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Successful software implementation enables distributor to grow quickly while controlling costs.

Selecting and implementing a software solution that not only meets your current needs but also has the capabilities to accommodate future objectives is often a complex task. Here’s how one company used our IT consulting services to help accomplish this task.

The challenge
With a consistently strong demand for their products, Universal Packaging -- a wholesale distributor of packaging and shipping supplies -- saw growth in their future. However, they knew their current systems and processes could not support that growth.

Universal Packaging is committed to next day delivery of more than 5,000 SKUs to their customers. This meant employees were spending a lot of time managing vendor relationships and just-in-time purchasing to ensure a high level of customer service.

In a competitive market, pricing must be flexible. Compounding this challenge is the fact that many packaging products are petroleum-based and costs fluctuate with oil prices. Salespeople were spending too much time in the office gathering information about customers’ orders, item prices and costs.

Like most successful companies, Universal Packaging wanted to grow their business and was willing to make the investments to meet these challenges. But those investments had to bring efficiency that would deliver growth with profitability -- not growth for its own sake.

The solution
Working with RSM McGladrey consultants, Universal Packaging implemented Microsoft Great Plains® software -- a fully integrated suite of financial and distribution applications.
Our consultants worked closely with Universal Packaging’s key sales and management staff to fully understand their business, systems and challenges.

After developing a project plan, budget and timeline, RSM McGladrey began implementing the financial and distribution software.

The results
With Microsoft Great Plains, the purchase order generation process saw tremendous improvement. “The daily purchasing process that used to take us four hours now takes us five minutes,” says Brian Lachman, Director of Operations for Universal Packaging.

Taking advantage of the availability of data in the new SQL Server-based system, RSM McGladrey consultants helped Universal Packaging develop reports containing exactly what each salesperson needs to know. These two reports are sent to salespeople daily. Now, salespeople rarely come into the office, spending more time with customers and growing the business.

A major part of the system’s success is its ability to easily adapt to changes in the business and the market. The new system delivered the efficiencies Universal Packaging was seeking.

“We would have needed an additional seven to eight employees to support our current sales volume if we had not implemented
Microsoft Great Plains,” explains Lachman.