Schottlander Case Study - Phase 2

Business overview

Schottlander is a long-established UK manufacturer and supplier of dental materials, serving accredited dental professionals and laboratories nationwide. The business operates a large and complex product catalogue, governed by strict regulatory, pricing, and account-based access controls.

IDS Logic has partnered with Schottlander over several years, initially providing secure hosting, compliance-led infrastructure, and ongoing support for their existing digital platforms. Over time, this relationship evolved into a trusted long-term partnership, enabling IDS Logic to support Schottlander through broader platform, licensing, and operational change.

Building on the success of the original hosting and support engagement (Phase 1), IDS Logic was engaged to support the next stage of Schottlander’s digital roadmap: a full rebuild of the Schottlander.com website on Umbraco, aligned with an organisation-wide ERP migration from Microsoft Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365, and the delivery of a modernised barcode scanning solution for high-volume customers.

This phase focused on reducing long-term platform costs, improving scalability, and ensuring the website and ordering tools were fully aligned with Schottlander’s future ERP environment.

The Brief - Phase 2 objectives

Schottlander faced growing challenges with its existing Sitefinity-based website. Licensing costs had increased significantly, the native eCommerce engine had been deprecated, and replacing this functionality within Sitefinity was proving commercially unviable.

At the same time, Schottlander was undertaking a major internal transformation, migrating core business data and processes from Microsoft Dynamics AX to Microsoft Dynamics 365. This ERP programme was managed by a third-party specialist partner embedded within Schottlander and operated independently from the website project.

The brief for IDS Logic was therefore to:

• Rebuild Schottlander.com on a modern, cost-effective CMS
• Reduce platform licensing and renewal overheads
• Maintain familiar user journeys, URLs, and catalogue structures
• Consume ERP data without owning or managing ERP logic
• Support both AX (interim) and Dynamics 365 (future) data feeds
• Deliver a scalable foundation aligned with Schottlander’s long-term roadmap

In parallel, Schottlander required a replacement for an existing offline barcode scanning tool used by high-volume customers placing large bulk orders. This solution needed to work alongside the new website and future ERP environment.

Solutions Overview

IDS Logic delivered a phased solution aligned with Schottlander’s wider transformation programme, covering the following core areas:

 

1. Umbraco Website Rebuild & Platform Modernisation

IDS Logic rebuilt Schottlander.com on Umbraco, a .NET-based CMS aligned with Schottlander’s existing technology stack.

The rebuild included:

• A like-for-like reconstruction of the existing Sitefinity site
• Preservation of URLs and customer familiarity
• Improved product categorisation and navigation
• Flexible templates and reusable content components
• Integration of Umbraco Forms and Umbraco Commerce

Given the scale of the product catalogue, extensive QA was carried out to ensure accuracy, performance, and continuity. The new site is scheduled to launch in January 2026.

 

2. ERP-Aligned Architecture (AX→ Dynamics 365)

Schottlander’s ERP migration from Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365 was managed by a separate third-party partner and sat outside IDS Logic’s delivery scope.

IDS Logic’s role was limited to:

• Consuming product, pricing, user, and address data from ERP feeds
• Supporting AX data initially while preparing for Dynamics 365
• Pre-testing and validating the site against Dynamics 365 schemas
• Ensuring a seamless transition once Dynamics 365 goes live

All fulfillment, payment processing, and business logic remain fully owned by the ERP environment, with the website acting as a secure and compliant ordering interface.

 

3. Integrated eCommerce & Account Experience

The Umbraco platform provides:

• Secure account-based access for accredited customers
• ERP-controlled pricing and delivery addresses
• Order history visibility within user accounts
• ERP-driven payment and fulfilment via Dynamics and Sage

The website does not perform fulfillment or payment processing itself; instead, it integrates cleanly with Schottlander’s back-office systems.

 

4. High-Volume Barcode Scanning Solution

Schottlander supports customers who place large bulk orders using printed catalogues and barcode scanners. The legacy solution was offline, AX-dependent, and not compatible with Dynamics 365.

IDS Logic delivered a custom barcode scanning solution that:

• Integrates directly with the Umbraco website
• Creates a dedicated bulk-order basket online
• Allows customers to review, amend, or reset large orders
• Processes large orders in the background
• Provides customer acknowledgement within 60 seconds

Clear messaging informs customers when large orders are still processing, with confirmations made available in their account once completed. The scanner solution is scheduled to go live alongside Dynamics 365, as controlled by the third-party ERP partner.

 

5. Performance, Reliability & Safeguards

To meet strict performance requirements:

• Customers are never left waiting on checkout
• Orders are acknowledged immediately
• Background processing handles large data volumes
• Safeguards flag and manage failed or delayed orders

This approach ensures speed, transparency, and reliability for high-value transactions.