What sets your company apart?
- We deploy infrastructure technology that specifically addresses fundamental data quality maintenance challenges.
- SaaS High-speed Internet technology has changed the landscape for software implementation and maintenance. Software service providers can now seamlessly deliver software applications right to desktop PCs and laptops through a web browser
- Our specialists are singularly qualified to address your ongoing data quality management issues.
- We have developed explicit business protocols for building reference databases and item masters; on-boarding data from suppliers; and managing data quality management strategies and initiatives on an ongoing basis.
- We build systems for every link in the parts supply chain: buyers, suppliers, and providers. This comprehensive approach gives us a holistic understanding of the larger macro-issues affecting your unique business.
- We remain true to our core service: the creation, management, and ongoing maintenance of item master data.
- We enable our clients to convert parts operations from cost centers to profit centers by improving vendor relationships; optimizing overall contract spend; and increasing up-time for production lines, as well as core business operations.
Please describe your process for executing a typical project.
Our projects last approximately 3-6 months and you will see results within 90 days. Our project process is composed of nine major steps:
- Discovery: We gain a full understanding of your project requirements through stakeholder interviews, technical analysis, and equipment inventories. We then develop a project work plan, which includes tasks and timelines.
- Data Requirements Gathering: We develop an understanding of your company’s enterprise system and database dependencies, including cross-referencing requirements. Next, we develop detailed project specifications and refine the project roadmap and timeline.
- Process Requirements Gathering: We define workflows, including quality-control steps. In this phase, we also write the style guide.
- Business Rules Design and Codification: We extract business rules for designated client operations.
- The Foundation Engine - Data Cleansing & Standardization: We cleanse, rationalize, and tag all data to create the normalized item master. We perform VMRS or UNSPSC classification on the final parts master, enhancing schema if required.
- The Cross-reference Engine: We cross-reference your various databases to ensure accuracy in the single-item master and compliance your company’s business rules.
- Final Item Master Delivery & Training: We deliver final product to you via the agreed-upon delivery vehicle. We also train your stakeholders on proper use and maintenance.
- The Order Compliance Engine: If required, the PartsRiver Order Compliance Engine monitors purchases to ensure that they comply with your rules such as buying from the contract supplier at the right price.
- The Catalog Compliance Engine: PartsRiver can manage parts and price changes directly from your suppliers, cleanse and enrich the parts data before it goes into your system.
- The Dashboard Engine: We work with the you to configure the Dashboards to report the information you want to know, the way you want to see it.
Please explain what you mean by "ongoing service."
Keeping your data consistently clean requires ongoing maintenance—on the part of both internal and external parties. We are dedicated to ensuring the continued success of each project we launch, and this means remaining a committed partner to you. Working together, we can ensure that your data remains fully optimized over the long run, and that you continue to increase the return on your initial investment.
Do you provide a service or a tangible software asset?
PartsRiver provides a turnkey service.
Who will actually clean my data?
The PartsRiver staff will clean and categorize your data. We do not outsource this process.
How much will my company need to contribute, in terms of resources and staff time?
You and your colleagues will need to contribute a limited amount of resources and time to ensure the success of your project. We will seek your guidance when determining the taxonomy for your company, and we will also draw on the knowledge of your in-house parts content experts. These contributions are usually on a part-time basis, and they take place during the database construction and quality control phases.
What kind of IT resources will I need to execute the project?
Our process requires very minimal IT resource support.
How will the data interface with my systems?
PartsRiver has standard adapters to seamlessly interface with the leading products for master data management systems. In addition, we have extensive experience integrating our solutions with less well known or customized systems. To ensure the best possible transfer for each of our clients, we employ a wide variety of ETL (extract, transform, load) tools designed by IBM, TIBCO, and Microsoft. Designing this interface process will be a key part of our comprehensive analysis and execution plan.
If I already have master data management software in place, how will your system interface with it?
The PartsRiver solution will seamlessly interface with your current master data management solution. We are continuously building standard adapters that interface with master data management systems, which will enable this process.
The process for linking these two systems is as follows:
- Step 1: Load raw, unclean data from company’s source systems into selected master data management system.
- Step 2: Send data to PartsRiver through standard adapters.
- Step 3: PartsRiver cleanses and enriches the data.
- Step 4: PartsRiver loads client’s master data management system through standard adapters.
How will I know my data is safe if I choose your hosted delivery model?
PartsRiver employs state-of-the-art security practices to ensure the ultimate safety of your data:
- PartsRiver systems have multiple redundancy points and fault tolerance levels.
- Each client’s data is kept in its own secure, discrete area.
- Multiple security policies are enforced at the application, database, and operating system levels.
Do I really need PartsRiver’s help, or can I clean my data by myself?
Engaging PartsRiver as a partner will save you a great deal of time, money, and trouble. Item Master data is dynamic and complex—most companies find it difficult to identify resources to execute and implement. Our company has invested nearly $60 million to develop the most innovative technology, services, and best-practice methodologies related to data quality management across a broad range of industries. PartsRiver will also manage the discovery and implementation process, allowing you to tap into this vast reservoir of specialized knowledge.
What is the cost of doing nothing?
Depending on the size of your company and your specific industry sector, the cost of doing nothing can be quantified in thousands, millions, or even billions of dollars. Lost revenue and cost-saving opportunities can include the following:
- diminished up-time for fleets, contracts lost because of miscommunication of data
- overspend due to inaccurate pricing data
- mismanagement of business operations due to faulty item master data, as well as the resulting information that comes from analyses conducted with bad data
- false information submitted in Sarbanes-Oxley reporting
- bad supplier data resulting in shipping errors
- loss of consumer confidence due to of incorrect parts supplied
- missed production schedule deadlines
- diminished up-time for manufacturing plants or fleets
- inability to manage contract and SKU compliance
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