The Solution
Every location has a unique individual number so that everything is maintained separately. Said Dennis Villano, IT Manager, Long Island Pipe, “All the company’s locations run on VAI S2K Enterprise and is managed as a distinct entity, has its own inventory and accounting system, and is tied in through a network. We have an MPLS network that's tied in, with voiceover IP systems, phones, and the IT department in Salem, New Hampshire, runs things very smoothly. The IBM Power server is just phenomenal. The system's been in place for quite a few years, and we haven't had a glitch yet.”
The company uses VAI’s manufacturing application, which has proved very beneficial for the accounting department as well as the production shops themselves. Accounting can move inventory from one site to another, do adjustments, and handle financial transactions.
Mobile tablets enable the team to process order entry, accounts receivable, point-of-sale, and customer relationship management, which has been helpful in tracking leads and prospect status.
Everything is automated, which has translated to big cost savings for the company with real-time inventory updates, providing an accurate status of what’s in stock. Orders are printed immediately, if needed, including those that come in through mobile devices, which then go back to the warehouse for picking and shipment.
In the warehouse, every item is barcoded, scanned, and uploaded to the system. After that, the item's position is scanned. Everything is simple to keep track of with the inventory program. With inventory ranging from valves and fittings that are one inch, one and a quarter, one and a half, and two inches, in the past, the wrong fitting would be pulled to fill an order. Now, with barcoded items, if the incorrect items are scanned, the system will flag the scanner.
“We can see within the order what we sold our product for at a previous price and can price the order accordingly, so we have much fewer mistakes or problems with the customer,” said Jack Rioux, Regional Manager at Long Island Pipe. “It helps the customer a lot. The time it used to take to place an order would be about 10 minutes, whereas now it will take 40 seconds. The software gives you so much more information and makes your job a lot easier. Overall, it's a great system. And the guys that I talked with in our younger group love it.”
When a customer calls Long Island Pipe, they are given real-time information on what's on hand, what's on order, and if they're looking for a certain number. “We also have a very sophisticated transfer system,” continued Villano. “Long Island Pipe uses the location transfer that the offices can do between one another, along with the automated suggested transfer system within VAI. Instead of running a purchase order for a vendor, the system will run it for one of the offices. The system allows the company to pull inventory from one office location to another if an item is in excess at a certain location.”
Long Island Pipe can move the item rather than purchasing it because its trucks are already traveling from place to place. Rather than having to buy more of that item, they can load the inventory onto the truck and drive it back to the place that needs it.
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