Client

Interex Forest Products, representing six Canadian mills, is an international exporter of forest products providing its customers worldwide with consistent supply, timely delivery and assured product quality. With offices in Canada and Japan, Interex is committed to providing superior service and competitive prices to their global customers.

Challenge

Interex had purchased an off-the-shelf order entry software package that was customized for their use to manage lumber and OSB sales order and shipping information for customers located throughout Asia. The software did not allow Interex’s overseas sales agents and customers to obtain critical information in a multi time zone environment. Glen Wilson, President of Interex Forest Products, envisioned an eBusiness application to lend visibility to their order fulfillment process allowing sales agents and customers to verify order details and shipment status.

Solution

JDQ was selected for this assignment based on our understanding of the design and development of web-based applications and our extensive experience in extending the functionality of off-the-shelf software packages and existing legacy systems. JDQ:

• identified requirements and established a clear vision for the browser interface,
• reverse engineered the order entry application to identify data mappings for the browser interface,
• designed, developed and tested the web-based user interface using an iterative process to verify data integrity and usability,
• created a user guide, technical reference and on-line help,
• provided formal on-site training sessions and ongoing technical support.

Results

Glen Wilson commented: “Working with our management and IT staff, JDQ helped develop a web solution that was not possible with our existing order entry software. This application provides added value for our customers and sales agents allowing them to access the information they require. Initial reaction from them is that they are very impressed with both the information provided and the design of the application.”