SACO Tunes Up Its BI Program With WebFOCUS

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Oct 5, 2011) - Information Builders, an independent leader in business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced that Saudi Arabian Company for Hardware (SACO), a pioneer in the hardware retail and wholesale business, has standardized on Information Builders' WebFOCUS BI platform. WebFOCUS will allow SACO to gain insight into business metrics and automate key processes throughout the company, from managing inventory, pricing, and product information changes to fine-tuning promotions, marketing campaigns, and merchandising strategies.

Like many companies in the highly competitive retail sector, rapid expansion led SACO to obtain better and timelier information about such critical operations as inventory, sales, purchasing, and human resources. Management wanted a BI system that would not only let them report on enterprise resource planning (ERP) and point-of-sale (POS) information, but also send alerts and trigger events when important thresholds were reached, such as automatically replenishing inventory or notifying the CEO if sales dipped below a certain point. SACO selected WebFOCUS because, in addition to having solid reporting and dashboard technology, it allows them to automate many analytic decisions, workflows, and approval processes.

"I was most impressed by the functionality of the reports, the automatic alerts, and the information-distribution capabilities of the WebFOCUS BI environment," said Raed Ayyoub, chief executive officer at SACO. "We can count on WebFOCUS to send us updates about stock levels, sales volume, and staffing needs so we can quickly identify and fix problems. We didn't need to add more data or build a data warehouse; WebFOCUS makes use of the data we already have to help us make informed decisions in real time. At this point in our organization's growth, that's invaluable."

SACO managers in each department used to spend days studying printed reports to identify metrics, such as the progress of sales, inventories received, margins, and monthly and yearly comparisons. Now they can visualize the information through parameterized reports that let them sort, summarize, visualize, and drill down into the data. If a user chooses to have the data presented by vendor, for instance, he or she can drill down all the way to the SKU number to identify individual products.

WebFOCUS reports and dashboards use Adobe Flex graphics to present SACO's ERP and POS data in an engaging, interactive way. The ability to view the data in this fashion helps SACO plan for peak periods and to properly allocate staff and resources among its 20 retail locations, reducing overall labor costs by as much as seven percent. The BI system also alerts designated personnel when important thresholds are met. When the sale figures for a certain item drops below a certain amount, for instance, WebFOCUS automatically sends a report to the buyer in charge of that item.

"The future of business intelligence isn't just about better reporting," pointed out Gerald D. Cohen, president and CEO of Information Builders. "It's about initiating workflows, creating actionable business processes, and obtaining real-time insight into inventory, staffing needs, profitability, and dozens of other metrics. SACO uses BI technology to keep its finger on the pulse of a complex retail business."

About SACO
SACO is a pioneer in the hardware retail and wholesale business, the largest total-solution home improvement superstore in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Established in 1985, SACO now represents the most innovative company in its field throughout the Kingdom. As an authorized dealer for Ace Hardware, SACO has the buying power to import the best quality merchandise from all over the world. Currently, there are 20 SACO retail outlets in twelve cities throughout the kingdom, with more than 45,000 different products on display extended on 2,500 to 11,500 square meters store space, with 13 dedicated specialized departments. In addition, wholesale offices are supported by professional salespeople offering comprehensive services and delivering items directly to customers.

About Information Builders
Information Builders provides software and services that bring smarter decision-making and streamlined processes to leading organizations in business, government, and education worldwide. The company's software is installed in tens of thousands of locations, servicing millions of users. Its WebFOCUS business intelligence (BI) platform delivers massively scalable information applications, analytics, and customer-facing portals to the new generation of information users to deliver game-changing business results. Its iWay Software integration platform allows enterprises to leverage all of their information resources to streamline internal and business-to-business processes while escalating the overall accessibility and integrity of information regardless of environmental complexity. Headquartered in New York City with 60 offices worldwide, the company employs 1,350 people and has established significant industry partnerships. Visit Information Builders at informationbuilders.com. For ongoing news, go to informationbuilders.com/new or follow Information Builders at @infobldrs.