Abraham Linc Enhances Productivity With Kerridge WMS

Headquartered in Bridgeport, WV, Abraham Linc distributes high-quality, great-value floor covering products throughout the Mid-Atlantic. It is critical that customers can rely on Abraham Linc to maintain an inventory of the right quantity of the right products at the right time. Right pricing is also important to ensure a fair profit for both Abraham Linc and its customers. Abraham Linc accomplishes this with the help of Kerridge's Integrated Warehouse Management System (WMS). It ensures that when customers’ orders are received, the product is available to pull and process for delivery — and in the most efficient way possible.

Gains and benefits Abraham Linc has realized as a result of implementing Kerridge's WMS:

• Monitoring the real-time workflow and inventory at all three warehouses
• Receiving Picking Staging and shipping accurately and efficiently
• Inventory control and cycle counting by item, serial number or location
• Automatic email notifications when adjustments are made
• Productivity analysis of each warehouse employee
• Barcode label generation
• Location management

Said Abraham Linc CFO Robert Marra II. “Having the ability to scan all of our products in and out — and know exactly where they are — is a tremendous benefit. We’re able to turn a greater volume of product with minimum workforce.”




Read more at the Kerridge Newsroom.






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SPA Outlines How Pricing Agreements Drain Profits

Distributors must carefully and proactively manage Special Pricing Agreements (SPAs) to prevent margin erosion. Unfortunately, faced with the complexity of managing thousands of line items, all with different expiration dates, terms and pricing structures, many distributors have allowed their contracts to run on autopilot, resulting in significant value erosion.


This is exacerbated by three common scenarios:
1. Vendor pricing inevitably changes over time, usually increasing distributors’ cost to serve. The problem with keeping SPA agreements the same year after year is that the variables that made them profitable initially – such as volume and vendor pricing – tend to change over time.


2. Sales reps, who lack the time to carefully review existing SPA agreements (and who don't want to rock the boat), request extensions at the last minute. Unless they are equipped with a contract management solution, distributors have no good way to handle these last-minute requests leaving little time to determine which contract extensions are truly warranted as-is and which leave pricing below market.

3. In the absence of data, emotions drive pricing and customer negotiations. Many distributors can’t easily see whether a contract is under-performing. When the fear of losing a customer isn't balanced against the data, even the most lopsided SPA agreements are renewed.
SPA's Contract Management Solution (CMS) has simple options from highly granular and flexible to sweeping and efficient for searching, summarizing and modifying what’s always been a hornet’s nest of data. Distributors can eliminate unprofitable contract scenarios and quickly and efficiently update contract pricing for low-volume and low-sensitivity items, maximizing profits while minimizing customer push-back. SPA provides the analytical tools and online training to drive continuous improvements in adoption and thus profit improvement.


To learn more about what SPA can do for your business, visit http://www.strategicpricing.com/clients/industries




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Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software?
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For 2017 Manufacturing Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017MFG 

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services&lt;http://www.software4distributors.com/> and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard&lt;http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx>.

 

Also, read our 2017 Mid-Year Supplements. http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Mid_Year_Supplement.pdf. 

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.

GoFresh Produce Expands Product Line with VAI

VAI, an independent mid-market ERP software developer, recently announced that GoFresh Produce has implementation VAI’s S2K Analytics software solution. GoFresh opened a new processing facility to prepare cut fruits and vegetables for distribution, a service they previously outsourced. The company anticipates more than 300 tons of fresh produce coming through the 50,000 square-foot facility each week. Founded as a family business in 1941, GoFresh has distributed fresh produce, dairy and other refrigerated goods to Oklahoma for over 75 years, and has since grown its distribution to Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri.


VAI S2K Analytics supports GoFresh’s commitment to processing manufacturing orders same-day, offering real-time inventory management and accurately capturing the cost of the labor that goes into each product. Cut produce is a natural extension for the company and a strategic growth opportunity. 


Said David McMillon, Business Analyst at GoFresh. “S2K provides a real-time view into below-minimum orders, current fill rates, products on the dock, pick rates by picker and items on order. The automatic reporting not only frees up time for our employees, but also prevents inventory mistakes, resulting in better customer service.” Since implementing VAI's ERP software with S2K Analytics, the company has moved away from monitoring and controlling inventory manually, significantly reducing inventory loss and focusing employee time on more value-added tasks. 


To learn more, visit the VAI Newsroom.


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Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software?
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Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2017 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017DSG 

For 2017 Manufacturing Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017MFG 

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services<http://www.software4distributors.com/> and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard<http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx>.

 

Also, read our 2017 Mid-Year Supplements. http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Mid_Year_Supplement.pdf. 

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.

Japan Auto Parts Enhances Customer Experience with Blue Link ERP

Japan Auto Parts is a Canadian importer of used Japanese Engines and Transmissions. The business employs several salespeople, who respond to incoming sales inquiries. Most of these calls are requests for a price on a specific engine or gearbox, together with availability.


Prior to implementing Blue Link ERP, the salespeople would each keep a pad of writing paper handy. Each day, they’d note the date at the top of the next fresh page, and each time when quoting a price they would scribble the person’s name, the part and price quoted. This approach a time-consuming, labor-intensive processes, and on many occasions when the original quote could not be located, they had to honor a price they weren’t 100% certain they had quoted.


Blue Link ERP provided an ideal solution for Japan Auto Parts from strong accounting through serialized inventory tracking and flexible reporting capabilities. In order to tackle the quoting situation, Blue Link utilized its contact manager (CRM) module. Firstly, the CRM maintenance was streamlined so that a salesperson could retrieve an existing contact, or create a new one, in seconds, using the name only. Secondly, a “quick quote” section was added to this screen, in which the salesperson could look up the part then simply type in the quoted price. This “quick quote” was automatically stamped with the date, time and salesperson’s name.


Now, when the prospect calls back, his/her name is punched in and quick quotes issued to that person are displayed immediately. Furthermore, if this is an existing customer, when they accept the quote, clicking one button creates the sales order in its entirety. The writing pads are a thing of the past, and each salesperson is now able to verify quotes issued by any other salesperson at any time.


According to Bruce Wulfsohn, president of Japan Auto Parts, “We are delighted with the service and assistance we receive from Blue Link Solutions. This is especially true of their technical support and customization.”


To learn more, visit the Blue Link Newsroom.




New Software Research Guides Available

Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software?
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Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2017 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017DSG 

For 2017 Manufacturing Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017MFG 

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services&lt;http://www.software4distributors.com/> and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard&lt;http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx>.

 

Also, read our 2017 Mid-Year Supplements. http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Mid_Year_Supplement.pdf. 

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.