BrandLoyalty automates master data management with Precisely/ Winshuttle

BrandLoyalty sets up loyalty programmes for retail companies around the world. Bringing together all the suppliers, materials and customers at the right time for these programmes requires a lot of data. Ctac suggested Precisely (previously known as Winshuttle) to the organisation. BrandLoyalty now saves a lot of time when creating and changing data in SAP.

The challenge: a solution for time-consuming, repetitive operations

Before 2018, BrandLoyalty entered all the data into SAP manually. As a result, the consistent entry and updating of data took a lot of time, Vincent explains.  “For example, we managed 200 materials in six different warehouses. So we had to change characteristics in 1,200 different places in the system. People had sore fingers from all that typing. The method was very inefficient and error-prone because of the many variables and the calculations we had to perform. So we started looking for an easier way to change master data on a large scale. Creating or changing suppliers, materials and customers in SAP, for example.

The solution: standardisation and automation of data changes

Ctac suggested Winshuttle to BrandLoyalty. Vincent explains how Winshuttle makes his work easier. “I use Winshuttle when I have to carry out a great number of transactions at the same time or when transactions are prone to errors. These include transactions where I have to calculate the weight, dimensions and volumes of materials based on the numbers of pallets and boxes in Excel. Winshuttle loads the data and formulas from my Excel files and translates them into the right SAP transactions.”

“I can also carry out a transaction in SAP and have it recorded by Winshuttle. Winshuttle then follows and stores my actions. I then create link to the correct data fields from my Excel sheets. Winshuttle then turns these into standard transactions that I can carry out at the touch of a button. That saves me a lot of time. Winshuttle also checks the data input against an approval process I set up. This forces me to enter data according to the guidelines, which increases the data quality.”

Time-efficient, easy data entry

“Winshuttle performs the actions I used to do manually for me,” Vincent continues. “It enters the data into SAP and checks the data input in Excel. I am actually transferring all the knowledge I have of our processes and SAP to Winshuttle. I have now instructed the system to make nearly all my decisions. As a user, you still need to know what you are doing, but the difference is that I am not the only one who can do it.  My colleagues can now also change master data. And I do npt even have to check their work, because Winshuttle does that for me. Another advantage is that it makes me think about how I carry out my tasks. I understand SAP better and I understand our processes better. If something goes wrong, I know where to look for it.”

“Winshuttle also saves me a lot of time.  In the past, it took me about half a day to create new materials that needed to be available worldwide. I can now do that in half an hour. I can do with the extra time, because even though our organisation is growing, my department has not yet expanded. This forces me to work more quickly and more accurately. Without Winshuttle, I would never get my work finished.”