Crossroad Distributor Source Fishbowl Manufacturing Solution
Customer Company Size
SME
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Fishbowl Manufacturing
Tech Stack
- QuickBooks
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Cost Savings
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Inventory Management Systems
- Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Predictive Replenishment
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
About The Customer
Crossroad Distributor Source (CDS) was founded in 2004 by Scott Campbell, a 25-year veteran in industrial and aerospace fasteners. CDS is a master distributor serving over 500 industrial, aerospace, electronic and fastener distributors throughout North America. Their 4,500 line items include specialty thread inserts, blind rivets, as well as fastener and engineering reference books. The company has five employees and a network of eleven manufacturer’s representative agencies across North America. With products sourced both domestically and globally, the purchasing function takes on an important dimension in their ability to meet customer demand and expectation. The competition is keen, so it is imperative that the company run a lean operation and focus on performance and high customer service standards to give it a sustainable competitive advantage.
The Challenge
In 2008, Crossroad Distributor Source (CDS) realized that it was outgrowing QuickBooks as an inventory management solution. The company needed distribution centers in other cities, and QuickBooks as a standalone was not an option. Other issues were identified, such as customer- and volume-specific pricing models, key performance indicators, such as on-time delivery, fill rate, and traceability recordkeeping that had to be satisfied. Additionally, CDS had made a decision to bring in house all of its kit assembly, and needed a robust software package to address all these concerns. The biggest challenge was cost. Many of the accounting and inventory management software systems used in the industry were costly, often costing a minimum of $15,000 before you actually got what you wanted. At this point in the young company’s history, that sort of expenditure was impractical.
The Solution
Casey Campbell, General Manager of CDS, identified Fishbowl as a potential solution. The fact that it would integrate with QuickBooks was a strong advantage. In investigating the software, Casey was very impressed by the Fishbowl reps with their proactive responsiveness. In the first call to Fishbowl, the rep led Casey through the GoToMeeting presentation where he could see how the user interface worked. When he saw how easy it was to use, and how cost effective the product would be, the decision-making process was considerably shortened. Once the product was in hand and installed, CDS began the process of moving its inventory information from QuickBooks to Fishbowl. Detailed pre-planning had determined how they wanted inventory records coded. The next step was customizing reports so that the company could predict sales turnover and improve the reordering process. With Fishbowl reorder reports and auto-PO feature, orders can be placed with the click of a mouse. They were also able to immediately create “external” warehouses and begin the transfer of inventory. Fishbowl makes it very easy and efficient to transfer inventory between warehouses.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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