A paper products company’s new, consumer-friendly eCommerce store provides custom orders to consumers online.

Distinct Packaging

www.distinctpackaging.com

Distinct Packaging is a new, direct-to-consumer business unit of one of the world’s largest pulp, paper, packaging and plywood manufacturers and distributors, offering small-quantity custom packaging products direct to individuals and businesses. Distinct Packaging wanted to leverage the parent company’s existing eCommerce platform to create a new, consumer-friendly B2C store, while sharing back-end data and keeping some assets separate from the B2B side.

With the help of Sirius’ Commerce practice, Distinct Packaging implemented IBM® WebSphere® Commerce as the foundation for its online presence. WebSphere Commerce is integrated with WebSphere Application Server (WAS) and Db2® on the back end, and with the client’s JD Edwards® EnterpriseOne® Fulfillment Management for fulfilling orders. The solution is being hosted by Sirius Managed Services, reducing resource overhead for the client, and ensuring around-the-clock maintenance and administration support.

Because the back-end infrastructure is already in place, Distinct Packaging can enhance or roll out new sites and incorporate different vendors’ and partners’ functionality quickly and efficiently. Sirius had worked on Distinct Packaging’s sister companies’ B2B sites, which were also built using WebSphere Commerce integrated with Db2 and WAS. As a result, resources could be shared between the organizations to further speed deployment. And since the sister companies share the same eCommerce platforms, back-end infrastructure and database, it would be faster and easier to integrate some of the custom packaging and other functionality into their platform.

Distinct Packaging was launched in 2017 to build a direct-to-consumer model that would complement the parent organization’s historical B2B focus. The primary channel for that effort would be a dynamic eCommerce site offering direct ordering of low-volume, customized packaging.

With the help of Sirius’ Commerce practice, Distinct Packaging implemented IBM WebSphere Commerce as the foundation for its online presence. WebSphere Commerce is integrated with WebSphere Application Server (WAS) and Db2 on the back end, and with the client’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Fulfillment Management for fulfilling orders.

The initial roll-out was an online custom packaging service that lets customers design and order small runs of customized shipping and product-packaging products, at prices that are competitive with traditional print packaging that requires much larger print runs. After the initial roll-out, Distinct Packaging continued to work with Sirius to improve usability, features and functionality of the website by monitoring site performance and customer feedback.

The custom packaging site uses iframes to integrate a third-party design and production software with the WebSphere Commerce platform, allowing customers to design small-batch packaging complete with their own designs, logos, etc. An iframe portlet leverages all the functionality of the WebSphere Commerce platform, then integrates it with the mid-level print platform through API calls.

The site is hosted by Sirius’ Managed Services practice, on IBM Power Systems™ servers running AIX®. Sirius Managed Services provides cost-effective 24x7x365 administration and management to ensure maximum performance and availability for business-critical workloads, managed through its state-of-the-art Command Centers in Omaha, NE, Raleigh, NC and Chennai, India.

Basing their Web platform on WebSphere Commerce ensures that Distinct Packaging can enhance or roll out new sites and incorporate different vendors’ and partners’ functionality quickly and efficiently, because the back-end infrastructure is already in place.

Because Sirius has a history working with Distinct Packaging’s sister companies’ B2B sites, which were also built using WebSphere Commerce integrated with Db2 and WebSphere Application Server, resources can be shared between Sirius and the client to further speed deployment.

Similarly, since the sister companies share the same eCommerce platforms, back-end infrastructure and database, it will be faster and easier to integrate some of the custom packaging and other functionality into their platform than it would be if working from scratch.

Finally, because the solution is being hosted by Sirius Managed Services, it reduces resource overhead for the client, and ensures around-the-clock maintenance and administration support.