"I’d say that providing a bridge between platforms, great support and the speed of the connector are key reasons we are very happy with our collaboration so far."

ERP system: Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018
E-commerce platform: Magento 2 Open Source, built by Experius

SKS, a subsidiary of JMA, is a wholesale distributor in the security business. Their customers are locksmiths, key cutters, drycleaners, etc. Whereas JMA manufactures components, SKS distributes key blanks, key machines, locks, door handles, CCTV’s, alarms, security camera’s, etc. The most of their customers are established in The United Kingdom and there are quite a lot in Ireland. Some in Norway, Finland, France, Croatia, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, The United States and Australia. As a B2B company, SKS supplies the companies that in turn supply the public. Emma Ogden, HR Manager and Executive Assistant, shares her take on the Tinx connector. The new webshop was built by Experius, one of our trusted partners with whom we’ve successfully built integrations on previous occasions.

First off, could you introduce yourself and tell a bit about your role at SKS?

So I’ve been working for SKS for 5 years and this is my second time with the company. I first worked as a Sales Rep Co-ordinator from 2011 – 2013, before heading to work in a local school in HR. When I came back to JMA, and became the Executive Assistant, the previous person who dealt with IT left. I can’t say it’s my passion, but, basically, the related tasks were handed to me. During the past years I’ve needed to get acquainted with not just general IT, but Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Magento specifically. By now, thanks to the help of Tinx-IT, I know the environments and the connector well enough to know when to contact support, and who to connect to when people reach out to us with IT issues.

What were SKS’s most important reasons to need a connector in the first place?

The past two years have been a challenge. Like so many companies and businesses out there, COVID19 hit us as well. Not all our staff was able to work from home or be furloughed. By January 2021 most people were back again, and like myself, we prefer being at the office. As many of our customers were forced to close seen as they were not deemed ‘essential’, this hit us hard at the beginning. So really, what we want is to get back to previous levels. Beyond that, we want to grow and acquire larger customers. The website and Microsoft Dynamics NAV are a big part of that. We like Dynamics NAV a lot, and use it as the main source of information. Magento itself allows us to process web orders. Hence, the Tinx Magento connector to connect both IT platforms.

So why did SKS choose the Tinx Magento connector?

For the Magento 1 webshop, we were already using the connector since 2016. We had to decide what to do since Magento 1 was being phased out. And seen as it was working flawlessly for Magento 1 there was absolutely no need to consider a different solution for Magento 2. We preferred staying with Magento and upgrading it to Magento 2 so the website and everything would stay fairly similar. A bit fresher, easier to use and faster, of course. As Tinx-IT also provided a connector for Magento 2, the choice was fairly easy.

With limited IT expertise in-house, we had to start from the beginning when we started using the connector. With Tinx-IT, we were extremely well supported throughout the integration. Now, because of the connector, we don’t have to keep putting information in two different places. We set it up in Dynamics NAV and know it will be synced swiftly and accurately with Magento.

How do you reflect on the integrations thus far? Working with Tinx?

Quite fondly, really. The support has been wonderful, especially the collaboration with Kasper. It’s nice to know that we can reach out to Tinx-IT and get a quick response, from him or the support desk in general, and help us go through issues that might arise.

I’d say that providing a bridge between platforms, great support and the speed of the connector are key reasons we are very happy with our collaboration so far. Now that the connection holds all our live information, we know the stock of products is correct, the pricing (we have a complicated pricing setup) is accurate between the platforms. Especially with the Tinx-IT own in-house Magento B2B Pricing and discounts module we can offer customers their specific price and set up correct promotions.

Thanks to the Magento B2B Customer portal module customers can now download all their invoices, pay all their bills, see their information without having to phone us. Having the connector and expertise from Tinx helps the entire flow. Now we know what to do and what not to do. Lastly, the speed of the data transfer is very much appreciated. Seen as it’s a near real-time experience. Going forward, we are excited to think about all the other features we might implement in the feature.

Solutions provided
Tinx-IT E-commerce Magento 2 connector
Magento B2B Pricing and discounts module
Magento B2B Customer portal module