Success Stories

Steve Horgan remembers when customers simply ordered fasteners in lots of one million at a time. "The trickiest thing about the order is that the customer would want 500,000 right away, and another 500,000 in three months," laughs Horgan, an executive at NSK Industries, an Ohio-based fastener wholesaler. "We didn't know how good we had it."

Today, customers want more. "They may - or may not - buy a million fasteners, but they want you to have them on hand for them at all times," he says. "And they want you to manage their inventory or supply them on a just-in-time basis."

In addition to demanding these value-added services, customers shop around for the best price, leaving companies like NSK searching for ways to increase efficiencies to maintain profit margins.

Prophet 21 version 10.5, the latest release of Activant's Windows-based, SQL Server solution, includes features and functionality that help fastener distributors like NSK streamline operations so they can offer what customers want - without sacrificing service or profits.

Store Unlimited RFQs

Unlike traditional industrial distributors that might negotiate contracts on a yearly basis, fastener wholesalers must often request quotes from their suppliers each time they place an order. "I can't just place a PO with any of my vendors, because I can never count on getting the same price," says Horgan. "Each time I buy a cap screw from one of my vendors, the price changes."

Prophet 21 helps track and organize multiple requests for quotes (RFQs) by allowing distributors to create - and access - the RFQs directly from order and sales quote entry. Distributors can retain information about any quote for as long as they deem necessary - and can associate an unlimited number of RFQs to any item. "We can use that information to help evaluate and determine the best price for our customers," Horgan says. "And when that turns into an order, it's easy to turn those RFQs into vendor POs. It definitely takes a lot of steps out of the process."

Improve Traceability Data

Traceability is extremely important in the fastener industry. "We have to be able to access quality control reports quickly," Horgan says. "If someone has a problem with one of our products and we can't get to this information, it can shut down a line or stop production. And that means we lose a customer."

Prophet 21 includes a feature that allows distributors to easily store and retrieve lot information. The solution offers the ability to scan documents at the lot level - and make that document accessible from several areas in the solution. "To be able to access those documents instantaneously - instead of digging through archives to find them "is a huge productivity enhancer," Horgan says.

A Wireless Solution

Another solution Horgan takes advantage of is Activant's Wireless Warehouse Management solution. A complementary product released with Prophet 21 10.5, this solution uses wireless technology to streamline all warehouse processes - from picking and receiving, to cycle counting and adjustments. With the Wireless Warehouse Solution, a wireless hand-held device communicates with Prophet 21 to send real-time information about who picks, receives, puts away, and ships inventory for improved accuracy, control, and efficiency.

"Because it automates a lot of the tasks many distributors still do with a pencil and clipboard, they can reallocate resources to service-oriented tasks," Horgan says. "This technology has enabled us to add more SKUs to our warehouse and customers to our database without hiring extra employees."

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