Dear Kelly Spicers Packaging and Facilities Solutions teams:
It has been a while since our last update, so we thought now would be a good time to get everyone up to speed on our NextLevel Converge project.
The NextLevel Converge team has been working diligently since January to merge our business systems and upgrade to the NextLevel platform. This investment in technology will ultimately help us streamline transactions, eliminate duplications of effort, and enhance customer service.
Our NextLevel Converge process teams focused on comparing process and functionality in their respective systems, identifying key upgrades and customization features for the new system. With the discovery phase complete, we are pleased to say that NextLevel can accommodate virtually all the collective requirements.
A key finding has been the identification of significant differences between the Packaging business requirements and those of the Facilities Solutions business. As a result, we determined the best approach will be to set these up as two separate entities in NextLevel. Accordingly, within NextLevel, Packaging will be CO#88 and Facilities Solutions will be CO#77.
We are now working with the NextLevel Technology team on the most effective approach to incorporate our findings into the new system. Some of the improvements we have identified include:
- Full EDI development for Facilities Solutions for the trading partner Network Distribution Group;
- A SKU builder to allow temporary items to be created by anyone as needed, then “polished up” by the item maintenance team;
- A Quick Order Pad to allow the fast entry of items that a customer buys without the need to look between multiple screens;
- Expansion of the external Quote System originally developed for San Leandro, which will be available on a broader basis for Kelly Spicers Packaging;
- Optional feature to update customer prices (store for future sales) when changed on a new sales order.
To meet new supply chain demands on the Facilities Solution business we will also be updating the Go-live sequence as follows:
- Kelly Spicers Facilities Solutions: Sept. 2021
- Kelly Spicers Packaging SoCal: Oct. 2021
- Kelly Spicers Packaging NorCal: Dec. 2021
Please continue to visit our NextLevel Converge Microsite (https://nextlevel.kellyspicers.com/) for updates over the summer and into the fall. We will continue to keep you updated regularly as we continue to make progress.
Thank you,
Howard Edelman
Director, Business Process/Packaging