Client

TIPCO Asphalt Ordering Platform

Industry

Property and Construction

Expertise

Digital Execution

Definition

TIPCO Asphalt Ordering Platform is an asphalt ordering system built on Line for contractors and infrastructure construction work, from highways through to airport runways. SUFFIX developed the ordering system for the B2B business on a platform customers already use daily, connecting via API to the Oracle ERP system that TIPCO Asphalt already uses to remove unnecessary steps.

Objective

Create an easy-to-use product ordering system for TIPCO Asphalt, primarily catering to contractors and construction companies responsible for infrastructure projects such as highways and airport runways.

Outcome

SUFFIX ran UX research, studying the entire ordering process, the related documents, and the issues from the customer side. The team then designed and built an application on Line that cuts ordering steps, covering data for the sales, finance, and delivery teams. The work also included API integration between Line, Oracle ERP, and the other systems TIPCO Asphalt already uses.

Create an easy-to-use product ordering system for TIPCO Asphalt, primarily catering to contractors and construction companies responsible for infrastructure projects such as highways and airport runways.

Process

How did SUFFIX build the ordering system for TIPCO Asphalt?

TIPCO Asphalt already has Oracle ERP in place, but the actual behavior of customers and sales staff is to use Line for communication and ordering. Line is the dominant messaging app in the local market. SUFFIX split the work into two streams. The first was understanding the full asphalt ordering process, from the related documents and ordering steps to the certification documents contractors need to deliver work to government clients. The second was analyzing problems from the customer side and finding ways to cut unnecessary steps.

UX research, understanding the ordering problem before designing

SUFFIX started with user experience research (UX research), gathering issues from every party involved, including contractor customers who want ordering to be simple and fast, sales staff who need complete order information, finance who needs the data to issue documentation, and the delivery team that needs order details to manage shipping. The findings were analyzed and used as the foundation for designing an application on Line that serves every group and is easier to use than the previous process.

API integration between Line and Oracle ERP

The technical challenge on this project was integrating several systems together, including Line as the front-end for customers and sales, Oracle ERP as the back-end system at TIPCO Asphalt, and the other systems the company already uses. SUFFIX built the API integration so that order data from Line flows into Oracle ERP automatically. The sales and finance teams see the data in the system right away, the delivery team gets the shipping details, and everything runs on a platform customers already know without having to learn a new tool.