Case studies and success stories
How does Advantedg work for Bulmers and Magners?
Customer: Cantrell & Cochrane Group
Adaptable field ordering and intelligence
Eight years in the field for Ireland’s C&C Group has demonstrated the impact that the timely availability of field data from EDG systems can have on cashflow. Over this period, the EDG solution has also proved highly adaptable to changes in the business structure and increased information demands.
C&C manufactures cider products, marketed under the Bulmers brand in Ireland and Magners worldwide, and also markets and distributes a range of spirits and liqueurs in Ireland and internationally. Prior to 2007, C&C also manufactured a range of soft drinks under the Club brand and also international brands under licence such as Britvic, Pepsi and 7UP.
The first solution was initially required to replace a paper-based system for two divisions: C&C Wholesale distribution and Finlater Grant wines and spirits, involving 57 field reps calling on pubs, off licences and high street stores. Installed in 2001 using Fujitsu tablets as the handheld terminal, the system provided order recording with additional opportunities to record stock, competitive and promotional details from outlets.
EDG were approached because previous work with Irish Distillers gave a particular insight into the structure of product offering offerings in the wine and spirits trade, for example the linking of different vintage years within the same wine brand. The immediate benefit was speed of recording. The paper system caused at least a three-day lag from an order being placed to delivery at store. With the immediacy of the hand-held system, delivery, invoicing and settlement could be brought forward.
In 2004, the system was extended to cover soft drinks and cider products which C&C were distributing for the Irish market. In addition to equipping field representatives for order taking and reporting, the EDG system was also adapted for use on PDAs by merchandisers responsible for checking stocking of branded fridges. Merchandisers could be fed simple questionnaires on stock level and competitive activity to ensure a steady flow of intelligence from the field.
The flexibility of the EDG system in changing company structures was demonstrated by two developments at C&C. When the decision has taken to employ a contract sales company to handle Finlater Grant business, they retained the same EDG system and were able to supply sales reports in the same way. In a further development in 2007, when the Britvic and soft drinks manufacturing and distribution was taken over by Britivic plc, the EDG field order system was retained by Britvic.
The value of the field intelligence is evident in new developments for Bulmers/Magners Cider, C&C’s lead brand. The Bulmers/Magners on-trade representatives sell only keg product to the on-trade. However, this field force provides valuable intelligence for the rest of the group by reporting on group and competing stock placement and promotional materials displayed. Off-trade representatives cover the full range of packaged product and also gather compliance and promotional information. Questionnaires are put together by head office with the EDG WYSIWYG designer. Because historic data is available to the representative in the field, it is also easier for them to compare situations and spot trends.
There are two great benefits to this for C&C. First, the data is available immediately, as opposed to that from contract research organisations which can take months to compile and distribute. In addition, the data will cover 100% of outlets, which is not always available from other sources, in particular the off-trade. With comprehensive and up to the minute data on activity within outlets, the Bulmers/Magners team are better placed to finetune marketing and promotional activity.
This system is now being further extended to take in data collected in visits to outlets by technical representatives. The company’s drive for quality will be helped by reporting on product quality, taste and temperature. This extension is due for deployment in 2009.
