Nor-Cal Supply Secures Lot Control And Traceability With Computer Insights

Founded in 1950, Nor-Cal Supply Company has an established reputation as a niche supplier of Aerospace and Aircraft fasteners per AN – MS – NAS – NASM specifications. Their Quality Management System meets the standards of MIL-I-45208 and MIL-I-45662 and they’re an approved supplier for NASA Ames, NASA Armstrong, Rolls- Royce Engine Services, Sandia National Laboratories and many more.

With millions of parts on hand and extensive sourcing capabilities, their longevity in the aerospace industry is due to their customer service, dependability and product knowledge. Says Sam Anderson, President said, “Since implementing The Business Edge™ from Computer Insights we have been able to maximize our customer service because we have all the information at our fingertips. Not only can we see what parts are available, but we also have immediate access to the Certifications that are available with each part. The Certifications automatically go out with the parts each time they are shipped. Additionally, if the customer loses the Certs, a quick call or e-mail will get the Certs replaced immediately. We have instant access to all the Certs for products that have been shipped with complete lot control and traceability.”

Sam also added, “With The Business Edge™ we found that we are able to keep much better track of our inventory and usage. The result is that our in-stock percentage of often used products has improved dramatically, while we reduced our overall investment in inventory. The system even has an interface to ILSmart.com (an inventory sourcing network) so that we can more easily find the rarer parts.”

Learn more about Computer Insights and The Business Edge by visiting their website.

For the 2020 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2020_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide_Interactive.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2020Guide

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

Also, read our 2019 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Supp.

Developed through a partnership with 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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Kele, Inc. Optimized Stocked Products With Blue Ridge

Located in Memphis, TN, Kele Inc. has been a worldwide distributor of over 300 Building Automation and HVAC/R manufacturers for over 30 years. Kele also manufactures the Precon and Kele brands of products. Kele offers unique delivery options including shipment scheduling, additional instructions for installation and a UL-Listed panel shop on site.

By utilizing Blue Ridge Forecast, Kele has been able to position and price inventory smarter. Blue Ridge’s cloud-native supply chain solutions combine intelligent science with robust automation and price optimization, empowering distributors to react to complex change with untapped precision and efficiency. Distributors and retailers use Blue Ridge to proactively understand the financial impact of each purchasing decision before they make it – bringing more certainty, more speed and more assurance to the value chain. Leveraging powerful data sets, machine learning-driven recommendations, and even pricing simulations, Blue Ridge customers like Kele are winning new opportunities and reducing the cost of keeping customers happy.

Kele's Results After Implementing Blue Ridge Forecast:

• In stock products +20% 
• Purchase orders -20% 
• Service Levels increased 
• Inventory Investment maintained 

 To learn more visit the Blue Ridge website.

For the 2020 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2020_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide_Interactive.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2020Guide

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

Also, read our 2019 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Supp.

Developed through a partnership with 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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Knit-Set Canada Enhances Inventory Control With Blue Link

Based in Montréal, Knit-Set Canada Ltd. is an importer of ladies’ sweaters. Knit-Set works with a number of designers to create sweaters inspired by looks seen on international fashion runways. The sweaters are manufactured in Korea and then shipped to Montréal for distribution to a variety of retail locations across Canada.

Sweater styles change year to year, so Knit-Set needed an integrated IT system to provide management with real-time, accurate information about product SKU’s. As well, the company wanted to improve employee productivity within a secure environment, to prepare for anticipated growth. The company was running a number of disconnected software programs and paper-based processes to manage inventory, sales orders, purchasing, tracking of shipments, accounting information and financial statements. The outdated software in use for order entry and accounting applications was minimally supported and could no longer be upgraded. The system in place was not accessible by reporting and analysis tools. Inventory management and shipment tracking were performed using manually updated spreadsheets. Purchase orders were manually produced using Microsoft Word.

“We buy our goods in U.S. dollars, therefore, letters of credit must be checked and double-checked to ensure accuracy,” says Manfred Sandler, V.P. Finance, Knit-Set Canada Ltd. “We needed to track and manage data pertaining to letters of credit and provide real-time reports, to allow our employees to focus on key tasks that impact the business, instead of tedious manual exercises.”

Blue Link / Microsoft Results

The integrated IT solution developed by Blue Link Associates Limited, a Microsoft® Certified Partner, has helped Knit-Set improve productivity across the organization. Access to comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date information is enabling employees to focus on key tasks instead of tedious manual work. Duplicated data-entry has been eliminated, saving staff 10-15 days per month in time.

Better visibility into product status is also helping to improve customer service. Knit-Set has improved its bottom line by providing management with access to timely and accurate information needed to make sound business decisions. The result is better visibility into inventory status, which helps ensure that sales obligations are fulfilled, while also maximizing inventory turnover and reducing the costs associated with warehousing excess product. “Ensuring we don’t have overstock is important to our business because leftovers mean reduced revenue – typically we have surplus inventory at the end of the season,” says Sandler. “Having access to inventory information helps us identify and sell any surplus, and enables us to plan for the following season because we can clearly see what colors and styles sold well.”

With the help of the solution implemented by Blue Link Associates Limited, Knit-Set Canada Ltd. has accrued the following tangible benefits:

• Saved 10-15 working days a year 
•  Improved inventory management 
• Reduced travel costs 
•  Improved security 
• Eliminate manual processes 

Learn more on the Blue Link website.

For the 2020 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2020_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide_Interactive.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2020Guide

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

Also, read our 2019 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Supp.

Developed through a partnership with 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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Herman Pro AV Taps Absolute Value for Inventory Optimization

Herman Pro AV is a provider of professional audiovisual (AV) products, procurement services, and labor resources to systems integrators in the commercial AV and broadcast industries. The company is based in Miramar, FL with distribution centers in Atlanta, GA; Edison, NJ; and Sparks, NV.

As a result of Herman’s innovative programs for their integrators, the company has doubled its growth over the past few years. As the business grew, it became apparent that their internal inventory management processes also needed to grow due to a number of factors:

• Their forecasts were too static 
• They didn’t have the right information to scale their inventory to meet the growing demand
• Service levels were not where they needed to be 
• Key data for vendor minimum discounts and consignment inventory were a challenge to find and manage in their current system 

SOLUTION
Realizing they needed to expand their inventory management capabilities, Herman decided to implement Absolute Value’s Demand Planning system. Demand Planning’s ability to update forecasts dynamically, provide comprehensive inventory visibility, and maximize transfers to reduce operating costs and save on vendor minimums, made it an attractive option. The system’s ability to do collaborative forecasts and run on any ERP system fit Herman's needs.

RESULTS
According to Herman Co-CEO David Wolf, “We used to load all our sales data onto an Excel spreadsheet every month and spend two to three days reviewing the projected forecast and making adjustments. Then we’d load all the data back up into the ERP system. Now Demand Planning does everything for us. We spend just an hour or two a month checking to see whether the system is flagging any exceptions.”

BENEFITS

• Tremendous time savings 
• Greater inventory visibility/scalability 
• Collaborating with customers and vendors 
• Streamlining consignment inventory 
• Resource reallocation 
• Productivity improvements 

“The Demand Planning software offers deep functionality and is very versatile. Equally impressive is the team behind it. The service, support, degree of responsiveness, and genuine interest the Absolute Value team has taken in our company has been outstanding.” – David Wolf, Co-CEO
To learn more, visit the Absolute Value News Room.

For the 2020 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2020_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide_Interactive.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2020Guide

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

Also, read our 2019 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Supp.

Developed through a partnership with 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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