Epec Engineered Technologies Streamlines Manufacturing with NetSuite

Epec Engineered Technologies is a designer and manufacturer of custom products for the electronics industry. They are based in New Bedford, Massachusetts and have 100+ employees. The company struggled with their prior on-premise solution as it lacked deep customization capability and presented problems with needless manual work and remote access. Epec also had difficulty integrating several manufacturing locations in Asia to get real-time data on order status and production location.


Epec chose NetSuite as a system that could be customized to meet its unique workflows and business processes for its production of custom-built electronics while supplying end-to-end design and manufacturing capabilities. NetSuite scaled with Epec as the company expanded its base of 5,000 customers around the world, including GE, Honeywell, Philips, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman; and allowed it to easily onboard 10 acquired companies while supporting anywhere, anytime work for new personnel.

Epec has extended direct NetSuite usage to four contract manufacturers in China, with third-party personnel updating work-in-progress information in NetSuite daily for visibility by headquarters. Two dozen other Asian manufacturers receive work orders through the system and communicate status back via email.


“We run our entire business through NetSuite, from design to manufacturing to managing vendors in Asia.” — Ed McMahon, CEO, Epec Engineered Technologies


To learn more, visit the NetSuite Newsroom.


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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.

 

Schneider Electric Reduces Costs With Tribridge

Schneider Electric, founded nearly 180 years ago, is a leader in power management – medium voltage, low voltage and secure power, and in automation systems. Schneider provides integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software. Two of its acquired business units, Schneider Electric Buildings America (SEBA), and Mission Critical Systems (MCS), had been separately using Microsoft Dynamics SL effectively for nearly a decade each. The two divisions are similar in that they both deal in project management and construction.


The Tribridge solution at Schneider sits on a consolidated single upgraded Microsoft Dynamics SL 2015 platform for both the SEBA and MCS instances. The system is hosted in Schneider’s data center in the midwestern US, and financial data is exported to Oracle Hyperion Financial Management for global financial consolidation and reporting. The minimal data changes and customized experience meant a smooth transition with high user acceptance. The combined Schneider and Tribridge teams accomplished this together, and Schneider is happy with the upgraded solution, and especially Web Apps. Users are now able to enter timecards on mobile devices, which is much more convenient for employees in the field.


Benefits of the Tribridge solution:
• Upgraded solution is now fully supported by Microsoft, reducing liability
• High user acceptance with virtually no disruption to business units
• Combined user licenses for cost savings
• Simplified support for merged solution
• New Web Apps capabilities scaled for mobility
• Flexible and easy to use customization tools
• Support for project-based processes
• Increased flexibility helps bridge the gap between project management and accounting


Learn more at the Tribridge 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 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.

Tarheel Paper Co. Expands Sales Capacity With DDI System

Tarheel Paper Co. in Winston Salem, NC began as a single location janitorial and packaging distributor. Since 1980, they have grown into three location with over 5,000 products in stock and over 165,000 square feet of warehouse space. Previous software solutions proved difficult for their sales driven organization throughout their growth process as they did not support multiple locations and provide advanced sales tools.


Tarheel Paper went looking for a new solution - choosing DDI’s Inform ERP Software. “The driving force to change was our lack of sales functionality. Inform’s accessibility of information for our outside sales team has been the most significant benefit to our organization” explains Ted Shelton, VP of Operations. Converting to DDI System’s Inform software has resulted in enhanced sales, customer relationship management (CRM), analytics and a meaningful impact on the business' bottom line.


The business' error rate has decreased and the frustration level among the sales team has diminished as they now have the tools to evaluate and increase their sales. The ability to view product margins by customer has increased profitability and minimized margin error rates. DDI’s analytic features provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of distribution operations. “I really like the way Inform’s business analytic tools work. Pertinent information such as company sales, inventory levels and more are readily available. Drill down reporting allows me to easily review our overall performance levels and ensure we’re on track,” says Ted. Inform’s report writer has also become a staple for Tarheel Paper. User friendly terms allow for quick customization in a visually appealing graphical layout. Finally,   Inform’s Marketing Manager has also generated a positive response from Tarheel’s customer base. Tagging each of their customers with a source code allows their marketing team to email targeted information to specific groups. These emails have resulted in several new clients and increased add-on product sales.



To learn more, visit the DDI 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 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.

Neff Power Uses Tour de Force To Track And Analyze Sales Opportunities

Founded in 1965, Neff Power, Inc. is an Industrial Automation Distributor located in St. Louis, Missouri. Their primary focus is Electrical Control, Motion Control, and Fluid Power. Neff Power currently has 24 employees using the Tour de Force solution.


ERP INTEGRATION – BIGGEST BENEFIT
In addition to the CRM and Sales Force Automation features in Tour de Force, Neff Power has found that they get the biggest benefit from the integration to their TrulinX ERP system. Kevin Hogarth, Operations Manager for Neff Power, explains that “I can go into Tour de Force, and I can see all bookings yesterday for a specific number of territories, then I can drill down into other information that I need, look at open orders, open items, sales history, inquiries, etc. We also look at who are our biggest losers, biggest winners, our accounts that are up, and our accounts that are down."


BENEFITS FOR THE SALES TEAM
In the last several years, Neff Power has been able to move from strictly MRO type sales to more specialized larger projects. The addition of new product lines has given them an ideal mix of vendors that allows them to offer total system solutions to their customers. Tour de Force has contributed to this shift by giving Neff Power the ability to track and analyze their opportunities. They use the advanced profiling and filtering capabilities of Tour de Force to identify buying trends within their existing customer base, and then use that information to market their products and services to similar businesses.


With the addition of Tour de Force and TrulinX to their arsenal, and the increasing ability to provide total system solutions to their customers, Neff Power has been able to avoid feeling the repercussions of the recent economic turmoil. Hogarth states, “Tour de Force gives you a benchmark and shows you your goals, rather than just flying blind. We look at it and see which areas we need to improve in, so it’s a really good feedback device.”


To learn more, visit the Tour de Force 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 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.