Manual Flat-File Uploads
Orders moved from Kerridge K8 Babbage into Descartes through flat files that staff prepared and uploaded by hand, adding a manual step to every planning cycle.
SIG Replaces Manual Flat-File Uploads
with SnapLogic Order-to-Delivery Automation
About Our Client
SIG is a leading European distributor of specialist building products, supplying insulation, exteriors and interiors to the construction sector. The company operates trading sites across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe and employs just over 9,000 people.
For a distributor operating at this scale, every customer order must reach the right vehicle on the right day. That makes the link between order management and delivery planning a core part of daily operations, not a back-office detail.
Business Objective
SIG managed orders in the Kerridge K8 Babbage ERP, planned delivery routes in Descartes Route Planner On Demand, and drivers worked from Descartes Mobile Link. These systems were connected by manual file transfers rather than live integration.
SIG wanted a reliable, automated flow from order to delivery. Orders needed to reach route planners while the data was still current, planned routes needed to return to the ERP in time for picking and loading, and proof of delivery needed to be recorded against each order without anyone re-keying it.
Key Integration Tasks
- Replace manual flat-file uploads with web service calls between Kerridge K8 Babbage and Descartes Route Planner On Demand.
- Design and build three interfaces covering orders out, planned routes back, and electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) in.
- Map 58 order fields outbound to Descartes and 12 route fields back into Babbage.
- Add line-level validation and a data quality review path for orders missing weight or volume.
- Run the integration on a SnapLogic Groundplex hosted on Microsoft Azure.
Industry
E-commerce/Retail
Platform
SnapLogic
Service
SnapLogic Integration, ERP Integration
Nick Owen
CTO
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Challenges
Whole-File Rejections
A single bad line caused Descartes to reject the entire file. One incorrect record could hold back every other order in the same upload.
Stale Order Data
New orders, changes, and cancellations made between uploads did not reach route planning in time, so planners often worked from data that was already out of date.
Planner Time Lost to Data Fixes
Planners spent hours correcting order data instead of managing fleet capacity and building efficient delivery routes.
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SnapLogic Pipelines on an Azure Groundplex
NeosAlpha built the integration on a SnapLogic Groundplex hosted on Microsoft Azure, orchestrated by the SnapLogic control plane over secure HTTPS. Web service calls replaced flat files as the way data moves between SIG's systems.
Orders Out: GetDeliveryShipments
Triggered whenever an order changes, this interface picks up new, changed, and canceled orders in Kerridge K8 Babbage. SnapLogic extracts, checks, and transforms each order, then calls the Descartes Shipment SOAP web service to create, update, or delete it in Route Planner On Demand.
Planned Routes Back: PlaceDropSequence
Every 10 minutes during trading hours, SnapLogic retrieves the day's routes from Descartes through a Winterface HTTPS export in CSV format. Only frozen (locked) routes pass through, so Babbage receives drop sequences that planners have already confirmed, ready for picking and loading.
Proof of Delivery In: PlaceProofOfDelivery
When a driver completes a stop in Descartes Mobile Link, the wireless gateway (wGLN) posts an MLW XML message to a SnapLogic listener. The pipeline decodes the status, signature and photo data for each stop and records proof of delivery against the order in Babbage.
Data Quality Built into the Flow
Our developers added line-level validation, so one bad record never blocks a whole load. Orders missing weight or volume are routed to a data quality review instead of reaching route planners with incomplete details.
Results
Three Interfaces Automated End to End
Orders, planned routes and proof of delivery now move between Kerridge K8 Babbage and Descartes without manual handling.
Route Sync Every 10 Minutes
Confirmed routes flow back into the ERP on a 10-minute cycle, seven days a week, keeping picking and loading aligned with the latest plan.
70 Data Fields Mapped
58 outbound order fields and 12 inbound route fields are mapped consistently between the ERP and the routing platform.
Zero Manual Flat-File Uploads
Since go-live, SIG no longer prepares or uploads flat files by hand to get orders into route planning.
One Bad Record No Longer Blocks a Load
Line-level validation isolates individual errors, and orders with missing weight or volume are caught before they reach planners.
Technology Stack
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