Friday, June 29, 2012

Someone Else Understands the Process of Selecting an ERP Solution

It is refreshing to read another source note the important selection points of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution.  This forum cannot address every aspect for every option for every organization.  Each business has its own drivers.  Two companies that are alike may struggle in different areas, so their needs will be different. 

 

 
The process to determine the need remains the constant.

  
Drive ERP Success: (click the link to download your copy of the three page PDF document)

 
“When ERP projects succeed, businesses usually see value from two sources:  1. Automation of streamlined processes and 2. An ability to make more effective data-driven decisions.  Achieving this success starts with choosing the right solution for your business.  This white paper gives your manufacturing or distribution business specific tips to get the most out of an ERP system.”

  
Highlights:

·         Justify the business need for the solution:
  • Build a business case for ERP.
  • Define your business requirements.
  • Readiness check for your organization.

 ·         Drive ERP Success: 
  • Build the right team.
  • Avoid canned solutions.
  • Due diligence is your responsibility.

  
The article is three pages, a quick read, and certainly not designed to answer all of your questions.  It should actually make you start thinking about questions to ask.  Paramount is that you need a trusted advisor to help you through the self evaluation, selection and implementation process.

 
For success you need to take a team approach, find solutions that match your challenges and ensure that the solution actually matches your company’s culture.  For example, there may be two “equal” solutions, yet one requires eight steps to ship a complete order and another requires five.  The extra steps in one solution may give you greater audit and observability in the process, but it might also be overkill for your needs and the extra steps will drive down efficiencies not increase them.  Both work, which one works for you?

 
Dolvin Consulting works.  We work with manufacturers, distributors and specialty retailers to help them analyze their computer operations and implement ERP solutions to streamline their operations to reduce costs and become more profitable.  Your team, our team, one solution.  Contact us today to see how we can help you be more efficient. 

 
We are not here to tell you how to run your business.  You already know how to do that.  We are here to help you select the right tools to better manage your resources.

 

 

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

WMS Implementation

This recent webinar title intrigued me.  I would think any organization that is frustrated with their current system or lack of system would also find it of interest.  We all want to know the secret formula to make our warehouses more efficient, our people more productive, drive down overtime costs, fulfill customer orders in a timely manner and be more profitable.





There is so much information available today, where do you start?  
 

Do you go to the social media forums?  Who knows who you will get in social media?  Did the right person just happen to notice the post?  Do they even want to respond?  How do you respond to something so complex in a paragraph or two?  Why start, if you cannot add real value.  Who wants to do free consulting?  Who qualified them?
 

Should you use the Internet?  Of course, we all do, but what exactly do you type in the search box?  How do you filter the millions of responses?  Are the paid results better?  What if I look at the first two pages, and then skip the third where the best-fit solution may be found?  What if I did not use the right keywords?  I might spend days, weeks or more searching in the wrong direction.
 

There is a value in knowledge and the Return on Investment (ROI) lies in using that knowledge to take a shorter path to a clearly defined destination. 


The answer to where to search is all-of-the-above and more, but only after you learn what you do not know. 


The first step is to find an advisor which may present its own challenges.  There should be a strong connection here and that is not to say the advisor and you should agree on everything.  If you do not feel a little frustration, then they might not be asking you the tough questions.  You need to be honest with them and be prepared to hear the not-so-good news that your pride and joy operations are not so great. 


Do not defend, listen and learn.  (this goes for both side of the table)
 

That is the single most important factor with your consultant and with the firm that you ultimately use to implement a new solution or fix what you have.  Two ears, one mouth.  Ask questions, listen to the answer, and then ask more questions. 


Hopefully noticed that last part above, in that you might find you already have the best solution.  You might need an upgrade to the newest version or you might just need to learn how to use what you already have.  This is one way in which the much too expensive, we cannot afford a consulting organization helps save you time and money.  They have to be reasonably priced, but do not forget you often get what you pay for and the return and time saved using them can make a big difference.  If the consultant saves you three months of research, what does that translate to compared to running inefficiently as you are now for that same time period? 
 

How much does it cost you each month to operate as you do now?
 

You may have guessed from reading this that I am a fan of using knowledge and resources to help you get the job done more quickly with less stress and peace of mind.  Using the right tool for the right job is efficiency in finding efficiency.  If you want your organization to run better, then use the right tool to get you there.  The sooner the better.  It does not have to take so long.  A consultant is your jungle guide and gets you there quicker and more safely.


Contact Dolvin Consulting today.  We are here to help.


Monday, June 25, 2012

The Need for Precision in Inventory Control

It is critical to know, in real time, exactly where a product is located within the warehouse.  It is also crucial to have a precise measure of how much inventory remains on hand in each barrel.

According to Berjé’s Sanghvi, “This implementation gave us the back-end capabilities we needed to enhance our customer service capabilities.  Notably, employee efficiency and productivity— essential elements of customer service—have improved as well.  With VAI’s expert support, the WMS upgrade has been a smooth, uncomplicated experience delivered on time and within budget.  VAI’s S2K for WMS continues to reap unforeseen corporate benefits across every dimension.”
 



The company sought an application capable of full integration with its current manufacturing and distribution systems.


The WMS implementation has yielded the desired improvements in inventory control and customer order fulfillment.  Inventory accuracy now approaches a precision level of greater than 99%, enabling Berjé to keep inventory at optimum levels without incurring the expenses associated with carrying unnecessary amounts in stock.


Berjé needed a foolproof means of ensuring timely and accurate product shipments. 


Product movement further complicated the firm’s search for a solution.  At Berjé, products continually move around a two-story facility that warehouses scores of containers at any given time.


“Accuracy is important from a customer relations perspective,” said Ajay Sanghvi, Berjé’s Vice President of Operations.  “However, it is mandatory when dealing with any type of chemical. We must know both the amount and location of all substances on hand at all times.”


“We faced a tall order when searching for WMS packages,” said Berjé’s Sanghvi, “but from our experience with VAI we knew we had to look no further. VAI had the capacity to design a cost-effective, customized solution that integrated fully with our existing ERP capabilities with minimum modification. We knew the VAI system would deliver superior performance because of their staff’s commitment to fully understanding how Berjé’s processes operate.”


Berjé chose VAI’s S2K for WMS with ticket processing because it allowed the company to achieve all its objectives in one comprehensive solution.  VAI’s software provides both accurate inventory counts and real-time inventory locale information.  The WMS upgrade seamlessly integrated with the company’s existing S2K for Manufacturing package.


Relative to customer orders, Berjé can now track every transaction in detail and, by sales order, identify the precise container from which the order was fulfilled.  The availability of such detailed information enhances quality control and facilitates compliance with regulations governing accountability for chemicals.  Deliveries are more accurate and timely as well.  In fact, virtually every aspect of Berjé’s business has benefited from the implementation including accounting, production, warehousing, distribution and manufacturing.



Some things are noteworthy from the above article. 

Number one- The relationship between Berjé and VAI.  Clearly VAI is a trusted partner that took the time to listen and provide the right solution for the challenges.  Really important is this relationship.  Any organization needs a trusted advisor.  Someone that can take an objective look and connect the dots.  The implementation was straight forward, because there was a good fit with minimal modifications.
 

Number two- There was a real need for accuracy.  The system delivered.  Simply stated and great benefits.  Like improved customer service.  You remember your customers?  It is the reason why you do what you do.  Accurate shipments help build customer satisfaction and loyalty.
 

Number three- Employee efficiency and productivity sound like nice results too.  I am sure that contributes to a better bottom line.
 

Number four- 99% or better inventory accuracy.  Not only can they find their stock, but it will be what they expect which increases the efficiency of ordering and helps with cost control.  Enhanced quality control is a desirable by product here too.
 

Dolvin Consulting works with VAI and IBM to deliver solutions like the one above to help companies like yours compete more effectively in today’s tough economic climate.  Contact us today to see how we can help you achieve similar results.  No false promises, no sales pitch.  Question and Answer to determine if there is a good fit between your challenges and the solutions available.  You decide if it makes sense.


Friday, June 22, 2012

Looking for an Inventory Management for a Small Warehouse

John posted this message on LinkedIn a few weeks ago.  He seems to have assessed his situation fairly well.  He considers the company he is currently working for a small company with approximately 10M in gross revenues.  They are using Quickbooks to handle their accounting and inventory needs.  Maybe 2500 parts and is typical 80/20 rule 80 percent of the revenue comes from 20 percent of their inventory.  He estimates that on-hand inventory levels are about $500,000. 
 

They have done some research and looked at some solutions both hosted and cloud from various size companies and he is looking for anyone having any suggestions.  He feels their size of business and inventory levels does not justify a $75,000 investment.

First of all, congratulations on working and contributing to a small business, which is the foundation of economic activity and job growth in this country (US for my international readers).  What is equally impressive is that they were able to scale QB’s to this size of operation.  Do not get the wrong impression.  I like QB’s and use it for my own business.  It is user friendly, convenient and forgiving.  I just do not believe that a company on a growth path with this type of revenue can scale the use of these programs effectively.  I am sure the QB people can point out many success stories of even larger companies using their solutions.  Again, I like QB, but feel there are better solutions for companies of this size and larger.


I say growth path, because they are looking for a new solution.  It is also clear they have hit a glass ceiling.  They also have checkbook mentality.  Why is $75K too much for a system?  By the way, my guess is that they should budget twice that much.  From experience, you can obtain adequate software and equipment for this amount of investment, but the training, conversion and implementation usually doubles the investment.
 

Notice I use the term investment repeatedly.  Investment implies a Return on Investment (ROI).  Within reason does it really matter if he invests $75K or $150K, if he knew and felt confident that he would recoup that amount with growth, sales and cost savings?


We do not know that much about the company from his description, but another issue is that comes to mind is that they are looking at accounting and inventory only.  These are two critical components any distributor needs.  They also need customer service, a contact management system, perhaps an ecommerce solution, purchasing and possibly a whole host of other modules.
 

They need a scalable system that will allow them to integrate all of their operations, all of their employees, all of their customers, all of their suppliers, all of their inventory, in short, everything under a single canopy.   Full integration opens the door to streamlined efficiencies, cost savings and improved profits.  When you tie all of these components together it is quite reasonable to achieve a good ROI.
 

I suspect John is not finding the right solution, because he is not looking in the right direction.  The $75K is not the issue.  The real issue is that he does not have a trusted advisor to help him look at ROI, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), his operations, his people, and company culture to find a solution that works.


My suggestion to John is that he contacts DolvinConsulting.  We are trusted advisors and work with industry experts to find the right solutions to the challenges faced by distributors, manufacturers and specialty retailers.
 

If your company is facing similar challenges, why not reach out and ask for help?  That is why we are here.  We do not know who you are, so you have to take the first step.  We do not bite and if you do not like what you hear, then hang up the phone.  Contact us today and see how we are different.


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Is Customer Service Part of Your Company Culture?

A recent Tweet by @SJF_com caught my eye.  They were reposting INC Magazines article by Chris Mittelstaedt entitled: “Is This Your Employees' Idea of Service?   (click link to read the full article).




The article's picture is dramatic, but the article makes sense and it is worth reading for two main points:

1.       Customer service should be twofold in any organization.  The way you are treated, the way you treat your employees, your suppliers, your people is exactly how your people will treat your customers. 

Would you want to be a customer of your company?  Test it out.  Call your own company from an outside line.  See how you like your automated attendant.  Call when you know your employees will be busy and see how they react.  Check out your own web site.  Can you find a phone number to call when you need help?


2.        The CEO took responsibility for his company and its service.  When a customer called and complained, the CEO first checked the facts.  We all have had to deal with over-the-top people.  In this case he took the time to learn the facts and was smart enough to realize that he had a culture problem in his organization.  He also wanted to find the root of the problem and correct it, not punish anyone.

Here are his five points:
  • Be Respectful: "Have we been respectful at all times?"
  • Be Responsive: "Have we been responsive to people's needs?"
  • Be Realistic: "Have we been realistic about what we can and/or can't do?"
  • Be Responsible: "Have we all taken personal responsibility for outcomes?"
  • Be Remembered Positively: "Will our actions allow us to be remembered positively?"

 

Why is this important?  Why do I mention this in a blog site geared to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions?  Because, the relationship you have with your ERP provider and support people has a direct correlation with the way your implementation and project success will go.  If it goes well, your customers will be happy and be loyal through the good and bad of the project.  It is much easier to keep your existing customers happy and loyal, than it is to find new customers.
 

Dolvin Consulting takes pride in their partnerships and the work they do.  We have a mutually vested interest in your organization finding the right solution to your challenges and to your success.  Contact us today to see how we are different.


Monday, June 18, 2012

Profitable Distributors Need an Automated, Fully Integrated Warehouse

According to Dorcy’s IT Director Mark Craddock, “Our customers are reaping benefits from the EDI upgrade and interface. It takes us half as much time to add a new customer, and compliance is nearly 100% from the very first transaction, so costly chargebacks are a thing of the past. Laser printers save us $20,000 per year in printing costs and even more by eliminating errors. VAI’s S2K has yielded measurable improvements at every stage of our global supply chain. The personnel savings alone are allowing us to grow our business without adding new staff because we are using available resources so much more efficiently.”





Successful distribution companies understand that an automated, fully integrated warehouse management software (WMS) solution is essential to achieving and maintaining a profitable business.


Two very key ingredients, needed by all Distributors, were identified by Dorcy:
1.       Accurately monitoring inventory levels and locations.
2.       Real-time access to financial and management reports.


Common symptoms that Dorcy had that clarify the need to make improvements:
(How many do you have?)
·         Operations relied on 25-year-old, homegrown software.
·         The software system lacked a true warehouse management component.
·         The three facilities were not integrated with each other or with the financial system.
·         Inventory variances approaching $200,000 were not uncommon.
·         No real-time inventory information was available.
·         A separate financial package handled accounting functions.
·         Staff spent innumerable hours pulling data from the various systems.
·         Finding product in the warehouse often was a game of hide-and-seek.
·         Product movements were sporadically recorded in handwritten logs.
·         To locate items, personnel relied on recollections or time-consuming physical searches.
·         Shipment delays were common.
·         Many customers required Electronic Data Interface (EDI).
·         Setting up customer accounts typically took three to four weeks.
·         Chargeback penalties for incorrect shipments and missing or inaccurate EDI documents.
·         Spending a fortune on pre-printed forms that staff completed.
·         Keying errors and other mistakes were common.
 

Customer service delivered to Dorcy and by Dorcy is the key ingredient to a successful solution:

Mark Craddock, Dorcy’s IT Director, relates, “Three things impressed us about VAI: its extensive install base, the size of its support staff and its emphasis on regularly updating its software.  However, it was the technical knowledge and responsiveness of VAI’s staff that carried our decision.  We wanted the personalized service that is the hallmark of VAI.”
 

Management buy-in and support throughout the organization:

According to Lorie Guerin, VAI Project Manager, “The implementation was a true team effort with Dorcy and VAI working side by side.  Dorcy’s staff had a clear vision of where they wanted to be, and the resident in-house IT knowledge was most impressive.  There was project buy-in at the highest levels of management as well, which primed the corporate culture to accept this dramatic change in day-to-day business operations.”
 

Efficiency, cost savings and increased profit result:

According to Macy Bergoon, Director of Supply Chain, Dorcy, “The combination of real-time inventory, cycle counting and RF devices has yielded negligible inventory variances. We dropped from a $170,000 variance to less than $5,000 in one year.” Bergoon also estimates that VAI’s S2K has reaped accounting staff time savings of over 50%.
 

Your partner in technology becomes your partner for success:  

Having the software is important component, but having the right partner is critical for success.  Including a knowledgeable and trusted advisor is a critical resource for success.  There is too much information to widely available to know what will work and what will not. 
 

Every successful musician, artist, sports figure, business person has a coach and mentor:

A person or organizations success depends on the right mentorship and it is important that the people you work on, even if successful, are tied into a success driven hierarchy.  Dolvin Consulting works with partners VAI and IBM to deliver the right solution to your challenges.  Contact us today to see how we are different.  We care and know that our mutual success is codependent on both of us doing well.


Friday, June 15, 2012

ERP in the Cloud

Does any Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system belong in the Cloud?  There is a lot of discussion in the media about this topic.  The Cloud promises the concept of economy of scale.  Mass produce a product and it becomes more economical.  The compromise is that you do not have control of many options that you once did.  That is both good and bad.  For the smaller business that can be a blessing. 




Why should I have to worry about hardware or the physical stuff?  It would be nice to have someone else worry about disaster recovery, electrical disruptions, heat, cold, water, you know, the weather?  Let them worry about employees and I will worry about running my business. 


Does this thought really make you feel comfortable?


Just how much compromising will my organization have to undergo to implement a Cloud solution?  Could be quite a bit, maybe very little.  It depends.  Some of the constraints are the physical location of the hosting, the type of hardware being hosted, the software application itself, and your employees.  Where are your locations?  How reliable is the Internet connection to the resources you need?  How reliable is their Internet connection(s)?  Is this even appropriate for a manufacturer capturing real-time inventory transactions on the shop floor?  Finance- yes, customer service- yes, inventory- maybe, manufacturing- not so sure. 


How do you even know where to start or what questions to ask?


Will the software or applications be stripped down or lite versions?  Do you even need everything they offer?  There are significant differences today versus just a few years ago.  At what point does it become or stop being cost effective?  Is a non cost effective solution still desirable, because the stuff is someone else’s problem?  You may end up paying a premium for less worry.   


What is the Return on Investment (ROI) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)?  Looking at the TCO may be a good place to start.  In order to evaluate this you will need to take time to identify as many cost elements as possible.  Power consumption, acquisition costs, warranty, staffing, reasonable life span. 


Cloud solutions trade the variables for a monthly premium. 


Leasing cars does not always make monetary sense, but the worry free drive of a new car, full warranty and peace of mind that comes along may be worth the trade off.


Do you share the resources or will you have dedicated resources?  How is security implemented?  Just exactly who has access?  I am sure that they will be certified and bonded.  Will the only thing that keeps outsiders out be a user id and password?  They back up the information, but do they provide archive services?  There is a big difference in functionality and recovery options.


There is a growing movement in technology today that negates the old school philosophy of what is behind our doors is safe and what is outside is not.   Today borderless computing is growing.  Administrators need to know who wants access, where they are, what equipment they are using, and what are they trying to access.  The combination of these four entities must be looked at together.  If the cloud solution takes these factors into account then you may actually be better off with a hosted solution than in-house. 


There are many issues to be identified and addressed. 


For an Enterprise, this is a first step.  Cloud or not, technology or not, there needs to be a solid business driver identified first, then comes the selection process for a solution.  You might be surprised to find out that you might still be better with an in-house version.  Train and use that version for a few years, then take advantage of a more mature hosted version. 


Maybe you should jump right in.  Maybe not.  First and foremost, it has to be the right solution.


What chances are you willing to take with the health of your organization?  It is too important to tackle alone.  Select Dolvin Consulting to help you look at your operations, to identify your needs, to listen to your concerns.  Contact us today to see how we can help.  We work with manufacturers, distributors and specialty retailers to help them streamline their operations, reduce costs and become more profitable.


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Providing quality customer service


Joe LaMonte recalled, “The e-Business project addressed our service issues nicely.  With automated options and enhanced customer accessibility, we are confident that our customer service capabilities will continue to exceed our client’s expectations.”




Providing quality customer service is a vital component to the success of any business, but it is especially crucial when dealing with healthcare products that affect one’s quality of life.  Hearing aid manufacturers work in an industry where the ability to design a quality product, and deliver that product quickly, is of the utmost importance.
 



Objectives:

·         Professional guidance is integral to developing a comprehensive, integrated, company specific solution.

·         Enhance E-commerce capabilities to improve customer service and expedite orders.

·         Provide dispensers with self-service capabilities.

·         Ease pressure on its call center.


For Widex, the primary incentive for implementing an e-Business solution was to deliver superior customer service and achieve optimal customer satisfaction.


Finding the Right Partner


Widex knew that VAI would listen to their needs and had the technical capabilities to ensure that the solution was tailored to meet those needs.  We knew that we could rely on them to get the job done.  We also wanted to ensure system continuity.  It was important for us to maximize our technology investment.
 

VAI’s software provides Widex with a unique portal solution to help improve employee productivity, cut costs and strengthen relationships with customers and trading partners.
 

Widex has empowered its dispensers with access to greater amounts of product information and educational support.
 

Notably, Widex was able to greatly reduce the number of faulty and illegible order applications. Previously, between 10 and 20 percent of all orders had some human error or required a call back for information verification purposes.  Now that the order process has been automated, it virtually eliminates this problem.
 

Widex understands that prompt delivery is essential to its customers.
 

Widex understands and so does VAI.  This is an example of a good fit Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution implemented that provided the framework for expansion when the company (Widex) needed it.  Not too soon and not too late.  At the right time.  When “they” were ready.  No push, no pull.  A good fit relationship which has grown with mutual respect and a common theme of customer service.  Widex to their customers and VAI to theirs. 
 

Dolvin Consulting has the same commitment to the businesses they work with.  Questions and Answers.  Identify the challenge areas.  Define the solution parameters.  Deliver the solution on-time and on-budget.  
 

Dolvin works with Manufacturers, Distributors and Specialty Retailers to help them streamline their computer operations with ERP solutions so that they reduce their costs and improve profits.  No wild promises.  A balanced budget approach with realistic expectations based on Return on Investment (ROI) calculations. 
 

Contact us today and see if we can help you to sleep better.  We are here to deliver great customer service.


Friday, June 8, 2012

Quality and Shortcuts


When considering a purchase or upgrade of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for your organization it is easy to want to handle the entire project in-house.  After all Google is such a powerful tool today, who needs a trusted advisor? 
 


How hard could it be? 
 

Is it something like going to the local computer and selecting a copy of the latest what-ever.  Just pop the disk in and, no wait that may take too long, let us download a copy, get it right away, click on the file, install the program by clicking “Ok” a bunch of times, taking the defaults and presto we are magically up-and-running.
 

When, where or by whom did someone give you that impression?


Some Cloud based solution providers may give you that impression.  Sign up now for a free 30 day trial, answer a few questions, upload or key in some information and you are off and running.  This may work for one out of a thousand organizations that have nothing out of the ordinary.  What happens to your information at the end of the trial?  You know after you realize it will take several months to just get your information onboard, people trained and customers back that lost patience with your grand efforts. 
 

Did this solution provider supply you with an experienced project manager to help with the transition?


There is more to selecting an ERP solution than typing a few words into an Internet search engine.  How do you know which words to key?  How do you filter the millions of potential returns on your query?  Just limiting your research to the first two pages of results is great news for the folks making a living promoting that service, but are you really getting the answers you need?
 

Are you ordinary?


Chances are you have many common traits with others in your industry and proper research will help you narrow the search, but that is different than simply click-and-go.  Shortcuts are different than best practices.  Shortcuts can help you save time, but do not eliminate the need to perform the steps needed to first determine what your challenges are and secondly determine if there is a good fit.
 

Time and effort must be invested in selecting a solution that will integrate your entire organization. 

Who will be affected, hopefully everyone, but that means you need to understand how everyone will use and interact with the system.  What are they expected to input and what output do they require? 


There is a difference between quality and price.  There are many good solutions, but they have to fit in your budget and just because they fit your budget, that does not mean they are quality products.  More expensive does not mean better.  Good fit, good features, reasonable budget is the goal. Follow that with a vested partner, including software, hardware, and advisor.  Does the solution have the ability to grow and address your needs as they evolve. 
 

Has this provider helped others in the same industry or others with similar challenges?
 

When you begin to look at your operations, you can identify costs associated with the tasks your people perform and the resources they use.  Resources used in manufacturing, resources used in distribution, and resources used in labor and plant overhead.  These costs lay the foundation for a Return on Investment (ROI) analysis.
 

No matter how good a solution is, if you do not expect a complete return within in one to two years after implementation, then this should be a red flag.  It does not mean it is not a good solution, but there has to be another driving factor.  Perhaps that might be your organization wants to define and take a leading role in your industry sector.  There are valid reasons, but you should know and acknowledge that before you make the investment.
 

There is a lot to know and time restraints to balance. 
 

You still have to get your other work done.  At some point you will need to invest your personal time and energy, but a lot of the leg work can be handled by a trusted advisor.  It is not just for the well financed.  The time and money saved by utilizing an outside resource that will use a fresh set of eyes to look at what you do and how you do it and compare that to others pays for itself.  Realistically you do need to do your due diligence in an advisor selection, but will you be able to live with yourself if you do not find someone to help? 
 

It may help to think of your advisor like a wedding planner.  They have the contacts and experience to ask you the right questions and manage the project.  It will not eliminate all of the frustration, but it will give you peace of mind.


Let Dolvin Consulting help you with the trench work.  We can help.  We leverage our industry experience and contacts to save you time and energy.  We cannot do everything, but what we will do will make the process easier.  Contact us today to see how we can help.  That is why we are here.


Monday, June 4, 2012

Warehouse operations run more efficiently when processes are fully automated and integrated

Cheryl Nylund remarked, “VAI’s S2K suite has delivered on its promise to streamline our operations and provide maximum visibility of key business operations.  For Randa, S2K’s automation capabilities have provided the foundation on which to fuel our continued growth and success.”



Simplifying the picking and inventory management process was the chief motivation. 
 

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions play an integral role in integrating and streamlining computer operations.  The melding of workflow, labor and physical resources.
 



Randa Luggage wanted to work with a local software developer who had the experience to help them implement a total WMS solution.
 

Their chief concerns are fairly typical of wholesale distributors, they wanted:
·         The ability to view the real-time product availability.
·         Improve order accuracy.
·         Streamline operations.
·         Reduce labor costs.
·         Increase shipping speeds.
·         Expedite billing procedures.


Results: The company now has total, multi-dimensional inventory visibility.
 

Randa was confident that VAI understood the company’s concerns.  This is easily one of the most important points and is critical for any successful ERP selection and implementation.  You need the right partner.  The word "partner" is correct.  You are not buying a boxed copy of software off the shelf.  Enterprise Solutions require good matching of challenge and solution, careful planning, training, implementation, and testing. 
 

A quick sale customer – vendor relationship will not work.
 

In utilizing VAI’s WMS and ERP solutions, Randa has unlocked the inventory information it needed to service its client base effectively.
 

Customer service. 
 

On the part of the ERP solution provider and on the part of this organization ability to service their customers.  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  The relationship between this organization and VAI provides a backbone of support that allows Randa to concentrate on their customer’s needs by utilizing their new ERP solution.
 

Dolvin Consulting has partnered with VAI and IBM to deliver good fit ERP solutions to Manufacturers, Distributors, and Specialty Retailers who primarily struggle with warehouse and inventory control issues and are frustrated by the constant flux of technology.  We are your partner guide to helping you understanding your challenges and available solutions.  Start today by contacting us for an initial consultation.  There is no-charge for the call and nothing to lose.