CMCS Case Study

Background

CMCS Group PLC is a network of highly focused companies providing specialist media and print/packaging services. CMCS Group’s service capability spans the complete spectrum from the creative studios that provide concept development, sampling and cardboard development, through to the full production of the most demanding requirements for music (LPs, DVD, CDs, etc), and for computer games packaging (PS2, PSX and PC formats). CMCS Group’s client list reads like a who’s who of the entertainment industries, including all the notable companies in music, sports, fashion, photographic and the commercial sectors.

The Business Objectives

Having identified the potential benefits, CMCS Group and EMI wanted to proceed quickly with the introduction of EDI. An aggressive implementation plan was agreed to complete the installation within a four week period. CMCS and EMI wanted to implement the exchange of orders, and order acknowledgements initially, with invoices being introduced later.

EMI and CMCS agreed revised business practices for the introduction of EDI, such that the order to order confirmation cycle would reduce to no more than two hours, and preferably a lot faster.

Entity's Role

CMS contacted Entity as a specialist in EDI Services, to seek a complete solution to their needs - the EDI mailboxes that effect the exchange of messages, the communication/translation/ integration software and the services to both map the messages, and to perform the tests with EMI, and to complete it all within the four week deadline that had been agreed.

Entity responded to CMCS needs and to the challenging deadline and proposed and delivered a solution based on Entity’s Message Management software – PRISM. The complete solution required that Entity perform the following tasks:

project initiation [Entity operate to PRINCE II standards]
functional specification of the key processes
technical specification of the order review process
development of the order review and integration software
mapping of the order and order acknowledgement messages (EDIFACT)
provision and set up of the Information Exchange mailboxes
proving trials with EMI
implementation at CMCS
training of key staff

....all within the four week timetable!

The Benefits to CMCS

Specialist EDI Software and Skills
CMCS were able to implement EDI without having to roll their sleeve up and grapple with it themselves. Entity was able to explain all the steps and all the differing concepts, standards, etc. whilst getting on with the task of implementing it.

CMCS would not have been able to implement EDI so quickly, and so smoothly without Entity involvement.

CMCS have also decided to keep Entity in the frame, and have signed an agreement that leaves the responsibility with Entity to support the CMCS EDI operation and to maintain the flow of orders from EMI.

Colin Elliott, IT Manager at CMCS said “I’d heard that implementing EDI could be both time consuming and complex, but with Entity it was quite the reverse. I would not hesitate to recommend Entity to other companies wishing to implement EDI”.

Relevance to Other Organisations

Entity has a wealth of experience in EDI dating back more than 15 years. Like CMCS, other organisations can benefit from this wealth of experience, and can consider the optimisation of their business processes, using EDI or other communication methods.