Avion Technologies Improves Data Access With Shoptech

Avion Technologies makes complex gears for several different industries. In 2019, they decided that it was time to upgrade to Avion's cloud-based E2 SHOP. There were a few different factors that went into that decision, including concerns about server stability and security.  Once they made the decision, the implementation was quick and easy. As Mark Bathurst, Vice President of Operations, said, “It actually went very, very smoothly. We did it over the weekend here. I was surprised at how seamless it was.” 

The implementation started on a Friday and by Monday everything was ready for training on the new software. All data was preserved through the transition. Mark remembered after their implementation, “Once that was done, our custom database came in with no problem at all. All the history was there. We didn’t lose anything.” Keeping all of their data was crucial to be able to keep their shop running smoothly after implementation. They found that training everyone on the software was fairly easy as well. 

Now that they’re using their software daily, Avion Technologies loves it. They’ve found that it’s very easy to use and learn, but they’re also getting important things, like reports, done much more quickly. As Mark shared, “I can get my reports a lot faster now, out of the system.” Getting those reports quickly, with current and correct information, means Mark can make decisions quickly and confidently, and move onto the next thing. Mark isn’t alone in loving their new software, either. As he said, “I’m very happy with the program. A lot of people here are as well.” Avion Technologies knows their shop will have great ERP software to support their shop now and in the future. Having that stability allows them to plan new things and continue to grow their shop with confidence. 

The learn more, visit the Shoptech Newsroom.

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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LightStyles Selects Savance to Streamline Business Operations

LightStyles, a lighting distributor and showroom located in Cornelius, North Carolina, selected Savance Enterprise’s ERP Software to help the business prepare for growth. Skip Hulett, Owner of LightStyles says “Selecting an ERP is a massive decision, but since making it, I have never second-guessed myself with that with the decision to move forward with Savance Enterprise ERP Software.” Skip — who has been the Owner of LightStyles for the past six years — says one of the most important factors driving his decision was Savance’s knowledge of the industry and commitment to doing business the way LightStyles does business. “Savance listened to our feedback and our business needs and customized the areas of the software we needed,” explains Skip.

With its new Savance Enterprise ERP System, LightStyles will be able to streamline processes, gain better control of warehouse operations, improve accuracy, and capitalize on fast order entry to meet the demands of an aggressive growth trajectory. In addition, LightStyles will enhance its content by utilizing XO Logic to integrate with the new ERP platform. This powerful combination gives the lighting distributor the ability to showcase rich product data and industry-specific information to feed sales orders and quotes, eCommerce, and professional proposals.

“Savance’s vast experience in the electrical distribution industry parlayed well into what we need as a lighting distributor. On top of that, their pre-implementation support and follow-through have been outstanding,” says Skip. “There is no doubt they are knowledgeable at what they do. For me personally, being able to continue to interact with the same person who sold us the solution, is also meaningful and beneficial. We know what it takes to build strong relationships and I believe that Savance values their customers the same way, all the way through the process from beginning to end.” 

To learn more, visit the Savance Newsroom. 

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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Easy Living Home Elevators Increases Sales With NetSuite

As one of Australia's most trusted providers of home elevators, Easy Living has grown into a complex operation over the past 22 years, comprising six separate businesses, four offices and over 100 staff members. Easy Living's finance team had to manually input data from each business entity in each state, making monthly reporting time consuming and prone to error. 

Easy Living chose NetSuite’s cloud ERP because it wanted instant access to reports, an automated inventory management system and it wanted to free up time for value-added tasks, relieving the pressure on its finance team.  

The business went live with NetSuite in April 2020. Having followed established ERP implementation best practices, CEO and founder Robert Pizzie is now able to look back and identify some of the key reasons the ERP implementation plan went so well. 

“Definitely put the time into producing a specification document, which makes sure that it sets the goals of what you want to achieve in the system,” he said.  “We found that really, really important and so glad we took the time to produce that.”

The business is already seeing tangible benefits, with month-end reporting taking just six days—down from two weeks—freeing up more time for the CFO and finance team to focus on innovation and expansion.

"With NetSuite, it's just been seamless," Pizzie said. “The fact that we are now in a position where we can grow and scale the business is amazing.” 

Read more on the NetSuite blog.

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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Pod Pack Doubles Volume of Business with IQMS

Established in 1996, Pod Pack partners with roasters, distributors, and brokers to identify and provide solutions in the single-serve beverage market. From its start in a 400-square-foot facility located in New Orleans, Pod Pack has expanded to operate in 45,000 square feet in Baton Rouge. 

At the time, the manufacturer relied on fully manual processes to manage its operations, but it soon became clear that this strategy would not scale to meet the company’s future plans. A review of enterprise resource planning ERP solutions led Pod Pack to select the DELMIAWORKS (formerly IQMS) manufacturing ERP system. The DELMIAWORKS manufacturing ERP system provides Pod Pack the real-time insights and automated processes required to ensure quality and compliance, maximize productivity, and provide a superior customer experience.

Because Pod Pack serves the food and beverage (F&B) industry, quality and regulatory compliance are top priorities. The manufacturer is Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified, kosher certified, and participates in regular U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews. Beyond following regulatory rules and opening up to audits from government agencies, Pod Pack also has to comply with requirements and audits from customers.

The traceability features that help Pod Pack manage regulatory audits also helps it to manage inventory. The manufacturer handles consignment products where customers give Pod Pack their coffee and entrust the company to process it correctly. Using DELMIAWORKS, everything that comes in the door gets a label and barcode, which is tracked like a license plate throughout the facility. As a result, Pod Pack managers can tell a customer where anything is within the facility at any time.

“When we tracked inventory using Excel spreadsheets, it would take weeks to reconcile each and every month,” recalled Marion Gray, Pod Pack CFO. “Now we can tell you down to the last hour what's in our inventory, and watch all that inventory movement. It's just light years ahead of where we were before, and it is so much easier to manage what we do day in, day out.”

Return on Investment:

• Doubled the volume of business without doubling headcount
• Recall and traceability reports are generated in minutes
• Hourly inventory updates
• Financial closings reduced from 25 days to 3 days
• Weekly reports on manufacturing production has improved employee performance.

To learn more, visit https://www.iqms.com/erp-success/food-manufacturing-erp-case-study-pod-pack

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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Zoedale Strengthens Inventory Management With Vision33

Established in 1976 in Bedfordshire, UK, Zoedale distributes pipes and valves to control the flow of liquids and gases. Zoedale offers over 20,000 stock items and their clients range from at-home gardeners to multinational oil and gas companies. Brewing and beer metering, food production, and medical device companies rely on Zoedale for next day delivery and value-added services like installation, service, and maintenance.

As Zoedale’s inventory and client list grew, their software couldn’t go with the flow. Data from the company’s two old, disconnected systems – one for accounting and one for customer relationship management – needed to be merged at the end of every day, which ate up valuable time. This tedious process also involved printing numerous documents, which was unacceptable to a company involved in environmentally sustainable projects.

Zoedale needed technology to manage inventory, provide visibility into its warehouse, and make finding critical information fast and easy so it could continue providing superior customer service. Finding the right technology required a true partner, which Zoedale found in Vision33.

Like Zoedale, Vision33 is all about customer service, innovation, and thinking outside the box. Vision33 worked closely with Zoedale to implement SAP Business One, a robust ERP solution. With SAP Business One, Zoedale’s operations flow better than ever. Everyone in the company uses the system to easily find information they need, and the real-time data can be accessed anywhere, anytime for fast, smart business decisions. With purchasing and sales now tied to accounting, Zoedale’s transactions are more efficient, and cash flow is obvious.

Zoedale uses SAP Business One’s powerful reporting tools to see gross profit margin, number of orders, and the average value of orders. Because of SAP Business One’s simplicity and flexibility, adding new product lines and managing inventory are effortless for Zoedale.

Learn more about the implementation and SAP Business One on the Vision33 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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Turnkey Technologies Makes Top 100 VARs List

Turnkey Technologies, Inc. has been named to the Bob Scott’s Top 100 VARs for 2020. The Top 100 resellers are chosen from organizations specializing in the sale and implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and accounting software.

The selection is based on annual revenue generated by each reseller. A special report that includes names of the organizations selected for this year’s Top 100 list, ranked by revenue, is downloadable at http://www.erpglobalinsights.com.

Turnkey Technologies is a national Tier 1 Microsoft Gold Dynamics portfolio partner with a large team of subject matter experts composed of technology, accounting and industry professionals. Since 1994, they offered end-to-end professional services including design, project management, implementation, application maintenance, integration services, development, analytics, training, and support services for Dynamics solutions.

Bob Scott has been informing and entertaining the mid-market financial software community via his email newsletters for 21 years. He has published this information via the Bob Scott’s Insights newsletter—now known as ERP Global Insights—and website since 2009. He has covered this market for nearly 29 years through print and electronic publications, first as technology editor of Accounting Today and then as the Editor of Accounting Technology from 1997 through 2009.

Learn more on the Turnkey 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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Johnstone Supply Grows Sales With DDI

With over 400 independent member locations across the country, the Johnstone Supply Cooperative is a leader in the HVAC/R industry. From the first Johnstone Supply store that opened in 1953, founder John Shank aspired to grow his business among other service-focused individuals. The goal: to share resources, operational benefits, and group buying power. Today, Johnstone Supply is a top business cooperative with stores often passed from one generation to the next. Owners are used to personalized service, consistency, and a solid return on investment.

A thriving member of the Johnstone Supply cooperative for over 40 years, Johnstone Supply – Spokane, WA, prides itself on customer service and self-sufficiency. With a branch in Anchorage, AK, the company has seen little turnover in the past four decades, a testament to its ownership and stability.

The Spokane team knew that the shift to a fully-integrated, highly scalable Windows® ERP would be significant. Spokane implemented DDI System’s Inform ERP in November 2015. Since then, the store steadily generates around 3,000 invoices a month. It’s amazing to have all the tools that can be used to help our company grow. Credit manager Barb Redinger had this to say about the DDI implementation,"We find something new everyday that has helped us with our sales team."


To learn more about DDI System’s Inform ERP Software, and read additional implementation case studies in the distribution industry, visit the DDI Newsroom.

For the 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Guide

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 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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KIE Supply Chooses DDI to Power Business Operations

For more than 60 years, KIE Supply has been dedicated to helping customers succeed in all of their irrigation, plumbing, electrical, and lighting projects. Its mission to operate under honest business practices and to provide what customers need, when they need it, has driven company success since 1955.

KIE's Amelia Kittson's vision of where she wanted the company to go in the future meant it needed to move away from its home-grown system. As the marketing director and ERP system transition lead, Kittson said she felt having one person handle everything to do with technology was not sustainable.

DDI System's 100 percent U.S.-based development, implementation and support teams were a strong selling feature for the irrigation, plumbing, electrical, and lighting supplier. Coupled with Inform's superior blend of rich features, trusted the software would strengthen purchasing and warehouse practices, provide even better service to KIE's customers, and offer the mobile technology needed to elevate performance across the board.

To further support their decision, Kittson surveyed her team to identify the most important factors they needed to be successful. "The number one thing everyone required was a system that would be easy to cross train different team members on. As a business owner, I never want to have one person being able to do a job. It's incredibly important to me that we can jump in whenever we need to and the tools we use everyday to run our business be powerful but also intuitive. We definitely got that with DDI's Inform," said Kittson.

In addition, Kittson believes in continuing the drive toward efficiency—which includes transitioning to a paperless operation. "In just the past six months, we've made HUGE strides towards our goal of going paperless. We've eliminated file cabinets, gained space and our staff no longer has to dig through boxes of closed files. We no longer have to keep hard copies of every single invoice and we can view electronic signatures for all our orders using electronic signature capture. Our Sales Manager has been waiting for 20 years for something like that and it just was not something we had the ability to do in our legacy system," she said.

KIE's decision to transform its business with DDI's Inform ERP has allowed KIE Supply to keep up with the shift in buyer behavior and continue to deliver on ever-evolving customer expectations. 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 sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Guide

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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Colorado Industrial Packaging Increases Profitability With Distribution One

With over 40,000 stock and custom packaging solutions, Colorado Industrial Packaging experienced immediate success with Distribution One. “ERP-ONE tracks product costs and sales margins for us… that benefit alone has added 4% to our bottom line after the first year of implementation and has more than paid for the cost of ERP-ONE.” -Vice President of  Colorado Industrial Packaging 

Distribution One has been helping wholesalers distributors drive increased efficiency and profitability through innovative software since 1996. To learn more about ERP-ONE visit the Distribution One 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 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


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

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements 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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B&R Enclosures Expands Global Reach With Phocas

B&R Enclosures is a private family-owned Australian business with global ambitions. The 60 year-old company designs and manufactures enclosures for a variety of customers, including telecommunications, mining companies and prime contractors for large engineering projects. For the past 10 years, the company has opened offices in China, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

The company has been a loyal Phocas customer, using the business intelligence software since 2004 for sales reporting, quotation management and inventory portals. In January 2014, B&R implemented a new ERP system and as part of the planning, Ian van Haeringen, Information Systems Manager for B&R Enclosures, made a deliberate decision to maintain sales reporting in Phocas, saving the company time and money while ensuring business continuity across the sales organisation.

Phocas played a critical role in the ERP implementation because it remained a constant throughout the rollout and during the company’s international pursuits. "Phocas is one of the reasons our implementation was so successful," said van Haeringen. "There is enough change involved in migrating from an old ERP to a new system. You should only change what you need to change, and there was no need to change Phocas."

Key benefits of using Phocas
•Delivered consistent sales reporting throughout the ERP transition
•Provided sales team confidence in sales, orders, and processing information
•Business continuity for company sales as rest of company managed changes
•Eliminated any training for salespeople on new ERP system
•Slicing and dicing of information continually reveals business opportunities while helping with strategic decision-making process
•Key reason for success of new ERP implementation

To learn more about Phocas, visit the Newsroom. https://www.phocassoftware.com/case-studies

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 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


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

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements 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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Salem Distributing Company Improves Pipeline With Tour de Force

Salem Distributing Company is based in Winston-Salem, NC. It is an employee-owned company with sales in 39 countries, providing services, equipment, supplies, technical expertise and support for four distinct industries: Flat Glass and Mirror, Stone, Advanced Surfacing Materials and Vision.


Says Diane Luter, IT Director at Salem: “In Tour de Force CRM our company is divided into two major parts – Supply Sales and Machine Sales. Tour de Force CRM (TDF) has really helped us to document our machine pipeline. Prior to TDF, quotes were entered for a machine in our ERP system with no system in place for tracking that opportunity. Management’s only recourse was simply to call the sales rep and ask “Where are we with this quote?” Consequently at any point in time we did not have a firm grip on what was happening in our machine pipeline. Tour de Force CRM has changed all that. Our salesreps are now logging all aspects of a machine quote in an opportunity record."


Learn more on the Tour de Force news page.


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 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


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

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements 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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Silver Spring Foods Improves Inventory With Deacom ERP

Silver Spring Foods not only has its own products and brands, but is it also a large co-packer for some of the biggest names on grocery shelves today. A business like theirs has complexities surrounding inventory, documentation, and unique requirements, and Silver Spring Foods manages it with the help of DEACOM. Silver Spring CIO, Noah Wallace III, outlined the biggest impacts that DEACOM ERP has made on their business.


•Reducing Inventory Variance by up to 99%
For years, Silver Spring Foods accepted the fact that their inventory was off $250,000-$300,000. Since implementing DEACOM, they have significantly reduced their inventory variance “Every year, we have gotten better and better,” said Wallace. “We are currently down to about $1,700 in variance even though we now have more inventory.”


•Automating Document Generation
Prior to DEACOM, Silver Spring Foods needed to pull information from multiple systems to create a single document, not to mention manually putting it all together. Today, they have a strong system in place that keeps all critical information in one location and automatically generates documents like Certificate of Analysis and Bill of Ladings. “It’s a much simpler task than it used to be and we know that it is done right. This really helped our people on the warehouse side,” said Wallace.


•Handling Complex Requirements
Making 700-800 different products for various companies, including their own, creates a lot of complexity in their business processes as each brand has their own requirements and expectations. “Before Deacom, a lot of processes were handled outside of the ERP – through excel or MS Access,” said Wallace. “But now with DEACOM, we have the ability to handle those requirements within the system.”


To learn more, visit the Deacom Newsroom or follow them on Twitter: @DeacomInc.




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 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


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

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements 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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Plunkett Distributing Enhances Custom Order Process With DMSi's Agility ERP

Plunkett Distributing provides laminate, solid surface, hardwood moldings, and cabinet supplies to markets in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. Founded in 1948 by J.F. Plunkett, the business is into the third generation of family ownership. The company handles hundreds of custom orders every month using a multi-step process that had become time-intensive and prone to data-entry errors. Plunkett Distributing knew it needed a more efficient way to handle custom orders.


The Solution
Plunkett Distributing implemented the Agility ERP system and took advantage of the branch transfer functionality. Agility makes it easy to coordinate remanufacturing processes across multiple locations. To make the process even more efficient, the DMSi team created a catalog of item blanks for every species and width of molding Plunkett Distributing produced. When reps create a custom order, they are able to pull up one of the product blanks instead of entering all the details from scratch. Order entry is now much easier and faster.


The Result
Agility ERP proved to be a very effective platform for Plunkett Distributing. “It has been an extremely positive experience for us,” says owner Don Plunkett. “The rep just has to enter the sales order, and then the bill of materials and the work order show up on the screen at our other facility across town. It’s been a huge help.”


Don also leverages Agility’s reporting tools. Sales dashboards make it easy to assess and monitor his team’s performance: “We have better visibility into things like market costs and gross margin violations. We can pull out data that we never could before. I’m able to see things as they are trending instead of hearing about it after something goes wrong. It’s been a huge impact on our bottom line.”


Plunkett Distributing has experienced significant growth, and Don is excited about the future. He sees more opportunities for improving operations and expanding the business: “There are things within Agility that are making us better than we ever were before, and we’re ready to take another step forward. It’s just time. We’re growing so much right now.”


To learn more, visit 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 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


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

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements 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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