Azlan Group Ltd is a leading pan-European solutions group, operating in the networking communications sector of the technology market. It has three divisions: product distribution, training and services with operations in fifteen European countries. It employs over 1,300 staff with a ratio of 1:1 technical to sales personnel among these groups. Azlan works with market-leading manufacturers of networking technology, including Cisco, Microsoft, Nortel Networks, Cabletron and Novell.

It has built its reputation on quality of service and responsiveness to the rapidly changing needs of a demanding international customer base. That has placed huge importance on the company's long standing relationship with Strategix, which has grown up with Azlan and provided the right technology at the right time to keep the group ahead of the game.

Now Azlan is blazing a trail with its Strategix-based e-commerce web site - azlan.com - a channel which now handles up to 25% of orders in some Azlan locations.

the business issues
Speed and flexibility are the watchwords of Azlan. And the systems it uses to drive the business have to fit that ethos.

In 1997, when Azlan's directors were evaluating technology partners for an integrated back office solution to handle financial management, stock control and order processing, they took a long hard look at the big players.

"But they were offering a one-size-fits-all solution," said Darren Billings, IT Director at Azlan. "And they needed months of development time. The great thing about Strategix was that it was offering a modular, scalable solution that was highly flexible and could be up and running in a sensible time frame. Strategix management showed that they were also customer and service focused like ourselves. It was a meeting of minds."

the strategix solution
Azlan offers a multi-language service guaranteeing next day delivery from its logistics centre in York.

The heart of the Strategix back-office system is at Azlan's IT centre in Wokingham, which is linked to the company's offices throughout Europe. There are now 600 users of the system, which processes transactions involving 700,000 stock items a year.

The flexibility of Strategix as a product came into its own when Azlan started in an e-commerce operation in 1999.

The azlan.com web front-end is supported by Strategix Business Objects which link in to the Strategix system at Wokingham. The site gives real time information on Azlan's 70,000 stock items, prices and delivery details. Customers simply click to order and get a truly personalised service; the product list and prices shown on the system vary according to which customer is accessing the system. It is even tailored to individuals and highlights specific orders for which they have responsibility.

But azlan.com is far more than just a channel for product sales. It provides comprehensive technical information, downloadable data sheets and vendor White Papers. Customers can also check installation, support and maintenance packages for every product and these too can be ordered on line. Details of all training courses can also be accessed from the site.

Azlan resellers use azlan.com to check the status of their accounts and look up their own back orders, regardless of whether or not they were placed via the web.

"The system is working very well," said Darren Billings. "And the feedback from customers is great. We can see more and more business being channelled through our site and we plan to expand the range of information available to our resellers."

the way ahead
Strategix and Azlan have developed a long-term partnership. As Azlan grows through both organic growth and acquisition throughout Scandinavia and Continental Europe, Strategix is a crucial part of the initiation process for companies joining the group.

One of the key benefits of Strategix is that it can serve as a highly scalable system for centralised stock management in a pan-European volume distribution business. The Azlan IT managers know that they can support new resellers in every corner of Europe using Strategix without having to make any changes to the way they manage their stock.

"Strategix is the platform on which we build the service to our customers," said Darren Billings. "The fact that we are able to support our customers throughout Europe from one warehouse in York and still maintain such a high level of service is very much down to the strength of Strategix. The technology and the people who support it are now a very important part of our business and a focal point of our future growth."

This commitment is matched by Strategix, which provides support and training throughout the company and is signed up to a long-term service level agreement.