STARTING SMALL
OenoVaults is a wine cellaring solution for serious collectors in California’s Napa Valley. Teksera was hired to overhaul an aging vendor-based infrastructure
Teksera has worked with this client from the very beginning - and we’re happy to be their partner throughout their journey. Together, we have achieved outstanding results, and it has been a pleasure to watch their business grow.
We approached this project carefully, as it was our very first undertaking of this scale. We studied our client’s business to create a focused and effective solution - and then watched it grow. We loved working with this client, and look forward to collaborating together on many more successful projects in the future.
In 1 year our team completed the turnaround of the technology strategy as the company moved away from an outsourced model to a fully-own custom-built platform that now powers all business from Inbound items processing through warehousing to outbound operations. Through the release and the several subsequent iterations of this fully integrated commerce and operations platform, Oeno Vaults business relies on the new technology to track their clients’ wine inventory using an ERP system, perform scanning and transaction entry on a mobile platform, engage clients on the web, and enable end-users to manage their wines using mobile apps.
OBJECTIVE
OenoVaults contacted Teksera to redesign an internal ERP system for them with a number of customized features. They also needed to modernize their transaction handling method–which involved manual entry into a laptop while using a non-integrated scanner on the wines–to using an iPad with the scanner app built-in and the data fed to the ERP.
OenoVaults also needed a web site that engaged new clients and enabled existing users to research, document and manage their wines. Finally, these same existing clients needed the same ability to manage the wines stored with OenoVaults using their mobile devices.
CHALLENGE HIGHLIGHTS
The client’s legacy ERP system was built on Microsoft Dynamics (no longer supported by Microsoft, this system had its heyday in the 1980s) and was customized and maintained by an outside vendor. As such, it was maintained in the strictest sense of the word and had not been updated in over ten years. With the external vendor no longer involved, Teksera had access to neither the original developers nor any system documentation.
STRATEGY
In designing the new ERP solution, Teksera professionals were able to explore the legacy system and replace all of its original functionality, while extending it with almost infinite customization capabilities. Teksera chose the Beta version of OpenERP 8, the largest open-source software platform to date. Teksera customized the new ERP system to support the unique business needs of a wine cellaring service. Teksera then proceeded to build three additional systems. We built an administration app using mobile technology that was integrated with the ERP system. OenoVaults staff were now able to use an iPad to perform inventory and scanning functions. We built a public website integrated with the ERP system. And we built a mobile app empowering end-users to personally manage the wines they stored in the vault, complete with the ability to upload photos of their wines and follow auction activity on their collection.
RESULTS
The result was a sophisticated cellar inventory management tool designed for all levels of consumers. With direct access to all Oeno Vaults concierge services, consumers experience a seamless transition from the time their wine is ready at the winery to the moment it’s ready for the glass.
No other wine storage facility matches OenoVaults’ combination of almost infinite scalability based on an open-source platform. Off-the-shelf ERP vendor systems, which are commonly used in the industry, are limited to the generic functionality. OenoVaults’ serialized inventory ERP system tracks the owner-to-bottle relationship and is enhanced with the complicated web of business rules that govern the shipment of wine between states.
Oeno Vaults iOS app won several awards including the Best Mobile App Award, category Silver award.