XPORTNET: A MODERN
OPERATIONAL TOOL
Heineken Export Group's
e-commerce website is 'online'
The XportNet of the
Heineken Export Group is
the e-commerce solution for
distributors to do business
with Heineken Export.
The possibilities include
placing orders online.
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It all started two years ago during a
Customer survey. How satisfied were
the customers with Heineken's infor
mation facilities? The conclusion was
clear. The information provided
by Heineken, and particularly the
export-related information, could be
improved. The Marketing depart
ment at Heineken Export thought
about possible means of communica
tion that would be up-to-date and
fast. 'The' word of the 90's surfaced
almost automatically, the Internet.
The first steps were taken
towards a special extranet site for
Heineken Export, the XportNet. The
site was provided with statistics
about product information and mar
keting information and twelve
clients were given access during a
pilot study. The primary reaction was
clear, that they wanted more.
Mendez Co., which is based in
Puerto Rico, one of Heineken's major
export markets, is making a case for
the introduction of a tracking and
tracing system for orders.
This request certainly wasn't
unexpected for Heineken Export.
Menno Lammerts van Bueren, the
marketing information manager at
Heineken Export: "Right from the
outset we intended to provide more
than just general information on the
extranet site. XportNet would have
to be much more comprehensive." A
multidisciplinary team, comprised of
Eddy Kuijper (IT), Menno Lammerts
van Bueren (Marketing, Project
manager), Pascal Peek (Logistics) and
Wilko Brink (Finance), was set up to
turn the XportNet into a real
management tool for the client as
well as, for example, area export
managers.
XportNet is linked to SAP, the pri
mary business system that Heineken
is currently converting to through
out the world and that has been
functioning in Heineken Export for
some time. This makes it theoretical
ly possible for everyone to access SAP
from the Internet and take a look
behind the scenes at Heineken. Eddy
Kuijper: "Security was therefore of
enormous importance and Heineken
Network Services (HNS) worked hard
on this issue to ensure that unautho
rised people on the Internet could
not gain access to the Heineken
network. This security has been audi
ted by KPMG.
Distributors that surf to www.
XportNet.com are not permitted to
snoop around the site as they please.
There is a register of all the users,
which specifies the parts of the site
they may access."
ONLINE
Pascal Peek sketched out the advan
tages for the client: "A distributor is
able to determine how their orders
