Polaris revolutionises its logistics with real-time data thanks to Luce IT technology
The logistics sector is advancing by leaps and bounds, driven by the need to be increasingly agile and precise. In today’s business landscape, the ability to manage information in real-time has become a fundamental piece for any distribution company. Today we bring you a very interesting novelty on how technology can solve operational bottlenecks: the recent success story of Polaris, which, with the collaboration of Luce IT, has managed to take a qualitative leap towards connected and efficient logistics.
Throughout this article, we will analyze how this technological challenge was addressed, transforming a complex architecture into a model of innovation and performance that prepares the company for the future.
Who is Polaris Servicios Integrales?
To understand the scope of this project, it is important to contextualize the protagonist company. Polaris is a leading firm in the distribution of original automobile spare parts and workshop equipment. In addition, it services various affiliated spare parts distributors, such as the well-known Vemare.
We are talking about a company with over 65 years of history and around 40,000 m2 of warehouses distributed throughout Spain. Its fundamental pillar has always been logistics efficiency and the reliability of its service. However, as companies grow and the volume of operations increases, computer systems that once worked perfectly begin to show their limits, forcing the search for new solutions so as not to slow down operations.
Uniting a new automated warehouse with traditional systems
The need for change for Polaris arose at a key moment for its business: the integration of a new commercial Warehouse Management System (WMS), called Reflex, with its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and other internal programs.
To understand easily, a WMS is the brain in charge of controlling all physical movements of boxes and pallets within a warehouse. On the other hand, the ERP is the administrative heart of the company, the place where billing, customers, and purchases are managed. Having the brain and heart perfectly synchronized is vital.
This technical challenge gained urgency due to a very important physical milestone: the opening of a new 11,500 m2 warehouse, of which 850 m2 are completely automated by machines.
What was the main problem? The technological architecture that Polaris had at that time worked with “1 to 1” (point-to-point) connections. This means that each computer program was directly connected to the others through individual virtual “cables.” As you add programs, this becomes a tangle that is very difficult to maintain and generates incompatibilities.
Furthermore, this old structure was not capable of supporting the processing speed in near real time demanded by an automated warehouse. The goal was clear: to ensure fast, integral, and uninterrupted communication between all systems, at the same dizzying pace required by modern spare parts distribution.
How to solve the lack of integration. Operational Grid Layer (OGL)
To untangle this technical web, at Luce IT we proposed a solution based on a modern and centralized architecture. We implemented our specialized component for these environments: the Operational Grid Layer (OGL).
If you are wondering what this is, we can simply define it as a data integration platform (a middleware) that runs on the Azure cloud. Instead of each program talking to the others creating chaos, everyone talks to the OGL, and it takes care of translating, organizing, and distributing the information to whomever it corresponds.
The project consisted of creating this intelligent intermediate layer to separate operational systems (the WMS, the ERP, and other tools) from the systems that consume that data. By decoupling these programs, they no longer depend directly on each other. If tomorrow Polaris decides to change its ERP, it won’t have to redo all connections one by one; it will only have to connect it to the OGL.
This technology ensures a fluid and normalized transmission using integrations adapted to each technical need, whether through flat files, APIs, or message queue systems.
Results of data integration
The best way to check if a technological solution works is to observe its daily performance. In Polaris’s case, the figures reflect a radical change in their operations.
Currently, the OGL platform manages more than 10,000 daily communications between the different systems. It is capable of supporting more than 100 information exchange processes occurring in parallel. And most importantly for the machines in the new automated warehouse: all this volume of data travels with a delay of less than 3 minutes. Polaris has managed to get all its information systems flowing in sync, 100% guaranteeing the activity of its new facilities.
The experience of working with Luce
David Gómez, IT Director of Polaris, explains very well what this step forward has meant for internal operations:
“The Luce team’s ability to understand our operational complexity has been key to the development of the operational data layer according to our operation. With the implementation of the operational data layer, we guarantee the activity of our new warehouse with the rest of our distribution network and prepares us to support a greater operational volume and reinforce our logistics services.”.
In short, this project demonstrates that modernizing technological foundations is the only sure path for logistics companies to continue growing without IT becoming a bottleneck.
At Luce IT, we help you optimize your architecture and ensure agile, real-time communications with our OGL (Operational Grid Layer) asset. If you want to discover all the technical details of this novelty and its real business impact, we invite you to read the full success story at this link: Polaris Success Story – Operational Grid Layer Development.
Frequently Asked Questions about Polaris
What is a WMS and why is it so important to integrate it with an ERP?
A WMS (Warehouse Management System) controls physical logistical processes, such as the location of boxes and the movement of pallets. The ERP, on the other hand, manages business administration, such as billing and customer orders. Their integration is vital so that sales, accounting, and physical stock are always synchronized, avoiding selling products that are not in the warehouse or shipping delays.
Here are the answers to your questions, based on the Polaris success story and the applied technology:
What does Polaris Servicios Integrales do?
Polaris is a leading company dedicated to the distribution of original automobile spare parts and workshop equipment. In addition, it functions as a logistical pillar by servicing various spare parts distributors affiliated with the company, such as Vemare.
What technical problems do architectures with “1 to 1” connections cause?
“1 to 1” (or point-to-point) connections force each computer program to be directly connected to all the others. When there are many systems, this generates what is known in computing as “spaghetti code” or a tangle of connections. The main problems it causes are:
- Fragility: If a single system is updated or changed, it is very likely that connections with the rest will break.
- Costly and complex maintenance: Locating and fixing an error among so many “virtual cables” requires a lot of time and technical effort.
- Lack of scalability: It greatly hinders the incorporation of new software tools or the technological growth of the company.
What does it mean for a system to process data in “near real time”?
Processing in near real time refers to a system’s technological capacity to transmit, process, and update information with minimal delay, of just a few seconds or a few minutes. For example, in Polaris’s case, they process thousands of data points with a delay of less than 3 minutes. This is critical in environments like automated warehouses, where machines constantly need to receive orders without suffering wait times or blockages due to a lack of data.
What are the real benefits of technological integration?
Having modern technological integration, through centralized platforms (such as a middleware or Luce IT’s OGL solution), brings tangible and direct benefits to the business:
- Total synchronization: Allows very different systems (like warehouse management software and a financial ERP) to “speak” the same language and share data without errors.
- Speed and efficiency: Guarantees that physical operations (like moving pallets or picking orders) do not stop due to IT bottlenecks.
- Independence (Decoupling): By all being connected to a central platform instead of to each other, systems do not directly depend on one another. If tomorrow the company needs to change its ERP, it can do so without having to halt or rebuild its entire technological ecosystem.
Future readiness: Leaves the company ready to support a higher volume of operations and continue growing without IT being a bottleneck.
