Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk Server 2004 keeps Energizer's supply chain going, and going….

Company Brief

Energizer Holdings is a consumer goods company operating globally in the broad categories of household and personal care products. Today Energizer is the world's largest manufacturer of dry cell batteries and flashlights. In 2003, Energizer acquired the worldwide Schick-Wilkinson Sword (SWS) Company. Energizer produces six billion battery cells annually, with a global consumer base. In addition, the Schick® and Wilkinson Sword brands are sold in more than 80 countries around the world, competing globally in the wet shave market segments.

Critical Issue

Energizer, like all manufacturers who want to do business with the big retailers including Wegmans and Wal-Mart, was mandated to publish their product information to UCCnet™ (1SYNC) and faced the challenge of integrating product and other item definitions in their ERP packages and in-house written systems with the GS1 Global Registry. Global data synchronization presents manufacturers like Energizer with a unique opportunity to gain rapid, positive, quantifiable results and is the first step toward maximizing their investments in technologies such as RFID, as well as collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR).

Cactus Solution

Given Energizer's commitment to the Microsoft platform and particularly their commitment to BizTalk™ as an Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) and Trading Partner Integration (TPI) platform, it made sense to select a Global Data Synchronization solution which integrated seamlessly with BizTalk and leverage it to perform the messaging and workflow needed to synchronize with 1SYNC. Energizer also did not want to acquire a 1SYNC solution which required its own messaging platform or the licensing of a third party platform. Energizer, an early adopter of Cactus GDS Accelerator, is now using the technology in production and has quickly achieved global data synchronization of their merchandizing items with customers such as Wegmans, in accordance with required compliance mandates.

Solution Benefits

Energizer, with sales of $2.5 billion has the potential to generate benefits well in excess of $3 million per year. The full extent of these benefits will be achieved over time once all of its major customers/trading partners are capable of Global Data Synchronization.

Integration with BizTalk Server provided a single common platform for Global Data Synchronization, Application Integration and B2B collaboration which will pay off as businesses go global and standards become increasingly more important. BizTalk Server handles global standards such as communications, messaging and data formats while Cactus GDS Accelerator handles all the Global Data Synchronization standards. In addition, Cactus' GDS solution sits inside the company firewall - thereby providing Energizer with maximum flexibility and control of their product data while eliminating ongoing transactional fees.

Results

Energizer has begun synchronizing item data with Wal-Mart and Wegmans, with over 200 items registered.

"Energizer has successfully deployed Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk Server 2004," said John Thompson, Project Manager, Energizer Holdings. "As a solution that makes effective use of our existing Microsoft platform, Cactus GDS Accelerator has enabled Energizer to quickly and easily meet the global data synchronization compliance mandate, without having to invest in any additional software or hardware."

By the end of 2005, Energizer expects most of its product catalog to be registered with 1SYNC and synchronized with key retail customers. The plan is to link item data in all internal systems (R&D, sales, logistics, finance, etc.) to a master item catalog using BizTalk Server.

Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk Server

Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk Server 2004 allows manufacturers like Energizer to quickly and easily connect to 1SYNC and the GS1 Global Registry, and integrate accurate real-time data into existing management systems, laying the foundation for successful RFID deployments.

Utilizing the robust integration capabilities of BizTalk Server 2004, Cactus GDS Accelerator provides a cost-effective way to quickly connect to 1SYNC and the WWRE and manage communications with trading partners. This solution can reduce the costs and business impact associated with trading-partner integration for manufacturers and retailers.

Through consistent, timely updates (in step with each data pool's regular update schedule), Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk provides manufacturers with a cost-effective way of keeping their collaborative commerce platform up to date.

For more information on Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk, visit:
http://www.cactuscommerce.com/GDS or
http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/evaluation/cactus/default.asp

Who is Cactus Commerce

Cactus Commerce is an e-business software and services provider dedicated to helping companies bring more efficiency to their complex business processes with integrated B2B solutions that lay the foundation for the move towards RFID. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Cactus develops and delivers rapidly deployed, cost-effective and extensible TPI, GDS and RFID software solutions. Cactus complements its packaged software offerings with an array of professional services and unique industry expertise, enabling companies to take full advantage of their existing and future technology investments.

Cactus Commerce
35 Gamelin • Gatineau • QC • Canada • J8Y 1V4
T 819.778.0313 • 888.CACTUS.0 • F 819.778.6008

© 2005 Cactus Commerce Inc. All rights reserved. Cactus Commerce and “e-business. All business.” are trademarks of Cactus Commerce Inc.; Microsoft, Windows, and BizTalk are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other product and company names herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Version française disponible sur demande.

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