RMIS service, system conversion and implementation
RMIS Shopping with Southeastern Grocers
Southeastern Grocers operates supermarkets throughout the southeastern United States under the Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, and Harveys banners. Winn-Dixie was a long-time user of Shelter Island’s custom-designed RMIS for managing the complex risk information common to retailers of its size. When risk management director Michael Bellomo joined Winn-Dixie, he wanted to find a system that was web-based and accessible to a broader range of users.
It made sense for Michael to turn to SIR, given the long-standing relationship that began years before when SIR developed a RMIS for Winn-Dixie, using Microsoft Access. As a service company, SIR was able to connect the business needs of a retail chain’s risk management department with the technical knowledge of risk data.
“Shelter Island Risk Services perform as added staff for the Winn-Dixie risk management department and provide a very personalized, customized and knowledgeable form of systems and analytical service,” says SIR COO Kim Rigsby-Young.
“The system that SIR offered was what we needed, but we needed to be skilled in the use of Access and Excel to get information out of it,” tells Michael. “We needed to be able to do it ourselves quickly, easily and efficiently.”
Winn-Dixie challenged SIR to go to the marketplace and find a better tool that could be used by both companies. Like the previous system, it needed to be cost-effective as well.
At that point, the two companies came up with a creative arrangement. SIR presented a solution to Winn-Dixie in which SIR would remain the contract principal for the RMIS system and continue to provide all service, but would replace its own Access-based software with Origami Risk’s new web-based solution. If successful, Winn-Dixie wouldn’t have to go through a procurement process because SIR would remain the provider, enhancing new services while keeping it within range of Winn-Dixie’s current budget.
“SIR was flexible and creative in finding a cost-effective solution for Winn-Dixie,” says Kim. “And, the ability to keep the high-quality service relationship that they value stays intact.”
The most valuable part of the arrangement, Michael says, was SIR’s ability to make the connection between Winn-Dixie’s data management needs and what a RMIS provider would typically be able to provide.
“A RMIS provider is not in tune with how retail organizations capture risk data,” says Michael. “From my perspective, having SIR’s risk management, industry and technological knowledge to assist the RMIS provider in executing the goal was the most valuable piece.”
The solution is “working great,” emphasizes Michael, referring to the new system that has been in place for a year.
Winn-Dixie and SIR are in touch on a daily basis, as the SIR team managed the implementation of the Origami Risk solution and is the primary contact for Winn-Dixie for enhancements and ongoing use.
For now, according to Michael, there’s no risk of outgrowing this type of system; as the information available in the system increases, it simply becomes more valuable.
“We don’t have the resources here to give SIR guidance, so, without them this implementation wouldn’t have happened,” he says. “With certainty, we wouldn’t have been successful without SIR migrating Winn-Dixie to Origami Risk. And the most critical aspect of this is that SIR knows us, knows our data, and is making the connection between our needs and the provider’s capabilities.”