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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Southern Fasteners Streamlines Processes With Distribution One

Southern Fasteners, a large regional wholesaler and distributor of parts such as screws and nuts, bolts, drill bits, electrical panels, and other kinds of hardware needed to replace their proprietary, UNIX-based application for tasks such as tracking inventory, entering orders and managing customer information.

The current application was difficult for employees to learn, cumbersome and time-consuming. The UNIX-based software was not very flexible and business processes would frequently need to be adjusted to work within the limitations of the system - not exactly ideal for a growing company in a competitive marketplace.

After evaluating several alternatives, Southern Fasteners chose V2 Fastener, a modular application from Distribution One that manages an array of tasks. Benefits gained by switching applications included the following:

• Daily work is managed in a faster, more streamlined fashion
• A user-friendly interface made navigating between tasks about 75% faster than before
• A flexible solution that is easy to customize
• Software integrated easily with Southern Fasteners other business applications

To read more about Distribution One's solutions for the manufacturing and distribution sectors, case studies, and client testimonials, visit the Distribution One website.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2014-15 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guides are currently available for download. Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

 
2014-15 Manufacturing Software Guide: 
 
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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Blue Link Increases Efficiency For Online Retailer Golda's Kitchen

Golda's Kitchen is a Canadian on-line shopping site for over 13,000 quality kitchenware products, tools, knives, and appliances. Due to the company's outdated systems which were not integrated, Blue Link was selected to automate accounting, inventory, POS, purchasing and order processing to better mange the company's growth.

The biggest challenge in system conversion is that all the data (inventory, accounts, customers, suppliers, open orders…) needs to be ready and staff fully trained. However, parallel testing and implementation was not financially feasible, so preparations needed to be completed and tested in advance. In addition, GK wanted the new system in place to take full advantage of the December holiday season rush. As closing the warehouse and not shipping the online orders was not an option, the old system was closed at 8pm one night in early November, and the Blue Link system went live the next morning.

Outcomes
As a result of Blue Link, GK is much more efficient with order fulfillment than before. They can now pick multiple orders at the same time with wave picking and the system automatically suggest transfers between inventory locations for both order fulfillment and inventory replenishment. GK's solution is deployed in the cloud giving access from anywhere with enhanced security with less on-site infrastructure support. For GK, the cloud provides better security than they could provide themselves.

To read more about the Golda's Kitchen implementation, and other Blue Link success stories, visit the Blue Link newsroom.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2014-15 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guides are currently available for download. Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.


 
2014-15 Manufacturing Software Guide: 
 
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Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Cloud ERP Reduces Costs For Software Startups

Software companies are businesses with the same needs as other businesses; they need the ability to purchase goods and services, pay vendors, service customers, account for activities, and report to stakeholders. In other ways, however, software companies have unique needs for specific software functionality and capabilities. Some are so specialized that few ERP software systems can truly provide for their needs.

One dilemma for software start-ups is the product development stage; to build an initial product offering, they incur significant expenses while they have no incoming revenue. Keeping track of capital raised from multiple investors and reporting operating results to those investors requires sophisticated software that is beyond the capabilities of most “simple,” PC-based accounting software.

Even after a software startup launches its product, other complications can occur.

Software is sold or licensed under a variety of contractual arrangements. These may include a perpetual license with periodic maintenance payments, a “pay as you go” annual or monthly subscription basis, or other market-driven pricing scenarios. In order to be competitive in the software marketplace, software firms must provide for all these acquisition terms for their customers.

Software firms must also comply with complex accounting rules regarding sales activities, especially deferred revenue from sales as well as licensing activities. Most accounting packages available to small start-up companies are not that sophisticated.

Additionally, there is the matter of investor reporting.

Start-up software firms usually have multiple investors who are naturally interested in the firm’s financial results, but they are also keenly interested in the impact of those results on their investment. Such transaction recording, allocation, and reporting requirements are well beyond the capabilities of most “basic” accounting software, and can place a significant burden on the accounting staff of the software firm or require outlays of much-needed cash for accounting services.

To read more about Acumatica's Cloud ERP for start-ups and learn about their “Smart-Ups for Startups” program, which combines software, implementation, and consulting services, visit the Acumatica blog.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2014-15 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guides are currently available for download. Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

 
2014-15 Manufacturing Software Guide: 
 
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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Infor M3 Helps Dexcel Pharma Improve Visibility and Agility

Infor, a provider of business application software serving more than 73,000 customers in 200 countries around the globe, recently announced that Israeli pharmaceutical manufacturer Dexcel Pharma, has globally implemented Infor M3.

Dexcel Pharma is a private, international pharmaceutical company, with over 1,000 employees. It is the second largest Israeli pharmaceutical manufacturer, supplying 25 percent of the branded and generic pharmaceuticals sold in Israel.

Infor's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application will help improve decision making and visibility, enabling Dexcel Pharma to achieve enhanced uniformity across its companies in the UK, Germany and Israel.

Infor M3 will also help deliver consistency and facilitate transparency across the information generated by Dexcel's sales and distribution operations in Europe and the corporate headquarters in Israel, while supporting Dexcel's adherence to high standards of compliance required in the pharmaceutical industry. Automated warehouse and inventory module terminals have also been integrated, while the development of specific modules to synchronize all sites means that Dexcel is able to exercise greater agility through having consistent information. Infor's flexible deployment options also gave Dexcel Pharma a choice to run their businesses in the cloud, on-premises, or both.

To read more about the Infor M3 implementation, view additional case studies, and learn more about the industry-specific applications and suites Infor specializes in, visit the Infor Newsroom.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2014-15 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guides are currently available for download. Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

 
2014 Manufacturing Software Guide: 
 
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