Midford Schoolwear
COMPLEX WEB AND INTEGRATIONS TAKEOVER OF AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST SCHOOLWEAR SUPPLIER.
midford.com.au
1. Large business acquisition
In 2015 our existing client, Australian Apparel, added to their clothing portfolio by acquiring the Midford Schoolwear brand from Gazal Corporation.
With the purchase came two existing websites. This site allows parents, schools and shops to view products. sales reps login to place orders for schools and shops, and for schools to showcase an sell their customised clothing through their own Midford store. A SAP integration kept EVERYTHING synced for the back office.
Although built on an old version of Xcart - which we have extensive experience with - the functionality was very tacked together. This presented a lot of unknowns.
2. Step in
Our brief was to take over management of the websites and update the integrations to work with a new ERP system - Magic - which is popular in the rag trade.
We were also to update a number of data points that were central to cataloging every item available.
Both tasks would be considered high technical complexity.
3. Solution
Updating the integrations and data points was significant piece of work.
The system needed to import and export a series of nine csv files to sync order, product, user etc data between the website and Magic.
The files are exported and imported sequentially using cron jobs, reporting errors and data discrepancies as they arise from either system.
WEBSITE TAKEOVER
We get asked to take over websites regularly. Sometimes they're aquired, sometimes they've been developed offshore and sometimes the company has started to fly and needs more support and accountability. With their own set of challenges, a takeover is something you need to speak through so you have a clear view of what to expect.