Customer Spotlight

Allport Cargo Services USA > Blog > Insights Newsletter > Customer Spotlight – Ace Hardware

Insights Newsletter – December 2022

Ace Hardware is universally known as the “HELPFUL HARDWARE PLACE^TM.”

We believe in personal service, and that coming to an Ace Hardware store should be like a visit to a neighbor. When we set out to partner with a Supply Chain Services Provider, we looked for a company that had the assets and infrastructure we needed at origin, but also the critical knowledge of the Infor Nexus platform and how we could leverage it as a Global Visibility Platform. Allport Cargo Services, USA (ACS) became the provider whose subject matter experts have helped guide Ace with the Nexus user experience, our integrations, our implementation, and in the end, our data.

User Experience

ACS provides full end-to-end visibility. We were able to leverage the Infor Nexus Contract Sourcing module to manage our carrier negotiations and execute our contracts. Because of this, Ace now uses Infor Nexus for freight spend reporting since the data from contracts and shipments is merged. We worked with ACS on custom training sessions, specifically around reporting needs in the application. Currently, ACS is working with us on projects such as custom PDFs (PO, Packing Lists, Commercial Invoices, etc.), origin consolidation, and Inter-America shipments.

Implementation and Integration

We wanted to build one pipe for integrations so we needed ACS to be able to send PO’s to our partners as well as receive the ASN’s and send to Ace, keeping Infor Nexus as our system of record. ACS worked with our partners and was able to map these integrations. Further, the current Ace PO integration needed enhancement by ACS in order to load into Infor Nexus for true visibility and operational workflow. As Ace is continuously developing our own internal integrations, ACS is acting as a consultant for us to ensure that the proper deliverables are met.

Data

As a result of being the system of record for Ace, ACS has robust data sets with which to provide us with critical reporting from the tactical level to the boardroom. We continue to look to the ACS team to provide us with the information we need to keep on top of our imports and keep our organization informed.