POS Moves to Hosted IT Model, Improving System Availability, Reliability, and Security

01Dec

Since 1932, Prudential Overall Supply has been a leader in the uniform rental industry, offering a variety of uniform service programs, as well as supplying facility services and cleanroom laundry services to the high technology and pharmaceutical industries. POS supports more than 300 routes serving 30,000 customers.

Challenges
  • Transition from an unsupported, batch-oriented, data processing-based IT system to an integrated, real-time, Wide Area Network (WAN)-based corporate-wide system
  • Ensure data integrity and availability, while easing application maintenance
  • Minimize paper-based processes for printing and delivering invoices, as well as manage uniform order changes via handheld PDAs

Solution

  • Worked with Rapidigm, Inc. (now Fujitsu) to implement Oracle financial management and purchasing applications, integrating them with POS’ route accounting system
  • Streamlined invoice delivery and processing for 18 plants and eight service centers
  • Deployed the Oracle applications, the ABS route accounting system, and Oracle infrastructure software on Oracle On Demand—expediting project startup and deployment
  • Leveraged Oracle’s resources for patching, monitoring, and back-up—for both the Oracle and ABS applications—enabling POS’ small IT team to focus on other priorities and to assist in data cleanup and conversion
  • Centralized financial and customer data on one WAN-based system, providing the data integrity and availability required to support business growth and meet competitive challenges
  • Eliminated the need for customer service representatives to manually record invoice and uniform order changes into the paper-based IT system, enabling POS to serve its internal users and customers more quickly with online information
  • Deployed Oracle Purchasing for 30 users to streamline purchasing processes for all non-garment purchases, including chemicals and supplies
  • Used Oracle Advanced Collections for 110 users to track  delinquent accounts and accelerate collections

Release date: 12/01/2009

Contact: Jerry Martin, V.P. of Sales & Marketing (949) 996-8976

By: Jerry Martin, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Prudential Overall Supply

About the author

Jerry Martin is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Prudential Overall Supply, a leading provider of workplace uniforms and personal protective equipment (PPE) to a wide range of industries and organizations. Currently President of the Board of Directors for the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) where he works on projects to further the benefits of reusable textiles versus disposable alternatives. Martin also contributes to the Textile Rental Service Association (TRSA) where he is a former chairman of the association's Marketing & PR committee and helped establish TRSA’s international standard for its Clean Green certification program.