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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Mid-State Lumber Improves Real-time Data With DMSi

Mid-State Lumber is a family-owned business in Branchburg, NJ that has grown significantly since its founding in 1976, adding multiple locations and expanding into new territories.

DMSi's Agility has proven to be a good fit for Mid-State Lumber. The industry-specific functionality is an asset for the company. “I have worked in every department in the company, and I find that Agility is helpful in every area,” said Maria Hall, Mid-State Lumber’s primary system manager. “Anything that you want to do from quoting, to automated processing, to reporting, to viewers…you name it. Agility does it all. I love the system.”

Agility allows Mid-State Lumber’s departments to coordinate effectively. Because Agility provides real-time data, everyone sees current information. There’s no need for departments to update each other over the phone or email. Real-time data makes it easier for the Mid-State Lumber team to provide excellent service. Employees in every area of operation know information in Agility is current and accurate. There’s no need to double-check that a product is available before placing an order or scheduling a delivery.

Agility also allows Mid-State Lumber to be extremely responsive to customers’ needs. Credit manager Anita Toupin appreciates that results are instant: “I love the way it’s real-time. As soon as a guy enters an order, I have receivables change. If a customer is past due and on credit hold, as soon as we get checks and apply them, it frees up their account.” Agility has also helped Anita reduce the paper trail common in many offices. Agility’s reports and queries pull up all the data she needs in one screen. For instance, she can run a report to find all invoices past due by a certain number of days. Or she can use the A/R Credit Details screen to view an account’s credit information across all branches.

The DMSi team has worked closely with Mid-State Lumber and developed solid relationships with their counterparts. As a veteran employee of a service-based company, Anita is keenly aware of the impact those relationships can have: “DMSi is like a family. It really is. They treat their customers the same way, and that’s a really positive thing.”

Learn more at the DMSi newsroom

New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services at http://www.software4distributors.com and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard, visit http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx.
Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018Supp.

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.

 
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Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Allied Fasteners Enhances Inventory Management With Computer Insights

As soon as you come upon Allied Fasteners, Inc.’s 24,000-foot headquarters building in Mc Kinney, TX, you know that this is a very special fastener distributor. The building is brand new and it looks high tech like a technology company rather than a fastener distributor.

Bill Browning, President started Allied Fasteners in 1980, to be a model of efficiency and he has used technology to streamline the operation and eliminate human error. These two actions have enabled him to achieve the enviable position of producing nearly $1,000,000.00 in sales per employee. His $12,000,000 company, with three locations, (one in Texas and two in California), employs only 13 people. The computer system that he uses is The Business Edge, from Computer Insights, Inc.

One thing that Allied does that is quite different from the typical fastener distributor is that they write things off that have not sold for a year. The Business Edge makes this simple through a “Dead Inventory Report” and an automatic write off capability.

Allied also maintains two branches with warehouses in California. The company’s method of stocking their warehouses is complete random stocking. They repackage everything that they receive and when they package them, The Business Edge produces a package label that includes the Part Number, Description Quantity, Lot Number, Location and a single Bar Code that identifies each unique package in the system. From then on, each time the package is handled, the single Bar Code is read to identify it. The Business Edge tells the operator where the next available location of that size container is located. It is printed on the label so the person that is stocking the part simply follows the directions that are right on the package.

The Allied Fasteners formula for success is clear. Manage your inventory tightly. Use technology to eliminate errors and duplication and help your people do their jobs successfully!

Learn More at the Computer Insights website.

New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services at http://www.software4distributors.com and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard, visit http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx.
Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018Supp.

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.

 
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Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Blue Microphones Integrates Marketing And Engineering With NetSuite

Founded in 1995 by an American jazz musician and a Latvian recording engineer, Blue Microphones of Westlake, CA underwent rapid growth when sales of its Snowball USB mic, built for use with Apple’s GarageBand, took off. With 30 to 35 percent annual growth, the company quickly outgrew its existing QuickBooks accounting system which couldn’t address the need for multi-currency transactions as well as integration with marketing and engineering systems.

Opportunities and Challenges:
As part of a sale to a private equity firm, Blue Microphones recognized the need to modernize its IT environment. It needed a modern, cloud-based system that could handle multi-currency transactions, inventory management and not only scale with its growth but adapt to changing business conditions.

Real-time visibility and cost savings:
Blue Microphones is saving two full-time employees by converting to NetSuite, an annual savings of $80,000; while its 3PL partners in Amsterdam and Hong Kong now have access to NetSuite through a portal to fulfill orders, which has helped improve accuracy and efficiency. Blue Microphones is now incorporating customer feedback directly into its back office software to improve its products and the company was awarded the prestigious 2016 Manufacturing Leadership (ML) Award in the “Enterprise Leadership” category from Frost and Sullivan’s ML Council.

Learn more on the NetSuite website.

New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:



Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services at http://www.software4distributors.com and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard, visit http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx.
Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018Supp.


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.


 
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Creager Mercantile Increases Sales With Blue Link ERP

Established in 1958, Creager Mercantile is a locally owned and family operated wholesale grocery distributor. Located in Denver, Colorado, the business provides customers nationwide with access to a variety of products including beverages, candy, grocery, Mexican candy and products, vaporizers, tobacco, automotive products, gift shop supply and more.

As a growing business, Creager was stuck trying to automate processes and reduce manual work. The company’s existing software was supported by a single individual, making it difficult to get work done and receive the support required. In addition, Creager was struggling to manage its warehouse operations and adhere to government requirements around selling Tobacco products. Lots of time was spent at the company on manual processes instead of on growing the business.

The solution for Creager Mercantile was to work with Blue Link ERP - not only to address existing inefficiencies, but to also provide new opportunities for company growth and automation. As a result of implementing Blue Link, Creager was able to:
  • increase the number of online orders and sales orders (phone and email) by 50%,
  • become more accurate and efficient with managing inventory in its warehouse,
  • significantly decrease the amount of time processing tax accruals and further automate processes across the company.
Blue Link ERP helped Creager Mercantile automate the calculation of Tobacco tax, manage mix and match inventory quantity pricing and better serve customers with mobile sales tools. “We have increased online orders and sales orders (orders via phone and email) by 50% because we now have the ability with Blue Link to track them.” - Zach Taylor, Vreager Mercantile

Learn more at the Blue Link website.

New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:


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

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018Supp.


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.


 
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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Industrial Distribution Group Optimizes Pricing With SPA

Industrial Distribution Group is a $500 million industrial distributor with 31 sales offices and 10 distribution centers. One segment — the $200 million general distribution business — was underperforming.  IDG partnered with SPA to get help creating the discipline, controls, process and strategy that the business lacked in their pricing, with the hope that this could help deliver acceptable results.

Said Charlie Lingenfelter, CEO "We chose SPA because they offered not only a program, but also a compelling philosophy which made sense to us. Positive results? There have been so many. Our investment in the SPA program has delivered a 6-fold return on investment. Our profitability improved by $3 million in the first year alone. And, we get far fewer customers calling with pricing complaints, which frees up our associates to focus on providing real service to our customers."

Once the IDP associates saw the results and the ease with which their customers responded to the new pricing approach, they were on board and fully supported the effort. Says Lingenfelter, "Working with SPA has given us ideas we’d never have thought of ourselves. I always learn something new, something that makes a difference, every time I’m with them. The relationship has been extremely rewarding, across the board.

Learn more on the SPA website.

New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:




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


Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018Supp.


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.


 
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