MCPc Technology Products & Solutions

Challenge

MCPc had been using another data collection solution for several years. It was okay at the time because MCPc was a dramatically different company. They sold mainly computer supplies and hardware, drop-shipping them directly to customers. Over the years, their focus shifted to providing comprehensive project management services for very large customers. Unfortunately, the competitor’s software was relatively inflexible and was quickly becoming a major obstacle to MCPc’s evolution. MCPc’s Internal senior project manager, Jeanne Abt, oversaw finding the best upgrade for MCPc’s older technology.

Abt cited several problems that led to her decision to switch to RFgen:

There were major issues in the existing software that never got resolved. For example, one persistent issue was in confirming partial backorders on serialized orders.
Scanner accuracy was a growing problem that had to be addressed immediately. “Our warehouse typically stores thousands of products. Many of them are customer-owned. We configure their laptops and ship them directly to the end-users,” said Abt. “We knew we had to upgrade our system.”
Their scanners were no longer supported by the manufacturer because they were almost 10 years old.
Transactions disappeared at inconvenient times. After MCPc scanned items into their JD Edwards system, connecting to their existing software was an extra, final step that caused the transactions to “disappear.” The person doing the scanning had no idea if the transaction was successful.
Software maintenance was costly and seldom time-sensitive.
The system would go down several times a day and MCPc would have to repeatedly restart their services. The cost of these persistent problems and delays was substantial.

Our warehouse typically stores thousands of products. Many of them are customer-owned. We configure their laptops and ship them directly to the end-users. We knew we had to upgrade our system.

Jeanne Abt

Sr. Project Manager | MCPc

Solution

Abt contacted RFgen, saw a demonstration of the RFgen Mobile Foundations for JD Edwards solution and realized she had found her technology solution. “I liked the way it worked with JD Edwards and integrated with the platform,” she said. It was a wise financial move for MCPc, too. “RFgen gave us a great deal to trade in our old application so we enjoyed significant savings immediately by switching to RFgen.”

RFgen’s senior ERP consultant, Rainer Brueggemann, successfully migrated MCPc from their existing software to RFgen’s JD Edwards certified Integration Suite. Brueggemann emphasized the advantages of the RFgen solution:

“RFgen’s JD Edwards Integration Suite features about 80 pre-written JD Edwards transactions which cover at least 85% of every client’s needs. We were able to easily transfer MCPc from their older software to our newer, more flexible technology that will grow with their business and allow them to do the things they need to do for their customers.” Equally important, RFgen’s JD Edwards Integration Suite supports all versions of JD Edwards, from the previous decade to the latest release.

During the implementation, MCPc’s previously frustrated warehouse manager acted like a kid in a candy store. “He loved the new scanners connected to RFgen and kept asking Rainer if he could make this change or that change. Because of RFgen’s flexibility, Rainer’s answers were consistently yes to our manager’s dream list,” Abt said.

“Rainer and his RFgen team went over and beyond what they needed to do to make this implementation work for us. I was so impressed with the smoothness of the implementation and the understanding Rainer has of business problems. That’s unusual in a programmer.”

Sometimes when Abt suggested making a programming change, Rainer would say, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ “Rainer didn’t want us to blindly make changes without considering they might create a problem elsewhere in the system. I really appreciated that guidance.”

I liked the way it worked with JD Edwards and integrated with the platform. It was a wise financial move for MCPc, too. RFgen gave us a great deal to trade in our old application so we enjoyed significant savings immediately by switching to RFgen.

Jeanne Abt

Sr. Project Manager | MCPc

Results

Four months after installation began, development was completed. Since then, MCPc is enjoying the many advantages including reliability, performance, accuracy, efficiency, ease of use, lower maintenance costs and far fewer headaches. Here are some of the positive changes:

Responsive RFgen support on the software and scanning hardware.
Appreciation of RFgen’s mobile administration feature – “It’s excellent. Now I can see what users are seeing.”
Faster role swap on backups – “Periodically, I manage a role swap to see how everything moves from our iSeries 520 system to the 810 backup. The swap used to take 30-minutes, but now that RFgen is part of the process, it takes less than three minutes.”
Since we are using data collection software that is certified to work with our JD Edward’s programs, accuracy is no longer an issue.

The RFgen team went over and beyond what they needed to do to make this implementation work for us. I was so impressed with the smoothness of the implementation and their understanding of our business problems.

Jeanne Abt

Sr. Project Manager | MCPc

MCPc, Inc. is recognized as one of the nation’s top value-added resellers and direct marketers of computer systems, supplies, services and network solutions. They provide proven stability, multi-vendor expertise and experience in solving complex business challenges with a “total solution” approach. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, MCPc serves thousands of national and international customers from 27 locations across the country and represents over 100,000 products. They partner with the world’s leading technology manufacturers such as Cisco, Citrix, VMware, HP, Microsoft, Dell, Apple and Lenovo. MCPc was named a “Top 100 Value Added Reseller” in CRN’s 2011 VAR500 list of national technology integrators.

Download Case Study