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A-Plant

Verastream boosts productivity and consolidates systems through a flexible web services business model.

Outcomes

+ Rental transactions completed twice as fast
+ Optimum system performance maintained
+ Key new system functionality introduced
+ Platform for future integration and enhancement

Challenge

Modernize a green-screen core business system to enable faster rental transactions and integration with new technology, while maintaining optimum system performance and leveraging existing business processes and source code.

Details

About A-Plant

A-Plant is one of the largest plant, tool, and equipment hire companies in the United Kingdom. This organization is part of a larger company, Ashtead Group Plc, a FTSE 100 company. A-Plant has over 165 service centers in the UK and close to 3,300 employees.

Solution

Micro Focus came along just at the right time and introduced Andy to the capabilities of Verastream Host Integrator. With reuse at its core, Verastream makes legacy applications available to a range of modern devices, without the need to change valuable business processes or source code. A proof-of-concept soon showed A-Plant how a working model of the core business application could be built, and then served up in a Windows environment through web services.

“Verastream Host Integrator was just what we needed. We really didn’t want to risk breaking our backend logic, and with Verastream there was no need for this. We could open our core system up to other applications, modernize our interface, and integrate with newer technology, all whilst building on what we already have.”

Andy Wortley – IT DIRECTOR
A-Plant

The interface modernization reduced a five step rental process to a single screen which means rental transactions can be completed in half the time. New functionality was introduced such as a complex pricing algorithm and route optimization that transport charges dynamically calculate.

A-Plant worked closely with Micro Focus professional services throughout the implementation. 

"The partnership with Micro Focus was really invaluable. We worked on the design of the interface, while Micro Focus helped us with the back-end integration. From our proof-of-concept it only took us 2–3 months for the new version to be in Betatesting, which is a great achievement.”

Andy Wortley – IT DIRECTOR
A-Plant

Results

The project is still in the early stages, but Wortley says the new system has had tremendous feedback already: “Once they see what the Verastream system can do for them, people just want it straightaway. When the roll-out is complete we expect a ramp up in new functionality requests, as the possibilities with it really are endless and your imagination is sparked once you start working with it. Thankfully, the system was built with flexibility in mind and we can see how the integration process can really pick up speed as completed projects become building blocks for new initiatives, so there should be no problem in keeping up with demand.”

Wortley concludes, “This has given us a great productivity boost, both on the IT/development side and the sales side. New recruits need little or no training on the system and are productive straightaway. We can see massive scope and potential for the future and look forward to our continued partnership with Micro Focus.”

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