Tight margins and intense pressure from competitors are fundamental aspects of wholesale and retail business. Investments in IT systems are closely related to maintaining a competitive edge. That’s why solutions are needed that improve processes, cut costs and increase earnings. Two primary features of centralized and standardized IT services are server-based computing and desktop virtualization with thin clients. This lean approach allows employees to always access the same desktop, no matter whether they happen to be in the company headquarter, branch offices or even in their home offices. With solutions developed by IGEL, work sessions can even be transferred from one workstation to another without having to restart the applications each time. But that’s not all: Thin clients can cut power consumption by up to 51%, save money and help protect the environment through less use of materials, less transport and less electronic waste (e-waste).
Industry Leaflet: Challenges in wholesale and retail business »
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Customer Stories - Wholesale and retail business Allied Carpets (UK)
Allied Carpets fits IGEL thin clients in 222 stores across the UK.
Allied Carpets is the UK’s best known name in flooring and has had a
reputation for providing quality carpets from leading manufacturers for
the past 50 years. With 220 stores, Allied Carpets and the Scottish
General George stores are a division of Tapis Saint Maclou, Europe’s
largest carpet retailer.
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A.T.U Auto-Teile-Unger (Germany)
A.T.U Auto-Teile-Unger (Unger Auto Parts) is bringing its IT infrastructure into line with its rapid increase in retail stores by migrating to a scalable server-based computing infrastructure with IGEL Thin Clients.
Since its founding in 1985, A.T.U. has experienced steady growth. In its over 600 stores, its modern distribution centers and its company headquarters in Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Germany (Upper Palatinate, Bavarian area, not far from the Czech Republic) this international company now employees over 14,000 persons. Its well-integrated and innovative business model with “transparent workshops” allowed A.T.U to achieve sales in 2006 of 1.4 billion euro. As part of its expansion throughout Europe, the company plans to have over 1,000 stores by 2013. Yet without an economical and scalable IT infrastructure, this goal would be unrealistic. That’s why A.T.U. has been migrating step-by-step to server-based computing with thin clients.
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Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany)
IGEL helps to win the game.
For the first time the new BORUSSIA PARK brings all the parts of Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach GmbH together in one place. Apart from the imposing stadium, the 210,000 square metre club site is home to a museum, a sports bar, a fan shop and, last but not least, extensive training facilities. The club’s administration department used the change of site to undertake a radical upgrade to the IT infrastructure. With the introduction of thin client workstations the economic viability, availability and security of the IT environment could all be improved.
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CSK Auto Parts (USA)
IGEL Technology Keeps CSK Auto Parts’ Engine Revving.
Every successful company in the retail industry thrives as a result of its ability to focus on growth and maintain an excellent standard among its network of employees. Phoenix-based CSK Auto Parts is no different. The company is one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive parts and accessories in the Western United States and one of the largest such retailers in the country, with three companies and 3,000 locations in 25 states.
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Eugen Trost (Germany)
Re-engineering NetVista.
Car parts supplier Trost is updating its IBM NetVista terminals with IGEL upgrades. Compatible with the IBM firmware, the IGEL Compact Flash upgrades will ensure the continued operation of the NetVista 2800 terminals, at the same time bringing stunning pluses by way of extra connectivity and functionality.
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Pearle Europe (Netherlands)
Daylight in the terminal jungle.
In the course of a comprehensive replacement project, Dutch IT service company Tweco IT equipped around 400 optician’s shops with IGEL Thin Clients. The new machines act inter alia as graphic info-stations, and thanks to their high connectivity replaced a major part of the heterogeneous terminal landscape.
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Bruynzeel Keukens (Netherlands)
Bruynzeel Keukens speeds up operation with IGEL.
Bruynzeel Keukens is the largest supplier of kitchens in the Benelux region. It produces kitchens under its own brand and sells them both in the business and the private market. Bruynzeel has approximately thirty shops In the Netherlands and Belgium, which can be distinguished into five large stores with a back office of their own, and a series of smaller shops. In addition, the kitchen producer has approximately thirty representatives who cater for the project market.
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Les Schwab (USA)
U.S. tire dealer optimizes its IT environment with Linux-based clients from IGEL.
Customer service is a priority at Les Schwab. 'Our store employees greet their customers outside, even before they get out of their cars.' This is the image Rod Williams uses to describe the successful Les Schwab philosophy that turned the company, which was established in 1952 in Prineville, Oregon, into the largest independent tire dealer in the United States. Williams, IT Administrator at Les Schwab, is responsible for system integration and iSeries. Not an easy job in a rapidly growing organization with more than 300 stores and 83 partner branches!
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Chico’s (USA)
IGEL Helps Chico’s Reduce Total Cost of Ownership With Style.
Ask any woman about her favorite fashion retailer, and she will most likely mention Chico’s, a Fort Myers (Fla.)- based woman’s clothing designer and retailer. The company prides itself on building a complete wardrobe to suit its customers’ needs. In similar fashion, it is also implementing IGEL 364 LX Series technology to better suit its warehouse and call center employees’ needs.
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Mark’s Work Wearhouse (Canada)
Linux brings down TCO across Mark’s by 50% and reduces time and cost of store openings by 30%.
IGEL Technology, the world’s leading manufacturer of Linux-based thin clients, has provided Mark’s Work Wearhouse with several enterprise-wide solutions based on IGEL Embedded Flash Linux, including new IGEL thin client terminals, upgrade kits for Mark’s existing IBM NetVista 2800 thin client equipment and IGEL IDE thin client cards for PC based platforms. All IGEL hardware and software solutions for Mark’s were supplied by IGEL Advantage Premier Partner, Computer Products Corporation (CPC).
