Transoft Case Study

TRANSOFTCASESTUDY
Application Integration
Genuine Parts Company migrates from character-based
application to GUI
“Transoft APPIntegrate was easy to learn and easy
to use… and it really works!”
At a Glance
Jim Welch, Director of TAMS Software Development,
Genuine Parts Company
The Situation
Need to improve customer service with better information
and an easier-to-use system
The Solution
Transoft APPIntegrate
The Technology
The Benefits
Speedy development, improved functionality and ease
of use
‘‘
‘‘
Founded in 1928, Genuine Parts Company (GPC) is a service
organization engaged in the distribution of automotive
replacement parts, industrial replacement parts, office products
and electrical/electronic materials. Products and services are
offered though a network of over 2,000 operations, geographically
located across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Genuine Parts Company, the parent company of NAPA Auto
Parts, owns 73 distribution centers that service more than 6,000
NAPA Auto Parts stores in seven countries. The majority of NAPA
stores are independently owned and operated.
Transoft APPIntegrate provided a GUI front-end to a
Point-Of-Sale existing system, and developed a new,
functionally rich GUI catalog system
Transoft APPIntegrate will play a key
role in all future TAMS development.
Jim Welch, Director of TAMS Software Development,
Genuine Parts Company
CLIENT PROFILE
THE CHALLENGE
In order to obtain the optimum benefits from their computer
environment, GPC made the commitment to stay current with
computer technology, while simultaneously leveraging their
existing data systems assets.
Genuine Parts migrated their Total Automotive Management
System (TAMS) running on proprietary Data General Software to
open systems many ago. More than 900 programs with 1.5
million lines of code were running on 5,900 systems.
The Modernization Experts
Approximately 50,000 ‘green screens’
were used to provide a catalog of parts.
To answer the need for continued use of
applications that were written in DG
Business Basic, they deployed Transoft's
U/BL (Universal Business Language), the
market-leading development environment
for modernizing BBASIC applications.
GPC consistently made major
enhancements to their ‘Parts Lookup’
system, which included 37 million records
covering applications in existence since
1971.
However, the need for even more
information and an easier-to-use system
increased, based on the requirement to
keep improving customer service and
thereby increase sales.
THE SOLUTION
Transoft was recently
named ‘Champion’ in
Info-Tech Research
Group's Legacy Software
Modernization Vendor
Landscape.
After a thorough needs analysis and
investigation of options, GPC identified
major development goals: to provide a full
GUI front-end to the existing point-of-sale
system, to develop a new functionally rich
GUI catalog system, and to provide an
enhanced version of the ‘green screen’
cataloging system.
Also, the new GUI development would be
required to access the U/BL databases
through a Java interface and use a
relational database for cataloging.
At this juncture, GPC consulted Transoft
about the APPIntegrate product.
MAJOR BENEFITS
With Transoft APPIntegrate as a solution,
development goals were redefined. First,
the need for a relational database was
eliminated.
Transoft APPIntegrate also removed the
fears of potential redevelopment of legacy
applications. Using APPIntegrate’s flexibility,
Genuine Parts was able to develop services
from existing POS application code.
This feature greatly speeded development
and allowed them to continue plans for
adding even more functionality.
GPC is planning to continue developing
applications with Transoft APPIntegrate,
including a tri-lingual system to cover the
needs of parts stores in other countries.
“Transoft APPIntegrate will play a key role in
all future TAMS development,” said Jim
Welch, Director of TAMS Software
Development. “It was easy to learn and easy
to use… and it really works!”
ABOUT TRANSOFT
Transoft is a leading provider of innovative and pioneering modernization solutions, with
hundreds of thousands of organizations worldwide using our products and services.
Our aim is to enable our customers to increase business value and maintain competitive
advantage by maximizing the potential of existing data and applications. This provides
rapid return on investment, reduced costs, improved productivity and efficiency, and the
ability to manage operational risk.
With 25 years’ experience, and expert staff dedicated to servicing the needs of
organizations with legacy systems, we pride ourselves on a tailored approach to customer
service. Major organizations such as The Gap, L’Oreal, Boeing and Balfour Beatty have
enjoyed the business benefits of a Transoft application modernization strategy. We work
with a large network of VARs, System Integrators, ISVs and technical partners to offer
unparalleled solutions.
T: +1 770 933 1965 (US office)
T: +44 (0)1753 778000 (UK office)
E: newsolutions@transoft.com
W: www.transoft.com
Transoft is a trading name of Transoft Group Limited and Transoft Inc, which are a part of the CSH Group of companies. Transoft is a trade mark. © Transoft
Group Limited and Transoft Inc 2012. All rights reserved.