Category: Impact Studies

AFD Case Study

Posted on by Kyo Logic

 

OVERVIEW

 

AFD has been the leading provider of display showcases for over 100 years. They operate on a very large scale and can supply tens of thousands of cases upon demand.

AFD are a family-run company that provides a complete line of high-quality showcases, which can be used to display all kinds of products, including jewelry, antiques, collectibles, and more. Cases are rented for trade shows and exhibitions across the United States.

Exhibitors consider AFD to be the top choice for satisfying all exhibition needs; from thousands of display cases at major jewelry industry trade shows to a single showcase at a private auction, they provide exhibitors and show managers with personalized, professional service and high-end products. They are the official showcase provider for the country’s most renowned trade shows.

 

PROBLEM

 

AFD faced three situations calling for a change. First, their core order tracking system needed significant upgrades and did not have the required capabilities. Second, the company wanted to add a web portal to support clients, present their wide range of showcases, and allow online ordering. Third, the company wanted a new, modernized system to automate processes, track inventory and assist in these transitions.

 

TASK

 

In looking for a replacement system, AFD reached out to many vendors to offer alternative approaches for modernizing their system. A key requirement was having up-to-the minute inventory control over multiple warehouses and active venues at any given time. In addition, since the company offers rentals not final sales, the company required a sophisticated inventory forecasting system to know the availability of every case for many months in advance.

 

The primary task was for Kyo Logic to develop a design for this tracking system in conjunction with AFD leadership. The business requirements were very detailed and precise reflecting the century of experience that AFD has in this business. In addition, Kyo Logic planned the design interface for a customer portal that would allow clients to handle orders online. Given the detailed logistics associated with this nationally scoped rental system, the integration requirements were extreme.

 

Finally, AFD wanted a control system to support hundreds of clients while onsite at a show. Technicians are texted a link to the service ticket (this step supports multiple languages, so these texts are sent in the technician’s primary language). The technicians can then update the status of the ticket and even add notes in their web browser.

The most recent addition is the ability for AFD customers to design their both layout through the web portal. Booth designs are sent to the AFD support team with detailed instructions on exactly where each case should go in the booth. This negates the need for hand-written layout designs and removes the guesswork from the process, saving hundreds of hours.

 

PROCESS

 

Kyo Logic worked closely with AFD to plan the new system and then built the core order processing system. This work included a multi-member development team working in Claris FileMaker in addition to integrating with other vendors such as payment processing banks, and other accounting systems. The initial system was developed in conjunction with the customer web portal. By business necessity, the system went live quite early in the process and led to a lot of learning on demand as process requirements emerged. Kyo Logic worked very closely with AFD during this period and continuously managed to improve timeliness of reporting and access to real-time statistics about case availability.

 

RESULTS

 

The new system now handles all elements of the case rental business. The web portal handles a third of all orders and the system works in a reliable and timely manner in a very high volume environment. The cloud-based system is available 24/7 and operates anywhere across the nation. A challenge has been the quality of wireless service at live conferences and shows. Kyo Logic continues to work with AFD to identify solutions to this essential wireless problem at shows. 

 

Currently, the company is having record rentals and the integrated operating environment has allowed the company to operate with a lean staff while maximizing utilization of its case inventory. Not only can the company forecast demand by case type for future shows, but it can also forecast inter-warehouse transfers. In addition, warehouse schedules are displayed on large monitors allowing staff to manage loading priorities. All this happens in a mostly paperless environment.

 

 

Plowshare

Posted on by Kyo Logic

Plowshare

Location
Nationwide
Time Frame
20+ Years
Industry
Media & Communications
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Overview

Plowshare, a subsidiary of Publicis, is a media placement & communications agency . What makes them special isn’t just their offerings, it’s their clients. Plowshare works exclusively with the federal government and nonprofits, seeking out and supporting clients that work to drive social good and meaningful change. They’ve worked with dozens of impactful clients, including the Wounded Warrior Project, Girl Scouts of USA, March of Dimes, The US Marines, and the Special Olympics.

The Challenge

For the past 20+ years, Plowshare have worked tirelessly to get their clients ad time for a fraction of the traditional cost. This meant either leveraging the cause and finding broadcasting networks that wanted to champion that particular nonprofit, or finding blocks of unpurchased ad space and negotiating a reduced or a free “donated” rate.
Given the nature of the clients, stretching media budgets is crucial . And in instances where it isn’t, money saved on marketing and ad purchases can be used for great causes elsewhere. While Plowshare had found tremendous success with their current processes and models, there were opportunities to optimize data sets– media monitoring, campaign tracking, and data analysis services would provide more value for client’s media budgets. Furthermore, it would mean lower overall costs, higher efficiency, and faster results. While Plowshare recognized the benefits of implementing these practices, they didn’t have a path forward with their current toolset and infrastructure.

The Task

Plowshare contacted us to see how customized tools could help streamline and optimize their media monitoring & campaign performance measurement processes. New technology is critical in their space, and any kind of new offerings, particularly in tracking ad placements, would give them an edge.

Our Process

We worked very closely with internal teams to identify needs, pain points, and potential blind spots. Over the course of development, we shared progress with the Plowshare team to allow them the opportunity to give input and redefine goals as needed. This iterative process allowed them to continuously shape the direction of the project as new needs were identified.

Impact

Not only were we able to streamline their processes, we created a new system that automated virtually all of their back-office performance reporting & campaign tracking work synchronizing fresh data to the web on a weekly basis. On top of this, it allowed clients real-time access to previously unavailable data. This powerful system ensured that their clients were always receiving up-to-date reporting on the success of their resources. This system was, in part, what led them to be acquired by the media giant Publicis in 2017.The system continues to be used to this day and is a backbone of their offering.

Real-Time Access

to campaign results data

Full Automated

web synchronization

Company Success

purchased by Publicis in 2017

Plowshare Group was only successful because of the technology tools Kyo Logic developed. In our industry, we need to keep up with the times, report live, and constantly develop things no one else is doing. Our biggest clients have stayed with us because we have maintained this standard.

Tom Derreaux
Executive Vice President, Plowshare

Haccah

Posted on by Kyo Logic

Haccah

Location
Nationwide
Time Frame
6 Months
Industry
Education
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Overview

Haccah provides testing, analysis, and organization applications for professional psychology, therapy, and psychiatry practices. Their testing, typically behavioral testing, is administered to end patients by teachers, agencies, or psychologists.
Haccah’s application gathers these tests and assesses the applicants against specific diagnoses, analyzing them in large data sets and ultimately producing an output with detailed feedback.
Haccah uses a central FileMaker system to store test results and assess patients against specific diagnoses. The system leverages large data sets to produce test outputs with detailed feedback.
This application supports several hundred tests that cover a broad range of behavioral testing, including psychological, academic, medical, and more.

The Challenge

Haccah’s clients needed additional utility from the platform: More tests, forms, and responses. Unfortunately, the system was not designed for such an expansive suite of options and ran slowly.
The application itself took several minutes to open. It would often freeze during use and be prone to crashing. Clients expressed concern about the application’s performance: the content was valuable, but the system needed a revamp.
Haccah considered replacing the entire system at a significant cost and major disruption to their business. The system incorporated thousands of hours of accumulated knowledge and expertise and had significant business value if saved.

The Task

Before creating a new system from scratch, Haccah tasked Kyo Logic with reviewing and, if possible, overhauling the existing platform to improve performance and preserve their valuable data.

Our Process

Kyo Logic’s initial analysis showed that the existing system structure incorporated too many internal dependencies for Haccah’s older FileMaker system to handle at scale. Every change in the system caused a cascade of internal recalculations amounting to tens of thousands of real-time updates. These recalculations created major performance bottlenecks.
Luckily, fixing the internal dependencies would cost a fraction of replacing the entire system and could be completed in a few hundred hours of work. After demonstrating how dependency fixes could reduce load time from minutes to seconds, the Kyo Logic team worked on 4 – 5 high-impact change areas.
The focus was first to tackle the most used sections of the application. This process showed immediate results and improved the application to a point where results were apparent internally and with end clients.

Impact

 
With the recommended changes, the time to output final reports was reduced from 7 minutes to 17 seconds – a 1400x improvement. The time to open the application was reduced from over 1.5 minutes to 5 seconds.
 
Haccah saved their application and core business at a fraction of the cost of developing a new database application.
 
Working with a skilled internal team allowed Haccah to make required large-scale changes rapidly. Significant impact was experienced quickly by focusing on the most trafficked areas first.
 
Moving forward, the Kyo team looks forward to optimizing Haccah’s system and leveraging the power of Claris’ newer suite of tools to offer even more powerful functionality, ease of use, and value.

1400x Speed Increase

7 minutes to 17 seconds

1.5 Minutes to 5 Seconds

Time Taken to Open Application

6 Months Training

From Project Start to Launch

I don’t know of another program that can integrate quite like FileMaker does.

Kyo is very pleasant to deal with, listens well and communicates at a level that meets each person’s (client’s users) level of understanding.

Dr. James R. Harrison
Clinical Director

OceanX

Posted on by Kyo Logic

OceanX

Location
Worldwide
Time Frame
4 Years
Industry
Marine Science
Contact Us

Overview

 
OceanX is a nonprofit organization with an admirable mission: explore the world’s oceans, and bring their findings back to the world. Of course, this incredibly talented teams working both on the mainland and in vessels. Their OceanXplorer is one of the most advanced marine vessels ever constructed, equipped with cutting-edge research and multimedia equipment. Among other accomplishments, OceanX was the first to explore the deep Antarctic sea, the first to film a giant squid in the deep, and their crew discovered the Galapagos catshark.
 

The Challenge

 
The OceanXplorer is an advanced science vessel crewed by incredibly talented people doing very important research. However, this research effectively mandates the crew be isolated hundreds of miles into the ocean, far away from their fellow OceanX teammates… and just as far away from a reliable internet signal. The OceanXplorer needed to be able to send critical information back to home base. Just as importantly, the servers on the vessel and the servers at headquarters needed to have their data synced.
 

The Task

 
Develop a sophisticated application that collects and manages vital logistics information on land and synchronizes this information with an identical system collecting real-time information at sea. Capture this information and allow the two systems to synchronize their data via satellite. Deploy this system in a manner that the ship’s crew could manage communication with minimal effort and complete accuracy.
 

Our Process

 
Through a detailed, collaborative process, Kyo Logic developed a method to accurately sync the two servers using native Claris FileMaker technology— near real-time ship to shore communication via satellite. It was critically important that the Kyo Logic team gain a deep understanding of the needs of the OceanX team and visiting scientists. This knowledge allowed Kyo Logic to build a platform that addressed all of OceanX’s needs.
 
Claris FileMaker’s flexibility and raw power allowed Kyo Logic to create a system that made the syncing of these remote servers virtually seamless. You can learn more about how Kyo Logic harnessed the power of Claris’s FileMaker to solve this problem in the video below.

Impact

We were able to create the world’s-first custom solution that could ensure everyone was working within the same information, even when the OceanXplorer was out of internet range. While we can’t share the details of how the system operates, it’s been able to save employees hundreds of hours, minimize risk, and ensure accuracy. It’s all thanks to the power of one custom application.

90% Increase

in reporting accuracy

100s of Hours

saved on work processes

Synchronized Data

across thousands of sea miles 

We needed to organize our information and data to run our operations in a more effective way. We now spend less time working on specific tasks and our operations and communication are more efficient. Kyo Logic was excellent with their level of flexibility and support, and their response times have been great. This felt like a real partnership.

Vincent Pieribone
Vice Chairman