Development and programming of a supplier database

Web development with Laravel

Kloepfel Consulting GmbH commissioned eWorks 2021 with the planning and development of a
supplier database. The application should help to digitize the recording and cataloguing of suppliers
and manufacturing partners for Kloepfel Consulting GmbH and to efficiently design
- with the aim of quickly and specifically finding suitable manufacturing partners based on technical
and economic criteria.

Suppliers can register via an intuitive front end and enter their company data
and technical capabilities. The employees of Kloepfel Consulting GmbH have the
option of checking registrations, managing the registered supplier data and searching
for suitable suppliers - based on numerous filter and search criteria.
The application is a browser-based web application developed with the PHP framework
Laravel. MySQL is used as the database. Thanks to the use of modern web technologies
, the application is high-performance, secure and user-friendly.

The platform offers a wide range of functions that go beyond mere supplier registration.
suppliers can store and continuously update their master data as well as their production technologies, processes
and certificates. Kloepfel Consulting GmbH can
not only manage this data via an admin backend, but also control which technologies,
industries or certificates are available for selection.
A central unique selling point is the powerful search function: administrators can search
via combinable filters for specific manufacturing features, such as the ability to manufacture
components of certain sizes or using special processes. In addition,
economic and organizational key figures such as number of employees, annual turnover or
founding year can also be taken into account in the search.
An integrated user management system also allows multiple user accounts to be created for each supplier
. Compared to generic CRM or ERP solutions, this system is completely
tailored to the requirements of purchasing and supply chain consulting - with the focus
on structured, technical supplier searches and manageable data quality.

The biggest technical challenge was the development of the dynamic search function. The
combination of searchable free text fields, area filters (e.g. annual turnover from - to)
and multiple selections (e.g. several manufacturing processes) required a well thought-out database structure
and high-performance query logic in order to deliver fast results
even with large amounts of data. As Kloepfel Consulting GmbH should be able to manage selectable technologies, processes, certificates
etc. itself, the data model had to be particularly flexible
. The aim was to keep many relations dynamically configurable without compromising data integrity or
performance.

eWorks supported its client in an advisory capacity right from the start, helped with the planning, produced
drafts and finally installed the project on the client's
server after the software had been developed.
eWorks then assisted the client with support requests and the further development
of the product.
In addition to the database for suppliers, a sister database for
services was also developed and published, which, in contrast to manufacturing technologies
and processes, enables the management of service providers (e.g. IT, marketing, personnel).