British midrange specialist Proximity has won a big logistics industry award with an IBM i-based cloud solution.
At the SHD Logistics annual awards dinner last week, Proximity scooped the top spot in the magazine/website’s innovation technology category. The Leeds-headquartered firm won the accolade for its work with children’s’ bed manufacturer Scandinavian House, based in Shipley, Yorkshire.
Proximity’s logistics solution, STREAM, was originally developed three years ago in response to Scandinavian House’s need for an online order and transport management system. Since then, it has sold the application to a number of companies.
STREAM is primarily a web-based cloud solution running on Power i with a mobile app for drivers. However, Proximity has also delivered it as an on premise package integrated with ERP apps like Infor LX.
Proximity managing director Dave Pickburn and Scandinavian House directors Anne and Dan Ridgway collected the award from comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan at the ceremony in London’s Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square (pictured).
Pickburn said: “We are delighted to have won this prestigious award. STREAM has been developed by Proximity over the past three years using PHP. The application shows just how flexible, powerful and open the IBM i can be for developing highly innovative and modern software applications.
“These are exciting times for STREAM, as we have also recently become Zend business partners and launched an integration with Brightpearl, a leading multi-channel retail platform to provide a complete end-to-end retail and delivery management solution.”
Scandinavian House’s Anne Ridgway said: “STREAM has become an integral part of our business, enabling us to expand capacity significantly and operate more efficiently. It has given us the ability to be in complete control of customer orders and ultimately provide a much better customer service”.
Proximity faced some stiff competition for the award including a project by Argos with the mighty Paragon.
Peter MacLeod, editor of SHD Logistics, said: “I congratulate Proximity and Scandinavian House – very deserving winners. Following the implementation of STREAM, Scandinavian House saw a 60% reduction in call volumes and cost and has the ability to expand its business without further headcount and boasts effective communication for customers and partners.”