The integration of systems as a strategy for business optimization

Raúl Chopitea, Lantek Product Manager

With an integral software solution for all processes like the Lantek Integra ERP, these needs are intrinsically covered. But it’s common to encounter scenarios where we have to integrate a piece of specialized software for the sheet metal or profile production process, like Lantek MES, into an existing software ecosystem, and for it all to work as if it were one.

In this article, we’ll discuss the different keys that define a software system integration project.

Defining the integration objectives

It’s important to define the objectives that we want to achieve when connecting two software systems, and to identify which business areas can benefit, and even be reorganized, with this process. Normally, the aim is to impact the processes where having accurate, consistent data, with a certain simultaneity, is critical or those that involve excessive manual work (and are more prone to errors) if managed in a disconnected way.

It’s also important to determine which system will act as master for each of the areas to be integrated, the frequency in communications, and the speed required for transferring this information, so that both systems can react appropriately to the peculiarities of the productive ecosystem.

The most common areas of integration are:

• Integration of production needs, where all of the information related to production orders (properties of the parts to be produced, manufacturing route, planned dates, etc.) is transferred between both systems. And it is even updated afterwards, as the master system re-plans its requirements. This integration, inversely, will notify about parts produced (along with possible losses), raw material or machine consumption, batch numbers of material used, along with other relevant information obtained from the validations of each process.
• Integration of inventory, where the stock of raw material (sheet metal, profiles) is kept synchronized, so that it can be used and the production process can be traced, as well as to account for subsequent variations.
• Integration of quoting, where a process as specialized as the calculation of prices based on sheet metal or profile production processes is integrated with a general-purpose CRM and far removed from all this complexity.

Selecting the most suitable technology

When connecting two software systems, we can opt for different integration technologies. Traditionally, it’s been very common to use files to exchange information between systems, but it’s now becoming increasingly common to encounter systems capable of integrating using service APIs, which can make the level of complexity faced with the integration process somewhat higher. One challenge common to both cases is a translation of the language in which each system manages each of the entities that will be involved in communication.

Next, we will try to explain how suitable each of them are, depending on the scenario:

File Exchange

Given how easy it is to define, generate and implement these exchanges, they are normally used in integration processes requiring a quick impact at a relatively low cost. This method is also designed for processes where the simultaneity in real time of the data exchange is not so critical, or where the batches of information to be processed between both systems are particularly large.

However, this mode of communication makes it somewhat difficult to manage and resolve any events or errors that may occur, given its asynchronous nature.

Service API

Suited to more advanced software environments, where each system can publish its functionality using specific service interfaces, through which they are able to establish a synchronous and real-time dialogue to exchange information and events, and subsequently react to them. Through this dialog, we can manage, for example, the gathering or ad-hoc calculation of certain data, processing requests, reattempts at previous failed communications and monitor the status of certain specific elements, etc. One great advantage of this synchronous communication is knowing, in real time, the result of the communications, and therefore being able to manage successful or erroneous situations accordingly, a determining characteristic in some scenarios.

However, this complexity inevitably implies a costlier initial definition and subsequent implementation process, although this investment will be returned in terms of efficiency in the medium term.

Choosing a partner with experience

Lantek has always opted for an open-systems approach to interoperability, offering flexible technology in order to integrate and adapt to any scenario. To do this, we have extensive experience in the definition of architectures, and implementation, for this type of integration projects, advising our clients on the best solution for them, depending on their objectives and software ecosystem.

Summary/ Key points

When connecting two software systems, it’s key to define the objectives to be achieved and identify which business areas can benefit, and even be reorganized

Lantek has always opted for an open-systems approach to interoperability, offering flexible technology in order to integrate and adapt to any scenario.