Warehouse Management Success with Blytheco and DCWarehouse
Pyramex is a wholesale distributor of safety glasses and equipment, and imports many of their products.
Smooth and efficient warehouse operations are critical for Pyramex due to their large volumes; they ship up to 600 packages per day.
Their old accounting system lacked needed functionality for complex warehouse management, requiring Pyramex to use a separate Access database as a shipping system. As a result, inventory data was inefficiently maintained in two separate systems. The Access database managed large numbers of transactions and would frequently become corrupted, meaning data would be lost. UPS and Fedex charges and tracking details were stored in additional stand-alone machines. The end result was a collection of disjointed and/or inaccurate systems with no communication between them. Performing data entry and inquiry using these separate systems was time-consuming for staff and led to errors and compromised customer service.
Inventory management was also a challenge for Pyramex. Since shipping, tracking, sales and inventory level data were all in separate systems that were not updated consistently, representatives could not accurately provide real-time order information to customers.
Managing growth over the longer term was also a goal. The company customarily enjoys fifteen to twenty percent growth year-over-year, and required a system that could accommodate corresponding increases in user counts, transaction volumes and functionality needs.
Pyramex manages a high volume of small orders each day and required a fully-integrated, efficient ERP and warehouse management system. They face relatively long lead times (70 days) for their imported products, and thus have to be able to accurately forecast inventory levels using sales and purchasing data. MAS 500 and DCWarehouse enabled them to have all needed functionality (shipping, bin tracking, replenishment, forecasting, and analysis) in one system achieve the level of efficiency they needed.
The fact that Pyramex, with Blytheco's consulting assistance, could achieve their implementation goals with a small 3 or 4 person team who were still able to perform their "day jobs" (along with their project-related duties) was reassuring to Project Manager Travis Slater, who had unfortunately experienced a much more expensive and less successful software implementation with a previous employer. A major milestone occurred on the first day after going online with the system, when they shipped over 2,000 packages. This remarkably high volume of shipments assured the company that they made the right choice in moving to an integrated MAS 500 system. Additionally, Pyramex puts a high value on responsiveness; the company promises that any orders placed by 4pm ship the same day. The realization that they had met this promise 600 days straight was another major achievement post-implementation.
Improved visibility into all of the company's operations has been a major benefit of the implementation for
Pyramex staff and customers. Salespeople can now fulfill orders correctly, giving their customers better information about order status. The system can automatically email shipping information (tracking numbers, arrival dates) to customers who want the data, so they can be assured of their order's progress.
The benefits of greater visibility into and control of inventory has greatly improved customer service. Representatives can view accurate, real-time inventory counts and manage customer orders accordingly using the Sage system. Pyramex also appreciates the business intelligence tools in the system, which allow them to have a "wealth of information" at their fingertips, according to Slater.
Over the last 15 years, Pyramex has experienced phenomenal growth. Through a combination of outstanding products, service, personnel and a reliable network of distributors, Pyramex has become one of the top four manufacturers of safety spectacles. Their Sage system supports this growth by enabling greater efficiencies, accountability and visibility with in a system that can grow with their needs.
Visit our website to learn more about the features of MAS 500 and DCWarehouse, or contact us by phone at 800.455.1368, extension 2501 or email solutions@blytheco.com.
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