Ferney | New integration flows within hours

Superior data exchange.

Ferney switches to Lobster seamlessly.

2 million data exchanges

Ferney now handles its annual data volume completely independently.

25% savings

Ongoing operating costs have been cut drastically.

0 downtime

The migration of more than 200 partners took place during live operations.

1-2 hours

The team now implements new mappings and fixes errors itself.

Challenges.

Rigid structures in the old EDI system and long waiting times for adjustments were holding back growth.

Uncomfortable dependency.

Ferney’s previous EDI infrastructure was in the hands of an external provider. For the cooperative, this posed a strategic risk, since it could not fully control business-critical data flows or retain authority over sensitive processes. A system change was unavoidable to secure its long-term independence in the trade sector.

Sluggish processes for adjustments.

External service providers often needed a week or longer to adjust mappings or fix errors. In a fast-moving trading environment, this sluggishness caused noticeable delays in day-to-day operations. Ferney lost valuable time connecting new partners and could not respond quickly enough to error messages in the data stream.

High and non-transparent costs.

Even the smallest change to an interface came with high extra costs from the previous provider. The old system’s lack of flexibility tied up in-house staff for intensive monitoring and put a heavy strain on the cooperative’s budget through unpredictable, expensive service invoices.

With Lobster, we've finally put an end to our dependency on external service providers. Instead of waiting days for important changes, we now handle adjustments to our data exchange ourselves within a few hours. That saves time, saves our nerves, and cuts costs. I've never seen a better tool for this.

Edmondo Tardio

Ferney

EDI Specialist

Outcome.

Ferney regains full control over its data, drastically speeds up partner onboarding, and benefits from a modern EDI infrastructure.

Substantial cost savings.

By switching to Lobster, the purchasing cooperative cut its ongoing IT and operating costs in the EDI area by 20 to 25 percent compared with the old solution. Since external services for mappings and adjustments are now almost eliminated, the budget stays predictable and the value created stays within the company.

Maximum agility in day-to-day operations.

This independence shows most clearly during troubleshooting and modifications. What used to take a week, is now handled by the IT team within a few hours. This dramatic increase in response speed strengthens Ferney’s position as a reliable partner for all connected wholesalers and suppliers in its network.

Seamless system migration.

The migration of more than 200 partners to the new platform went completely smoothly and without any disruption of the supply chain. For the connected DIY stores and hardware retailers, the switch was invisible. Business-critical processes ran smoothly throughout the entire transition.

Approach.

Ferney deployed the Lobster Data Platform as the central hub of its EDI setup, combined with Lobster Bridge for highly efficient onboarding of all trading partners.

Step 1

Analysis and strategic direction setting.

In the first step, Ferney analyzed the existing data flows of its roughly 200 partners and defined the requirements for the new platform. The goal was to find a solution that guaranteed maximum independence and required no programming skills to use. Of four shortlisted providers, Ferney chose Lobster, since the software offered exactly this flexibility. At the same time, the technical migration was prepared so that the cooperative’s day-to-day business was never put at risk.

Step 2

Implementation and beta partnership.

Ferney relied on the proven Lobster Data Platform software and, as a beta customer, also helped shape the development of the Lobster Bridge functionality. This close collaboration let the cooperative tailor the innovative partner-management platform precisely to its needs in wholesale trading. The intuitive user interface let the in-house team get up to speed on the system extremely quickly and take control of its data flows.

Step 3

Smooth go-live for all partners.

The actual migration of partners to the new infrastructure was carried out step by step and with precision. Around two million messages per year, including about 2,000 invoices a day, were migrated without any data loss or delays. Connected retailers and suppliers did not notice the switch technically, but immediately benefited from faster processing and the noticeably higher stability of the new EDI system.

Technical setup.

The foundation is the Lobster Data Platform, which handles central mapping and conversion for all EDI messages, such as invoices and purchase orders. Lobster Bridge complements the architecture as an intuitive portal that dramatically simplifies onboarding and managing more than 1,200 partners configured in about 300 partner channels. Together, they let Ferney process complex data formats without any programming effort and manage interfaces flexibly and independently.

Lower costs.
Faster processes.
Enhanced efficiency.

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What's next.

Following the successful EDI switch, Ferney plans to further advance the automation of its supply chains.

Partner onboarding.

Thanks to the scalability of the Lobster platform, new partners can be onboarded even faster and with minimal effort in the future.

Centralizing internal processes.

The purchasing cooperative is also looking at centralizing further internal data processes on the Lobster Data Platform, to keep improving efficiency across its European trading network.

About Ferney.

Ferney Group BV is a leading purchasing cooperative for professional wholesale trade in construction and industry in the Netherlands and Belgium. With 36 member companies and 591 sales outlets, it pools purchasing volume to secure the best terms and highly efficient logistics. As a strong partner to specialty retailers, Ferney continuously optimizes the digital processes between manufacturers and dealers. Its annual data volume comprises around two million business-critical messages, which form the backbone of its supply chain.