Dan Daniel DC Retires Legacy System after More Than 20 Years
Dung Huynh, logistics systems and technology analysis manager, shuts down “his baby” at the Dan Daniel DC. Huynh was the seasonal fashions system’s primary developer in 1997. He will retire later this year after 30 years with the Exchange.
Associates at the Dan Daniel Distribution Center bid a bittersweet farewell to its original seasonal fashions system, which was installed in 1997.
On March 12, Dan Daniel powered down the system, which received, sorted and shipped one-time buys, such as swimsuits and other seasonal products for men, women and children. The Exchange was one of the last organizations running IBM’s 1980s OS/2 operating system.
Poignant moment
The event was especially poignant for Dung Huynh. The logistics systems and technology analysis manager was the system’s primary developer and will retire later this year after 30 years with the Exchange. (To see a video of Huynh shutting down “his baby,” please click here.)
“I have mixed feelings about retiring the old system, but more glad than sad,” Huynh said. “Ultimately, this will give Dan Daniel an opportunity to expand and adapt, which guarantees the best experience for Exchange shoppers.”
For the past several years, the IT Directorate has modernized systems throughout the organization, partnering with the Logistics Directorate to upgrade the distribution centers.
Part of multimillion-dollar upgrades
As part of the upgrades, the Exchange installed the JDA warehouse management system at Dan Daniel in November as part of the multimillion-dollar Logistics Enhanced Distribution program. The software is also used at the West Coast, Waco, Germersheim and specialized jewelry DCs.
From January to October 2018, Dan Daniel shipped more than 664,000 cases worldwide of seasonal fashions through the former system. Dan Daniel has shipped more than 88,000 cases of seasonal fashions since the upgraded system was implemented Nov. 5. While the original system was maintained as a backup through March, it never had to be used.
David Adams powers down the seasonal fashions system. Adams helped install the system in 1997.
“It’s nice to see what I installed still works
—but it is time to modernize.”-David Adams,
director, IT Omni Channel-Logistics Services
Time to move on
LG plans to expand the warehouse management system to other departments in the distribution center—such as merchandise pre-allocated to the stores, as well as general merchandise and e-Commerce—through early 2020.
For David Adams, director of IT Omni Channel-Logistics Services, the “power down” event was emotional.
“I implemented the legacy system on my first TDY more than 20 years ago,” Adams said. “It’s nice to see what I installed still works—but it is time to modernize.
“It’s incredible that even the hardware has lasted this long. While it is time to move on to a more capable system, we appreciate what the legacy fashions system has done for Dan Daniel and the Exchange.”
