scattered and uncoordinated: we had two logistics tools, a production tool, an e-commerce tool, another dedicated to expense reports, an interface for the bank... There was complexity everywhere, explains Emmanuel Schoenberger. This huge disparity between systems was becoming untenable, given that Creed had been growing rapidly for several years and needed to streamline its processes. It had therefore become urgent to create dynamics and agility between these different information systems.
Collecting and managing data
The solution then lies in deploying a platform for orchestrating all data flows (BPM/EAI/ETL), i.e. software for collecting and managing data from multiple sources.
Objective: convert all data into a format suitable for a data warehouse. "It was at this point that Creed decided to enlist the services of Magic Software, following a recommendation by integrator Prodware. It was Creed's IT teams who subsequently endorsed this choice, which is now proving to be a very wise one".says Emmanuel Schoenberger.
Magic Software, which has been providing software platforms for digital transformation (development, integration, industry 4.0, etc.) since 1983, is offering a solution that will be deployed at Creed from June 2022. The Magic xpi platform will be deployed in conjunction with the implementation of a new ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning), a management tool for all Creed perfumes activities (logistics, purchasing, accounting, project management, supply chain operations, etc.).
"Magic xpi helped to speed up the implementation of our new ERP, a project that was being piloted by integrator partner Prodware. This solution facilitated harmonized data management, because we had to deploy the ERP in 6-8 months, with significant implementation constraints in terms of time. The context was not easy, and we were able to count on Magic Software's teams at all times to help us deploy this new environment. It's now a done deal!says Emmanuel Schoenberger.
The results have lived up to Creed's high expectations and challenges, in a context of strong growth in a very dynamic international sector.
The Magic xpi integration platform offered several advantages:
- Greater peace of mind for teams: the solution is easy to use on a daily basis, thanks to its intuitive design;
- Agile deployment: Magic xpi deploys quickly, and its learning curve is highly scalable and productive;
- A natural ability to integrate all types of data flows via our connectors (APIs), enabling us to open up to all the Group's business applications.
- Magic xpi's ability to seamlessly integrate technological developments ensures a future-proof IT infrastructure;
- Finally, the implementation of an "end-to-end" functional, production, order, stock, e-commerce... harmonized around the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP.
In the end, Magic xpi enabled Creed to synchronize all data from its business application systems, on an international scale. " The major contribution was the mastery with which we were able to deploy a new, easy-to-use interface, which enabled us to increase our skills considerably.analyses Emmanuel Schoenberger. In particular, the tool has been used to transform all e-commerce data, facilitating links between systems as well as between Creed's different teams.
We have set up API's that orchestrate the information, and we use them on a daily basis to supply the various business lines with optimized information."
The aim is to improve the overall ROI on the company's digital transformation.
For Creed, there are still a number of steps to be taken in order to further consolidate the fluidity of the stages by profession. " In the future, our ambition is to improve our use of the Magic xpi platform.concludes Emmanuel Schoenberger.
We want to gain autonomy, acquire additional skills to better understand the issues and be in action mode. In particular, we want to better define what monitoring is... For this, we can count on the service center, one of Magic Software France's complementary solutions, which really helps us to better manage this transformation."
Photo taken from the case study published on the Magic Software website.
