History and Heraldry: A high speed solution for a high speed business

Running a successful business requires reliable information from all key areas of operations. History & Heraldry were using an aging Pegasus Opera solution that couldn't keep up with the growth in the business it was supporting. Neither functionality nor the flexibility was up to speed.

"We initially worked with four different ERP suppliers on a detailed scoping phase", says Steve Wright, General Manager at History & Heraldry. "This was a time consuming exercise, but it was obviously an important one as choosing the right partner is key to the overall success of the project."

History & Heraldry's central warehouse at Rotherham is divided into bulk storage, bulk replenishment storage and an extensive pick face. The AX solution provides full location control which was impossible with the previous IT system. The stock management cycle starts when goods are received and moved to their AX-specified pallet locations in the bulk storage division. From then on the goods are moved through two stages of replenishment, with the system providing instructions to supply goods to the pick face. This allows for continuous and shortage-free picking.

History & Heraldry are planning to expand their storage capacity with one more warehouse. This expansion will put the flexibility and adaptability of the new ColumbusDistribition AX solution into play and makes it evident that the IT investment is a strategic move that will help History and Heraldry to seize new business opportunities as they arise.

The sales order teams, for domestic and international sales, rely on a rapid sales order entry mechanism that will allow lengthy sales order requirements to be captured in an extremely efficient manner. The integrated development environment within AX has allowed the entry dialogue to be modeled to the requirements of the users so there is a perfect fit between the real life work processes and the technology.

There are lots of different manufacturing processes within H&H Group. One example is the assembly of gift cards which is handled by home workers. Historically none of these processes had been supported by IT. Today, however, AX is being used to track and manage the transfer of materials to the home workers, the allocation of manufacturing activity and subsequently recording of completed goods being returned to the warehouse. Another area of manufacturing is printing. Leaflets, cards, posters etc. roll off the printing presses in huge quantities. Controlling, managing and scheduling print runs are now done by AX. This provides vastly improved visibility of available materials, finished products and delivery times. The visibility also helps H&H Group to further improve customer service.

History and Heraldry is a high speed business that relies on consumers being inspired to buy on impulse. This means that they have to be on their toes and be able to respond quickly to market needs and fluctuations. General Manager Steve Wright says of the cooperation with Columbus: "We were particularly impressed by Columbus and the deep level of application and business knowledge their team demonstrated. This – coupled with Columbus' geographical reach which allows them to service each of the countries we operate in – meant that Columbus were the ideal partner for us."

"It is always a pleasure working with market leaders", says Nicola Garrett, Project Manager at Columbus. "Being in that position means that H&H Group are at the top of their game and it demands that we have to be at the top of ours to give them the solution they require. This project is a success because we had the best technology and not least the deepest knowledge, the experience and the skills to implement it in a demanding retail business environment".

About History & Heraldry (H&H Group)

History & Heraldry is an award winning Gift Company with representation in more than 50 international markets. H&H Group produce high quality innovative product ranges at impulse buy prices for a whole range of retail environments and have become the market leader in just 7 years. They are renowned for it's sentiment and personalised products that are offered in coordinated concept ranges, that offer maximum selling in minimum floor space.