When searching for an ERP System, finding a flexible system that can be customized to your needs is key. The fact is, no matter how great an ERP system is out of the box, your company has some unique business processes that you will want to include in your system.
Recently Frederick Block, Brick, & Stone (FBBS), a building supply company in Virginia, needed to replace their legacy ERP system. After extensive research, they chose Acumatica, even though it was not customized for the building supply industry.
Steve Slaughter, President/CEO of Frederick Block, Brick & Stone said, “When it came down to the final two choices, Epicor was customized to our industry, and Acumatica was not. If this was something we were choosing for the short term, it may have made more sense to go with the industry-specific solution. But we wanted a system that we felt could grow with us, so we would not have to go this process again for another 20 years. Acumatica, by far, seemed a better choice in that regard. It was a better long-term play.”
They were able to make this choice because they knew their Acumatica partner, CAL Business Solutions could create what they needed.
Let's take a closer look at two key features CAL was able to build into Acumatica for this building supply company.
Anticipated Discounts
Contractors that purchase from a building supply usually company have an open account. Rather than paying after each purchase, they charge it to their account and at the end of the month, they receive a statement showing all the invoices and the total amount owed. At FSSB, they offer the contractor a discount if they pay quickly. Acumatica does not come with a feature to calculate and show these anticipated discounts on the invoice. FBBS explained the situation and the team at CAL was able to build this within Acumatica. More details.
Units of Measure
Another issue that FBBS ran into was finding a way to calculate the units of measure that a building supply company uses. Rather than buying a fixed number of items, contractors buy a product to cover a particular area of space. Acumatica comes equipped to handle items sold by the foot or square foot, but what FBBS needed was something more specific. As suppliers of bricks, blocks, and stones, FBBS needed a feature that could calculate not just square foot, but space square foot and band. These terms are specific to the masonry business and help determine the exact amount of product a contractor would need to complete their job. FBBS needed a feature in Acumatica that could calculate these specific units of measurements so that they would know exactly how much of a product to sell and present to their contractors. The team at CAL created this functionality in Acumatica. More details.
Steve says, “The areas where Acumatica lacked something out of the box that we needed for the building supply industry, such as complex units of measure and anticipated discounts, CAL Business Solutions was able to create it to meet our needs. Acumatica gives us so many options for the future. There are a lot of features that we don’t utilize right now, but thinking ahead to where our business may be five years from now, we feel like we have a system that we can easily add to and grow with over time.”
FBBS is happy with their transition to Acumatica. By working with CAL Business Solutions, they now have a flexible cloud based ERP system that delivers what they need, customized just for them.
To read the full success story visit www.calszone.com/frederick
If you would like to discuss how Acumatica can work in your industry, contact CAL Business Solutions, sales@calszone.com or 860-485-0910 x4.
By CAL Business Solutions, Acumatica, and Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner, www.calszone.com
