SquadLocker and CleanBrands

Objective

Maximize order fulfillment efficiency and accuracy, including transactions with major retailers, apparel vendors and a third-party logistics (3PL) provider

Solution

Integrated, cloud-based TrueCommerce EDI for Microsoft Dynamics GP supports growth and customer responsiveness for both the established CleanBrands business and the newer SquadLocker business

Benefits

• Meets the EDI requirements of major retailers, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Kohls and American Hotel Register
• Eliminates the need to manually enter large, Complex orders on vendors’ websites or B2B portals—saving time and reducing errors and associated delays in fulfilling orders for consumers
• A scalable, multi-company architecture supports enterprise EDI requirements
• Cloud-based EDI complements a cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics GP environment
• Provides an automated way to receive inventory status updates from vendors on a daily, semi-daily or even hourly basis
• The TrueCommerce Scheduler add-on automatically imports and exports EDI documents to/ from Microsoft Dynamics GP, saving more time and further increasing automation
• Automates processing of inbound EDI orders, outbound EDI invoices and advance shipping notices (ASNs), as well as warehouse shipping documents and EDI 846 inventory inquiry transactions

“ It’s an automated, efficient process that gets humans out of the way. I’ve been a big fan of TrueCommerce for years for that reason.“

Nellie Tillinghast
Lead Integration Engineer,
SquadLocker

Background

CleanBrands, LLC and Squadlocker, Inc. are family-owned sister companies based in Warwick, Rhode Island. Both are innovators and leaders in their respective markets. CleanBrands designs and manufactures the world’s most advanced and medically effective allergy bedding-barrier products, based on patented textile technology.

SquadLocker’s disruptive business model leverages online innovation to make it far easier for consumers, coaches, athletic directors and league administrators to find, select and purchase top-quality, customized team gear and uniforms at competitive prices via “pop-up” branded storefronts.

The highly scalable, multi-company, multi-deployment TrueCommerce architecture allows the two companies to share an EDI solution, despite their diverse needs.

Nellie Tillinghast, now Lead Integration Engineer at SquadLocker, has been working with TrueCommerce since CleanBrands moved its financials to Microsoft Dynamics GP in 2007. “Our VAR at the time recommended TrueCommerce EDI to integrate with Dynamics GP,” Ms. Tillinghast recalls.

According to Ms. Tillinghast, CleanBrands uses EDI like many other manufacturers to streamline and automate sales order processing with major retail customers like Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Kohls and American Hotel Register. CleanBrands also uses EDI to communicate about orders with its 3PL warehouse.

SquadLocker, conversely, uses the same integrated EDI system to help automate its complex purchasing interactions with key vendors, which are leading sports apparel manufacturers like Under Armour, didas, Mizuno and Champion.

“We felt the full impact of the efficiency and accuracy of integrated EDI in the retail world with CleanBrands,” says Ms. Tillinghast. “When many of the same management team went on to start SquadLocker, naturally we wanted to replicate this success.”

Minimizing Back Orders and Satisfying Customer Demand

A challenge with the disruptive SquadLocker business model is that the company can’t possibly stock all the tens of thousands of SKUs from a growing list of leading apparel manufacturers, which they must first procure and then customize for their end customers. Instead, they rely on regular inventory availability updates from their suppliers.

Ms. Tillinghast explains: “When we started SquadLocker, the online stores were only open for a fixed time period, such as three weeks. Parents and athletes would do their shopping within that period. When the store closed, we would process all the orders and purchase the items from the manufacturers all at once.”

Then SquadLocker decided to change its retail strategy. “Very recently, we launched a new model where stores stay open indefinitely unless you choose to close them,” notes Ms. Tillinghast. “So now, if you order a team hoodie with your child’s name and number on it today, we order the base garment from the manufacturer tomorrow, receive it in three to four days and deliver the customized product within ten to fourteen days from your order date.”

This promise of rapid turnaround requires SquadLocker to get the most up-to-date inventory data possible. Currently they receive this data via EDI 846 inventory inquiry transactions and process these daily to update their website.

“We don’t want to offer products to our customers if the vendors don’t have them,” Ms. Tillinghast emphasizes. “Our goal is to minimize back orders and satisfy customer demand at the same time.”

Driving Increased Automation

Besides receiving 846 documents from vendors, SquadLocker also sends its vendors EDI 850 purchase order documents (POs) generated directly from Dynamics GP. “The TrueCommerce solution saves us time and effort and reduces errors because we don’t need to go to each vendor’s website and manually enter complex orders with hundreds of items,” describes Ms. Tillinghast.

SquadLocker is also actively encouraging all its partners to send them EDI 810 invoices and EDI 856 advance shipping notices (ASNs) in addition to EDI 846 documents. That way all parties can benefit from the improved efficiency and accuracy that EDI provides.

The sister company CleanBrands is also increasing the innovation pace. Its streamlined EDI workflow saves significant time and resources every day, while accelerating shipping and meeting the strict procurement demands of major retailers. The manufacturer uses EDI to receive POs from its trading partners and send back invoices and ASNs.

CleanBrands also communicates with its 3PL using EDI: when they receive a PO from a retailer, their solution automatically generates and sends an EDI 940 warehouse shipping order to the 3PL. When they’ve completed picking, packing and shipping the order, the 3PL sends an EDI 945 warehouse shipping advice document back to CleanBrands. At the same time, the 3PL sends an ASN to the retailer.

Receipt of the 945 in Dynamics GP automatically fulfills the sales order and generates an invoice, which is sent directly to the retailer via EDI. “It’s an automated, efficient process that gets humans out of the way,” relates Ms. Tillinghast. “I’ve been a big fan of TrueCommerce for years for that reason.”