Marketplace Project Update

The Marketplace Project continues to gain momentum as teams across GracoRoberts, SkyGeek, and Silmid work together to design a unified marketplace platform. The project represents a major step toward our One Company vision — providing customers with a connected experience across all brands through shared inventory, standardized processes, and streamlined fulfillment.

Where We Are Today

The project is still in the Blueprinting Phase. During this time, the team is gathering business needs, making sure processes match across the company, and checking that the technology works together smoothly. So far, four main modules have been approved. These modules will form the foundation of the Marketplace. 

• Available to Sell: This means the products are ready and can be sold to customers. When something is “available to sell,” it’s in stock and can be bought right away. 
• Inventory Availability: This shows how many items are in stock at any time. It helps the company know what products they have and can provide to customers.
• Document Routing: This is the process of sending important papers, like orders or shipping documents, to the right people or places. It helps make sure all information gets where it needs to go, so operations run smoothly.
• Pick Through Ship: This is the whole process of getting a product from the warehouse and sending it to the customer. First, the product is picked from the shelf, then packed, and finally shipped out for delivery.

Parallel Projects Driving Alignment

Several standardization projects are progressing in parallel to support enterprise-wide consistency and prepare the organization for future integration:

• Document Standardization: Making sure all business units use the same types of documents, labels, and shipping steps. This helps Operations run more smoothly and makes work easier for everyone.
• Spec Management Standardization:  Setting up one way to organize product details, so it’s easier to track and manage items across all systems. 
• Product Mapping Standardization:  Using the same names and setup for products everywhere. This gives customers a clear and simple product list no matter which brand they decide to use. 
• Add-On Fee Standardization:  Making additional charges (e.g., hazardous materials, special packaging) the same across all brands to ensure pricing consistency and simplify internal processes.

Dependencies and Moving Parts

Before full development begins, several important preparatory tasks must be completed to ensure accuracy and alignment: 

• Moving Silmid’s data to SharePoint so all documents are stored in one location. 
• Creating Spec Management tools to organize product details and templates.
• Designing and planning the Storefront, which will be the online site where customers shop.

Spotlight: The Storefront Experience

The Storefront is the main online platform where customers can shop, check if items are in stock, reserve products, and make purchases instantly. It connects the customer-facing experience to the company’s internal systems behind the scenes.

The developers are finalizing mockups and establishing integrations that allow different parts of the system to communicate with each other. This enables Red Technology, our partner responsible for the design and functionality of gracoroberts.com and silmid.com, to begin bringing everything together. A meeting will soon be held to review the technical plans, and once approved, the Storefront will have a consistent look and functionality across all three brands—making the experience easier for both customers and staff.

Looking Ahead

As the Blueprinting Phase ends in October, the Marketplace team will move to the Build and Integration Phase. This step brings together approved parts and standard processes into one system, supporting our One Company goal.

The process is challenging, but every milestone brings us closer to a Marketplace that’s easier for our teams to manage and more seamless for our customers to use. Thank you to everyone in Operations, IT, Development, and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for your hard work and teamwork.