Summary
Philip Morris International (PMI), a globally recognized manufacturer of IQOS electronic cigarette with a significant presence across multiple continents, embarked on an ambitious product distribution expansion plan in North Africa.
To support this growth, PMI partnered with Jumia Logistics, the region’s leading e-commerce platform & logistics vendor, to streamline last-mile deliveries, however, integrating both companies’ systems posed unforeseen technical challenges that threatened to delay operations and inflate costs.
Recognizing these obstacles, PMI engaged Pharaoh Soft to architect a seamless, scalable middleware solution. The result? A tailored integration layer that not only accelerated order processing but also reduced implementation costs and risks by 43%, delivering measurable efficiency gains while setting the groundwork for future scalability.
The challenge
Navigating the Complexities of Multi-System Integration
As PMI looked to strengthen its logistics capabilities in North Africa, partnering with Jumia Logistics was a strategic move to leverage Jumia’s robust delivery network. Operationally, the objective was clear: facilitate the smooth handoff of order details—ranging from customer information and warehouse locations to product specifics—between PMI’s system and Jumia’s platform.
Yet, beneath the surface, the technical reality was far more intricate. PMI’s internal systems and Jumia’s infrastructure were inherently incompatible, each built on distinct enterprise level architectures with differing data formats and protocols.
Initial projections revealed that pursuing a direct, hardwired integration would require substantial adjustments on both sides—introducing not only significant costs and extended timelines but also raising long-term operational risks based on any future updates or system changes that can possibly destabilizing the entire integration.
The Solution
A Purpose-Built Middleware: Simplifying Complexity, Enabling Agility
To address PMI’s integration challenge, Pharaoh Soft proposed a strategic alternative—a dedicated middleware platform designed to act as an intelligent intermediary between PMI’s and Jumia Logistics systems.
Rather than forcing both parties to realign their internal infrastructure, the middleware absorbed the complexity, handling:
• Automated data transformation, ensuring seamless compatibility between the two platforms.
• Real-time order processing, efficiently pushing orders from PMI to Jumia without manual intervention.
• Instantaneous status updates on each delivery confirmation or rejection, providing PMI with complete operational visibility.
An essential part of our approach was future-proofing, so Pharaoh Soft team engineered the middleware with the flexibility to accommodate new partners or evolving business models, avoiding the common pitfalls of rigid, one-off integrations.
One of PMI’s north africa IT leads remarked post-deployment, “The application and services you provided over the years plus the reactivity of Pharaoh Soft team have been instrumental for our E-com business” and that’s precisely the outcome we aimed for.
The Result
43% Cost Savings, Accelerated Processing, and Long-Term Scalability
The deployment of Pharaoh Soft’s middleware solution delivered measurable, impactful results:
• 43% reduction in integration costs and develoPMIent time compared to direct system integration efforts.
• Enhanced order processing speed, minimizing delays and ensuring efficient order handoffs.
• Improved system reliability, with PMI reporting a noticeable improvement in operational stability and reduced maintenance overhead.
• Increased agility, as the middleware’s flexible design now positions PMI to seamlessly onboard new third-party delivery partners as they continue expanding their global footprint.
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