Background

Founded in 1888, Bergen Brunswig actually spearheaded some of the first forays into automated operations. It developed its own electronic order entry devices and supportive merchandising systems for its customers. With the strength of this technological commitment and an aggressive growth strategy, it established itself as a recognized leader in its industry. Based in Orange, CA, Bergen Brunswig today claims $22 billion in annualized operating revenues and more than 10,000 employees. Its customers include healthcare providers, drug stores, manufacturers and patients worldwide. Through its drug company's 30 distribution centers and subsidiaries, Bergen Brunswig provides distribution, logistics, pharmacy management programs, and Internet fulfillment strategies designed to reduce cost and improve patient satisfaction across the healthcare spectrum.

Insight

Although Bergen Brunswig is a leader in supply chain management, it sought the insight of Zinc Solutions to create a scalable alternative to its client-server order entry and fulfillment processes. A new brand and look-and-feel were required to supplement this new application, as well.

Actions

Create a solution. Zinc helped Bergen Brunswig realize its vision by calling upon its strategic branding and information architecture expertise. The fruit of Zinc's effort was InterLinx, an Internet catalog and order entry system that supplements (and may ultimately replace) the company's paper-based and CD-ROM cataloging resources.

Create a new brand. Zinc also conceptualized and developed a brand strategy for InterLinx, including look-and-feel, user interface design, template architecture, programming and implementation.

Collaborate with other vendors. Throughout the project, Zinc worked in collaboration with Bergen Brunswig representatives, an third party consultant and the Sun-Netscape Alliance.

Provide quality assurance. The first release of InterLinx was implemented in six months - on time and on budget. Beta tests were highly successful, triggering a corporate capital investment for complete implementation across 4,000 hospitals and pharmacies across 14 Bergen Brunswig divisions during a six-month period.

Results

Via the Internet, Bergen Brunswig customers now have 24/7 access to real-time product and pricing information, and orders can be place instantaneously from a single Web application. Orders are submitted directly to the company's custom inventory and fulfillment systems, which reside on IBM AS400s.

The immediate benefits of InterLinx are many: improved accuracy of information, product availability data, and cost savings to Bergen Brunswig's Web-ready clients. InterLinx also encourages others to migrate to Web-based ordering.