Information Builders > Case Studies > Ace Hardware Remodels With Information Builders’ Guided Self-Service Analytics

Ace Hardware Remodels With Information Builders’ Guided Self-Service Analytics

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

WebFOCUS
InfoAssist
Active Technology
ReportCaster
SAP Adapter
Teradata Adapter

Tech Stack

SAP R/3
Teradata

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Productivity Improvements
Customer Satisfaction

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Applicable Industries

Retail

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing
Business Operation

Use Cases

Supply Chain Visibility
Inventory Management
Predictive Replenishment

About The Customer

Ace Hardware is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the U.S. The company was founded in 1924 when five independent hardware stores united to increase their collective buying power. Today, Ace Hardware has grown into the world’s largest hardware cooperative with more than 4,600 locations in 70 countries. The company's 4,600 stores generate annual retail sales of more than $12 billion. Approximately 6,000 people depend on WebFOCUS to access, visualize, and analyze data from an SAP R/3 enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and other enterprise sources, including a Teradata data warehouse that stores point-of-sale data.

The Challenge

Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the U.S., was facing a challenge of managing the vast amount of information required to keep the company’s supply chain running smoothly. The company needed to extend decision-making capabilities to a large base of users via data analytics capabilities that were easy to access, integrate, and use. The company was looking for a decision-making platform that could support thousands of users while easing development and offering robust self-service capabilities. The platform needed to be 'ERP-savvy' and able to integrate various types of data into intuitive charts, graphs, and reports.

The Solution

Ace Hardware chose Information Builders’ WebFOCUS business intelligence (BI) and analytics platform as their enterprise standard for its power, strength, and flexibility. The platform was chosen for its ease of use, scalability, and versatile data-access capabilities. It offers guided self-service analysis capabilities for business users, as well as sophisticated analytical capabilities for professional developers. The platform helps Ace manage its internal operation while supplying visibility to retailers and wholesalers up and down the supply chain. The company plans to use WebFOCUS Active Technology to offer portable analytic options to their field staff, which oversees activities at the stores. This diverse team analyzes data on retail performance, such as monitoring how each vendor’s products are selling. Dynamic displays will enable these remote workers to analyze data without having to be connected to Ace’s intranet, clear down to individual point-of-sale transactions.

Operational Impact

WebFOCUS helps Ace manage its internal operation while supplying visibility to retailers and wholesalers up and down the supply chain.
The platform helps Ace gauge the reliability and performance of their suppliers by analyzing how well each vendor’s products are selling.
Thousands of vendors use WebFOCUS to track how individual products are selling in each region throughout the year. This visibility helps them forecast production needs.
Business users throughout the company depend on a management dashboard that tracks daily sales at the retail and wholesale levels so they can gauge how various items are selling by region, division, and product category.

Quantitative Benefit

WebFOCUS is used by approximately 6,000 people to access, visualize, and analyze data.
Ace Hardware’s 4,600 stores generate annual retail sales of more than $12 billion.