Finning

Finning Canada is the largest dealer of Caterpillar equipment in the world, servicing huge industries like construction, forestry, mining, and oil. The Edmonton warehouse is sizable, using four VLMs from Kardex to store parts.

ItemPath's API drives communication from their ERP to PowerPick, and the Data Push app returns all PowerPick transactions back to their ERP. Customized Reports in ItemPath give quick access to view and filter through all that data and catch errors. It's worked so well that they're implementing the same system in their newest warehouse, with Kardex's new VBMs.

It's important that the records in Finning's software are always synced up with PowerPick. They're already using API in other applications, so using ItemPath's API tool for this integration just makes sense. It's a common refrain as companies increase automation.

When something is processed in PowerPick, middleware is needed to make the API request. ItemPath's Data Push app is designed to do just that, polling PowerPick to get new transactions that haven't been sent yet, and passing them on, with the data mapped out to match what's in their ERP.

The ItemPath API and the Data Push app log all actions and calls. With Finning, this gives them the security and peace of mind that data is being sent successfully. If issues do come up with mapping, networking, or validation, Finning has the tools they need to debug and troubleshoot quickly, saving on maintenance costs.

In the case of an error sending from Data Push, ItemPath stores the records that failed to send so they can be tried again, and using an ItemPath error report, a workflow gets triggered to notify the right people about the error.

With so much processing happening on a daily basis, Finning's history records in PowerPick are understandably significant. They were using the standard PowerPick history list, but as it was so long and needed to be loaded in its entirety, it would take too long to render.

ItemPath's custom reporting tool allows Finning to load history records on demand when they're needed, a page at a time. With the ability to filter and sort the data, they can quickly find the information they need, and it's accessible from anywhere (with a VPN connection, since ItemPath is installed on- premise), without a PowerPick client or user login. These reports can also be exported as Excel or CSV files for further analysis.

Error logs can also be reported on, so nothing gets missed. It's easy to filter and sort through error messages and when they were sent, which helps diagnose where along the pipeline the problem occurred.

API integration is an elegant solution.

• Secure calls between systems
• Debug and troubleshoot quickly
• Accurate error reporting
• Rapid syncing with PowerPick
• Modernize and automate systems

The team at Finning speaks highly of ItemPath's support team. "I had several questions and clarity was very much appreciated," says Brad Jensen, Finning's Global Application Manager. "They were able to support and configure locally, follow instructions, and give timely responses to issues."

An extra Service Level Agreement provides Finning with the peace of mind that ItemPath's support team is there to help whenever they need it.

Finning is growing!

Finning has 3 locations which are actively using Itempath on a daily basis. They all host different environments which allow for extensive testing and quality assurance. Updates happen within minutes which helps to keep the downtime to a minimum.

Edmonton Location 

10,000+ orders / week
8 VLMs
*New!* Third warehouse


*New!* Kamloops Location
Two warehouses
First in Canada to use VBMs with PowerPick

Quickly detect errors

ItemPath keeps itemized logs of errors of all kinds! These can be looked up on the general logs page, in the logs tab in Data Push, or within reports. Log reports can be used to automatically trigger notifications or resend failed transactions.

These are some errors you may encounter:

• PowerPick server timeouts
• Invalid API calls
• Duplicates
• System errors

Detailed logging is key to diagnosing issues at any point within an integration. Plus, ItemPath keeps tabs on system errors to swiftly fix any bugs that come up.