German fashion company, Rudolf Wöhrl AG, today announced that implementing a services oriented architecture (SOA), based on IBM software and mainframe technologies, enabled Rudolf Wöhrl AG to reengineer its supply-chain processes. Designed by IBM Premium Business Partner FRITZ & MACZIOL, the architecture enhances the efficiency and transparency of the clothing company's supply chain and was the key to rapid implementation of its new business processes.

Rudolf Wöhrl AG is one of the leading fashion retailers in Germany, selling women's wear, men's wear, children's wear and sportswear. Based in Nuremberg, it has approximately 2,900 employees and runs 38 stores. Rudolf Wöhrl markets clothing from its own collections as well as the latest fashions created by renowned designers. Its large range of clothing and brands is due to the fact that it works with 500 different suppliers and partners.

Market Wire reported that Wöhrl's IBM solution has been in real-time operation since May 2006. As a result, the complicated comparison of purchase orders and delivery dockets that reflect the business transactions between Wöhrl, its 40 purchasers, and 500 suppliers now takes place in automated form. The fact that IBM WebSphere Business Modeler records and analyzes this process means greater transparency, and it also reveals ways of improving processes even further. This automated solution also produces a supplier documentation that allows Wolf to rank Wöhrl's suppliers according to their efficiency.