Nomination Alfa-Ermes, a flexible solution for automating the entire shipping process

The challenge

For a company that handles a large volume of shipments, effectively managing relationships with couriers is crucial to gaining a competitive advantage and guaranteeing a high level of service to its customers. The entire shipment process is very time-consuming, requiring the operator to manually enter a large amount of data, but modern technology can automate it.

Nomination, a well-known Italian jewelry company, handles an average of 9,000 shipments per month, with peaks of up to 19,000 in the busiest months worldwide, in B2B and B2C markets. On top of that, each order requires two separate shipments: one for the actual product and the other for the advertising material, such as the jewelry box.

The aim of the project was to streamline company procedures by eliminating the bureaucracy involved in collecting and verifying couriers’ parcels, allowing operators to focus on higher value activities.

Over the years, Nomination has succeeded in blending the classic and the modern, merging Florence’s goldsmith tradition with technological evolution, to create original products that combine the design, innovation and quality of Made-in-Italy excellence in a fresh, contemporary way. Along this journey, it has forged another successful match: the partnership between Alfa Sistemi and Nomination itself, which has lasted almost a decade and goes far beyond the client-supplier relationship.

The solution

Named after the messenger of the Olympian gods known for his legendary speed, Ermes is a flexible solution that automates the entire shipping process, streamlining and accelerating order management with any courier. Alfa’s team successfully provided the client with a simple and user-friendly solution thanks to the commitment and dedication of IT developers, who managed both the standard and special functions of courier information systems through custom automated processes, while also addressing the client’s specific needs. Alfa Sistemi’s and Nomination’s teams began working together in February , carefully collecting requirements and specifications. This quickly led to a solution that went live in June. Nomination was satisfied from the very beginning, and it immediately appreciated how quickly they were able to manage shipments—enabling them to deliver a better service to their end customers.

The solution is integrated with Oracle JDE E1—currently used by the client—and automatically collects data, streamlines activities for both users and warehouse operators, and improves daily operations and overall efficiency. Ermes automates the process, avoiding the need to re-enter data. Operators only have to select a few commands (destination, type of goods, and shipment method), reducing errors and processing times. Relationships with couriers are greatly simplified thanks to the elimination of the bureaucratic burden of filling in and checking shipping parcels. The solution also supports integrated label printing, enabling full traceability through the entire order cycle.

Key features:

• Native integration with Oracle JD Edwards E1, with flexibility to run in stand-alone mode.
• Simple and intuitive interface with few screens, requiring no specific training.
• Four major couriers are currently supported (Bartolini, UPS, DHL and GLS), others may be added.
• Customization to meet specific client requirements.
• Automated commands that simplify and accelerate shipment management (type of goods, destination, and shipment method).
• Autonomous label printing based on automated process.
• Paperless operations that significantly reduce paper consumption, delivering cost savings and environmental benefits.