Microsoft Dynamics SL — Alabama Farmers Cooperative

Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Inc. (AFC) is a regional federated supply and marketing agricultural cooperative. Created in 1936, it is now one of the largest farmer-owned agriculture related businesses in the Southeastern United States.

In 2006, AFC and Mossy Oak, an apparel and outdoor lifestyle company, formed BioLogic, LLC. In order to comply with the trading requirements of major customers, BioLogic needed to replace their existing electronic data interchange (EDI) system with a simple and cost-effective solution that would easily integrate with their in-house business system, Microsoft Dynamics™ SL.

Tim Hazle, AFC’s Manager of Computer Services, was tasked with procuring the new EDI system. During a Microsoft Convergence conference, Hazle learned that TrueCommerce EDI Transaction Manager easily interfaces with Dynamics SL, a key factor in their replacement decision.

“Our FlexAbility™ EDI Link is a bridge linking Dynamics SL to the TrueCommerce EDI translation software,” said Jim Johnson President of Coalition Computing Corporation, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. “We offer a solution that provides an integrated interface between TrueCommerce EDI Transaction Manager, AFC’s accounting system and their trading partners, and do so with the same or better functionality than the Microsoft solution, at a much more cost-effective price.”

Implement simple and affordable end-to-end EDI solution from TrueCommerce EDI Solutions.

Hazle liked that Coalition was able to offer a system interface that already existed and would be easy to integrate. “We conferenced with the TrueCommerce EDI team, who showed us their product,” he said. “We loved the ease of use and how simple it would be to install and maintain. TrueCommerce EDI Professional Services did the testing for us, we were up and running in no time and had no problems. In fact, it was by far the simplest EDI system to install and use that I’ve ever experienced. Coalition and TrueCommerce EDI Solutions were great to work with.”

Johnson echoed Hazle’s praise, adding, “With the TrueCommerce EDI Platform, we interface with a single format rather than separate transactions for each trading partner. The TrueCommerce Trading Partner Maps make it easy to add new trading partners.”

Fast, seamless integration better positioned company for future growth.

Once the new TrueCommerce EDI Platform was implemented, AFC’s productivity regarding invoices, purchase orders, advance ship notices (ASNs) and acknowledgements increased dramatically.

“My operations people are pleased with the simplicity of TrueCommerce EDI. There are no problems with entering orders, getting invoices out or making mapping changes. It’s a lot easier to use than our previous system,” noted Hazle.

“Using the TrueCommerce EDI Platform is easy and intuitive,” agreed Jason Rustin, BioLogic operations. “I was using it after minutes of training. Importing and exporting documents to and from our ERP system has greatly improved over our previous EDI system.”

…and Still Seeing the Benfits

BioLogic relies on the multi-user capabilities of the updated translation software and is confident in TrueCommerce EDI Solutions’ ability to provide ongoing value.

The recent upgrade from the TrueCommerce EDI original translation software to TrueCommerce Transaction Manager™ added yet another level to Hazel’s satisfaction with TrueCommerce EDI Solutions. “ The BioLogic office is in Mississippi and AFC’s office is in Alabama, but there are times when Accounts Receivable from both companies need to access the EDI system at the same time,” he said. “With TrueCommerce Transaction Manager, we have multi-user capabilities so anyone who needs to be in the system, regardless of where they’re located, can do so. It has improved productivity as a result.”

Hazle also noted how having TrueCommerce EDI has supported new partner development and given them confidence to take on new initiatives. “In a few months, we’ll be adding one of the country’s largest big-box home improvement chains as a new trading partner, and we’re also in the initial stages of talking with a universal buying group about using TrueCommerce EDI Solutions as the group’s EDI provider,” he said. “This wouldn’t be happening if we didn’t have a reliable EDI partner that we could consistently count on.”