Mitra Delivers the Next Generation of Tech

TRAVIS PERKINS

With a 200-year history in the construction industry and as the largest distributor of building materials in the UK, the Travis Perkins Group operates over 20 businesses across the UK, including well-known retailers such as Wickes, Tile Giant and Tool Station and owns 19 product brands within these businesses. Headquartered in Northampton, the company has more than 29,000 employees across more than 2,000 branches, stores and sites around the UK.

THE CHALLENGE

In 2016 Travis Perkins reviewed its business strategy with a view to making the most of the company’s unique size and reach. Having been so acquisitive over the years, they were in an excellent position to exploit the Group’s scale to improve efficiency and enhance its customer experience. To fully capitalise on its unique position and realise its strategy, the company needed to make sure that its systems were fit for purpose.

Travis Perkins made the decision to invest in a new enterprise software solution that would help to deliver efficiency to the business and its customers, reduce IT expense and provide the company with real-time data and reports. They needed a middleware expert that could integrate its many co-dependent platforms. After a thorough vendor selection process, Mitra Innovation was selected based on our status as a WSO2 Premier Integration Partner, our team’s extensive skill set, our innovative outlook and reputation for integrity.

As the Head of IT Development at Travis Perkins, I have been truly impressed with the Mitra Innovation team and I am thrilled we chose them as our partner for this important integration project.

Mitra Innovation has brought WSO2 systems integration expertise to Travis Perkins and has enabled existing and new technologies to communicate across our systems.

There is a strong relationship between us, which is bolstered by Mitra’s drive to find innovative solutions and ensure the best result. The determination and commitment of Mitra is enabling us to achieve our goals for delivering the next generation of tech evolution for Travis Perkins.

Chris StoneHead of IT Development, Travis Perkins

THE SOLUTION

Mitra assembled an expert team of 50 integration specialists, software architects, project managers and data specialists for this major project. The multi-skilled team would be responsible for requirements and integration analysis as well as designing, testing, implementing and supporting a scalable middleware WSO2 solution that would evolve in line with the company objectives. The main task was to build targeted, integrated solutions for the Travis Perkins subsidiaries. Mitra has identified and integrated numerous downstream systems so that any changes made to company records automatically update related data sources and their supporting applications. In addition, for the Travis Perkins HR team, work undertaken by Mitra means they now update employee data in one core location, regardless of which part of the business the employee is from, saving time and ensuring a single source of truth.

Bringing Divisions Together

Moving to a trusted Integration Platform (IP) was critical for the success of the project. The move has enabled Travis Perkins to streamline processes across the business, ensuring information integrity, security, high levels of performance and a scalable response to customer driven innovation.

The Bigger Picture

As a large project one of Mitra’s first tasks was to design a roadmap covering how to integrate all Travis Perkins’ disparate systems. This way Mitra could see, and importantly demonstrate to the client, how each discrete integration piece works individually and as part of the larger project.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Mitra brought the Wickes subsidiary into the Travis Perkin’s fold by adding a middleware layer and Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) opening up downstream systems access to product, inventory, location and taxonomy related details. Wickes employees can check product information for customers instantly, providing a faster more joined-up service.

THE RESULT

Mitra has used the WSO2 framework and methodology to provide an integration solution for Travis Perkins’ large family of divisions and brands. The comprehensive business solution contains many different integration scenarios that vary from simple API invocations to complex large file processing and transfer scenarios.

The WSO2 platform, with Mitra’s support, will allow for on-going, demand led innovation and transformation.

BUSINESS BENEFITS

Improved customer service with the use of real-time data  

Increased employee productivity via faster data retrieval and updating of information  

Better business insight with easier access to critical business data  

Seamless migration from legacy to more secure and responsive cloud and hybrid solutions 

Integration of disparate systems via Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)