VAI's Pete Zimmerman to Explore AI During Session at ISSA Show North America 2024

Ronkonkoma, N.Y. – October 14, 2024 – VAI, a leading ERP software developer, announced its Global Sales Manager, Pete Zimmerman, will present at the ISSA North America 2024, an annual event produced in partnership by Informa Markets and the Industrial Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), the worldwide cleaning industry association. ISSA North America is the leading platform for manufacturers, distributors, and facility service providers to connect, do business, and share information. The 2024 event will be held November 17 – 21 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Zimmerman will be presenting, Using AI to Optimize Purchasing, Inventory, and Sales for Distributors, on November 20, 2024, from 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. During the Session, Zimmerman will look at how Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to process, learn from, and produce useful results. He will review how AI drives success within ERP applications enabling companies to better conduct sales forecasting to plan inventory and improve purchasing decisions, using historical data over several years.  

In this session, Zimmerman will explore how AI can:

• Boost Sales by analyzing trends in sales data, across customers and over time, to spot trends. AI can increase sales by examining vendor, item, and sales team performance in addition to analyzing customer trends. AI can help sales people perform more effective sales follow ups.
• Improve inventory by tracking sales trends and ensuring that the right stock is always in the right warehouse. AI can recommend optimal purchase suggestions to buyers to ensure on time delivery and fulfill customer demand. AI optimizes inventory management by tracking sales patterns, predicting future demand, and identifying slow-moving products. Inventory management leveraging AI improves order fulfillment rates, reduces carrying costs, and minimizes the risk of stockouts or overstocking for wholesale distributors.
• Optimize purchasing and sales efforts with AI becoming more powerful in corporate processes and management tools, and it has the potential to replace a lot of the tedious and time-consuming jobs that employees once had to endure. Additional time may be used to establish rapport with clients at every stage of the supply chain, offer them insights based on data, and position your business as a leader in the industry.

This session will explore how AI can assist Supply and Demand Planning in the following ways:

• Cost reduction by consolidating purchase orders and smart buys - how much to buy if a price increase is coming, how much to buy if lead times are expected to change.
• Improved customer service and service standards by reducing out of stock items.
• Merged vendors and categories to meet freight - AI can recommend the additional purchase of items from vendors to meet minimum fright requirements - reducing overall product cost.
• Item suggestion detail giving with profile exploration and thorough data review.
• Ability to manage multiple warehouses.
• Optimization of nonstock, special-order item.

"I'm thrilled to give a presentation at the ISSA North American 2024 event," Zimmerman declared. "VAI has a number of customers in the cleaning industry, and since ISSA is a leader in that field, it's critical that we communicate the value of AI in helping JanSan, paper, and packaging distributors better optimize their purchasing, inventory, and sales requirements. AI-driven insights can be the difference for businesses striving to boost revenue, elevate customer service, and achieve a competitive edge in the market.”

Pete Zimmerman is the Global Sales Manager at VAI, with over 35 years of experience in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software development and implementation. An IBM Certified Specialist and renowned industry expert, Pete has shared his knowledge at numerous conferences and trade shows. He’s a regular host of webinars and events, where he engages and delights attendees through his insight, wisdom, and humor. His impressive work earned him the title of Industry Pro to Know by Supply and Demand Chain Executive, and he is regularly quoted in industry publications.

ISSA is the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning, hygiene, and facility management industry. The organization covers the entire industry – from the manufacturers and associate manufacturers, through the distribution and wholesale chains, to the professionals who clean our buildings, homes, public spaces, and transportation systems every day. For more information, visit https://www.issa.com/.

For more information about the conference, visit the ISSA North America 2024 website.  

About VAI

VAI is a leading independent mid-market ERP software developer renowned for its flexible solutions and ability to automate critical business functions for the distribution, manufacturing, retail, and service sectors. VAI's software solutions are backed by a wealth of experience and a reputation for excellence that countless companies rely on. With specific ERP solutions for hard goods, food, and pharmaceutical companies, VAI has helped some of the most recognized companies address key industry requirements and deliver bottom-line results. VAI continues to innovate with new solutions that leverage business intelligence, analytics, mobility, and cloud technology to help customers make more informed business decisions and empower their mobile workforce. For more information, visit https://www.vai.net.