During a company's growth process, a variety of systems are built and operated. Especially in recent years, many companies utilize cloud-based applications and system infrastructure because they allow for rapid system deployment and easy scaling.
Snow Peak, an outdoor equipment manufacturer, also utilizes Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the system infrastructure of its online store and other systems. The company introduced BI (Business Intelligence) to enable actions that leverage information, and further implemented data integration tool that can aggregate data from both cloud and on-premises systems, thereby creating an environment for utilizing various types of information used within the company.
The challenge lies in creating a system that provides employees with information that leads to actionable steps.
Snow Peak was founded in 1959 when the president of a hardware wholesale company, dissatisfied with the equipment he used for his hobby of mountain climbing, developed and began selling his own original mountaineering equipment. From the 1980s onward, the company became a leader in the industry with its unique auto camping equipment, and in 1996, it adopted its brand name as the company name. Since the 2000s, it has expanded its directly managed stores throughout Japan and also operates an online store.
BPI Headquarters, System Solutions Section
manager
Mr. Toshiyuki Oguma
"Over the past five to six years, our company has grown significantly thanks to the outdoor boom," says Toshiyuki Oguma, manager of the Systems Solutions Department at BPI Headquarters.
In recent years, the company has believed that the growth of each individual employee is essential for the company's growth, and has been implementing various initiatives. As part of this, the information systems department is working on building a system that enables the provision of information that leads to action by employees.
"We believe that true information is data that prompts employees to take action themselves. However, until now, the collection, aggregation, processing, and send of data from each application were done manually by the IT department using Microsoft Access and other tools, which meant we didn't have an environment where we could make the most of the information. So, in order to strengthen our information dissemination system, we decided to introduce BI and data integration tool. Using these, we are aiming to create a system that can provide high-value information, such as providing information on recommended items related to customers' purchase history managed in the points management system," says Mr. Oguma.
Reason for selection: Data is aggregated using "DataSpider Servista," data integration tool that can be deployed on AWS.
Thus, in 2014, they first introduced the BI tool "Dr.Sum EA" (WingArc1st) and started by aggregating and send sales data from their ERP system. Then, in 2015, they began considering data integration tool to expand the information sources handled by the BI tool, and in March, they decided to adopt Appresso's "DataSpider Servista".
"When making our selection, we prioritized support, and we valued that it was a domestically produced software that offered Japanese language support and regular training sessions that allowed users to learn when needed. The fact that DataSpider Servista could be installed on AWS, which is used for online stores and other services, was also a key factor. Furthermore, it not only has dedicated adapters for essential AWS and BI tools, but also a wide range of adapters for other cloud services, so we have high expectations for its future potential," explains Masayoshi Maezawa, Task Leader of the System Solutions Department, BPI Headquarters, regarding the reasons for the selection.
Incidentally, Snow Peak first adopted AWS in April 2014 when they revamped their online store, and since then they have also built their point management system, store blogs, and B2B system for partner retailers on AWS.
"We are actively using the cloud because it makes system implementation easy. Our plan is to migrate most of our servers from on-premises to the cloud in the future, and in addition to AWS, we are also considering using 'Microsoft Azure' (Microsoft) and 'kintone' (Cybozu)," says Mr. Oguma.
The solution's effectiveness includes a reduction in development man-hours, resulting in tangible cost savings.
DataSpider Servista environment setup was carried out with the support of SCSK, a partner of Appresso, and was completed in May 2015. Because it was built on AWS, it could be launched quickly in one to two months. Three employees from the information systems department are in charge of developing data integration scripts with each system, and development is progressing sequentially. There were no major problems during development, and any minor issues that arose in the initial stages of implementation, such as how to use the system effectively, were resolved by contacting support from SCSK and Appresso.
BPI Headquarters, System Solutions Section
Task Leader
Masayoshi Maezawa
"From a system development perspective, we had concerns about whether DataSpider Servista 's GUI screen would adequately handle the differences between databases. However, after actually receiving training and developing with it, our anxieties were dispelled, and we have come to appreciate the advantage of being able to develop without having to consider the specific specifications of each database. In addition, there are fewer mistakes and oversights compared to coding, and testing can be done with a single button, allowing for rapid development and reducing man-hours," says Maezawa.
In this way, data collection and aggregation from each system to BI tools have been realized, and integration of product master data, as well as send of notification emails and analytical reports, have also begun in some areas.
"From here on, we will finally be able to move forward with the original purpose for which we introduced the BI tool and DataSpider Servista: 'disseminating information that leads to action.' That being said, even at this stage, we have already recouped the costs incurred for the introduction by reducing development man-hours such as data integration," says Mr. Oguma.
The cost savings from this development process are calculated as follows:
| data integration from the points management system to the BI system. | 2 million yen |
|---|---|
| Sales data integration from online store to BI system | 2 million yen |
| Product master data integration from online store to B2B | 1.5 million yen |
| data integration from ERP to BI system | 1.2 million yen |
| data integration from ERP to BI system | 1.2 million yen |
| total | 7.9 million yen |
The Information Systems Department also aims to realize "individual growth."
Going forward, it is expected that the timely information provision enabled by BI tools and DataSpider Servista will contribute to Snow Peak's "individual growth towards the growth of the company." Furthermore, Mr. Oguma says that the increased productivity and reduced development time have brought about a significant change in the quality of work in the information systems department.
"With more free time on our hands, we've been able to dedicate more time to gathering information on the operations of each department through interviews and other means. As a result, we've discovered that there are quite a few tasks that don't have a standardized workflow, and we've started working on improving those. We ourselves have also become more conscious of the end users than before, and I feel like our standards for what's 'normal' have risen. This, too, is 'individual growth'."
DataSpider Servista is also being considered for applications beyond its original purpose, including developing internal web tools using HTTP triggers.
"We believe DataSpider Servista can also be used for data input. We still have a system based on Microsoft Access for internal use, so we are considering replacing it with a web-based system in the future. I think we are only using about 10% of DataSpider Servista 's capabilities so far, so we are thinking about how to utilize it further," (Mr. Oguma).
Snow Peak Corporation
- Head office location: 456 Nakanohara, Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture
- Founded: July 1958
- Business activities: Manufacturing and sales of outdoor equipment.
SCSK Corporation (Sales Support)
Platform Solutions Business Unit
IT Engineering Division, Middleware Department
- The content of this case study is current as of the time of the interview. The content of this case study may change without notice.