A web portal for all systems gave Newbody an efficient logistical flow

Since 1987, Newbody has helped young people raise money for their school class or sports team by selling sportswear and products. With multiple suppliers of clothes and products, it has been crucial for Newbody to have a good overview of the whole order process from a placed order to a delivered product to the end customer. 

Newbody’s challenge

Managing purchases and orders using email, Word and Excel documents often led to simple mistakes that impacted both quality and quantity on Newbody’s products. Until 2015, Newbody had no purchasing system in place. Like many other companies, they used programs such as Excel and email. This worked initially, but as the company continued to grow, it meant a lot more work while also sometimes resulting in incorrect placement of orders. Newbody’s business concept is built on high awareness of which products, colors and sizes are available, all in an effort to provide the best possible service.
 

A proprietary portal for customers and suppliers 

A major challenge was to gather all the details of the order into a single system, where all changes could be made directly by both customers and suppliers. They needed one place where they could manage the entire chain from the order being placed to the customer receiving their products.

Thanks to the new portal built by Enfo using AWS components, a designer in Sweden can now talk to a manufacturer in China, for example, regarding specific products and changes. With a reduced risk of misunderstandings..

The advantage of using a web portal is the high level of user friendliness - nowadays no one needs to worry about file formats or software updates.

“It was important for us to find a supplier who understood our business and the importance of a long-term collaboration. I noticed early on that Enfo valued our relationship highly when they scheduled a series of follow-up meetings with important strategic feedback.  I think it is super important that you solve problems together, not individually,” says Sajad Veismoradi, Head of Sourcing and Planning, Newbody.

Another significant benefit of the web portal is that it now allows Newbody to estimate and forecast the production of clothes, resulting in major differences in sales. The ability to estimate an order based on which season it is, for example T-shirts in specific colors provides a great competitive advantage. 

Today we also have traceability, so Newbody can immediately see any changes made to related to delivery time and quantity and who made them.

Serverless platform for system integration

When using an IT structure with a number of systems that need to function together, there is a great need to assimilate the data or specify the data being sent between the various systems. Instead of building connections between all systems, Enfo built an integration platform – which gives Newbody the ability to connect any program used in their business, which also facilitates future development.

Enfo decided to build a much more lightweight integration platform - one that is serverless. This shortens the development time, therebyreducing costs for Newbody. This solution means that companies in need of smarter and more secure data processing only need to pay for what they actually use and utilize.
 

Sajad’s advice for a successful IT project: 

1. Choose a supplier that listens 
   It is important that the supplier listens rather than try to sell you a platform from the start. That they ask me what my needs are and then suggest solutions suited to my needs. I think that is important. When I want to develop a portal or a program, I first need to know the customer’s needs and then define the system’s needs. 
    
2. Understanding of the business model
   However, it does not matter how good of a listener a supplier is if they never take the time to gain a deep understanding of your business model. The basic rule of a really good collaboration for both parties is that the supplier must always understand the business model in its entirety.
    
3. It feels safe to choose a large supplier
   There are of course pro’s and cons to choose a large supplier but one of the major upsides is that security is included.  If you have developed your own software together with your supplier, you want them to still be around in 5 years. Otherwise, it becomes both expensive and complicated. 

About Newbody

Newbody helps non-profit groups raise the money they need for their goals. They provide a simple solution for athletic associations and school classes looking to raise money for their goals in an efficient manner without financial risk. The company was founded in 1987 and currently has a turnover of SEK 218 million with 51 employees.