With each client, VAI takes a concierge approach, Parry says. Its employees focus on getting to know the company and its goals. Then, multiple VAI teams work with the company as it pursues its objectives. For example, a mobile team might help the client execute its mobile goals, while an analytics team assists the company in developing relevant reports and performance metrics. VAI can also customize its software to meet a client’s needs, calling on its 46 years of development to guide its efforts. Many companies that work with VAI are looking for greater visibility and control, which enables them to more effectively invest in their inventory, Parry says. VAI’s enhanced demand planning module is embedded within the ERP system and works with real-time information. The system can help users identify the products in stock, which are selling, which need to be re-ordered, and when to make the purchases. This information boosts efficiency and can help companies better meet customer demands. “That’s a big bang for their buck,” Parry says. PREPPING FOR CHANGE The 18 months prior to going live with the VAI S2K ERP solution were busy ones for Andrews and his colleagues, as well as the team at VAI. Among other roles, the VAI team helped Andrews understand how the system would work. Andrews also spent about one year gaining enough “polished and shined data” that could be entered into the system and used for practice, he says. He and his coworkers began organizing the warehouses, placing products in bins to replicate the workflow and organization that would apply once Kinnunen went live with VAI. “We changed the cadence with how our warehouse employees worked,” he says. In contrast to some technology system implementations, many Kinnunen employees were excited about the changes, and particularly the opportunity to shift from paper to the mobile devices they’d use in the warehouse. Andrews also spent about six months gathering input from department managers. For instance, they’d check that the serial numbers in S2K matched
Kinnunen required a robust ERP solution to better track and sell products. The company wanted real-time insight into inventory so it could provide customers high-quality service.
Building for Growth THE CHALLENGES
Kinnunen, which offers construction supplies and services, had outgrown its ERP system. It needed a more robust system that could accommodate continued growth, as well as the company’s range of business lines, including the sales, service, rental, and repair of construction equipment and supplies.
THE SOLUTION VAI’s S2K ERP solution.
THE RESULTS ● Enable more accurate and timely inventory management. ● Reduce stockouts.
● Cut approximately in half the time required to pick products for orders. ● Provide customers the ability to accomplish more through the online portal. ● Shorten employee training time from about six months to several days. NEXT STEPS Enhance the functions available through the customer portal and potentially integrate rental capabilities into the online function.
Such practice was critical, given that Kinnunen was going to stop its old system on a Saturday and open with the new one on Monday. Moreover, the system handles multiple functions, including retail point of sale, pickups, and deliveries. Even with solid preparation and practice, it was impossible to entirely avoid a few hiccups when Kinnunen launched the new system, Andrews says. To address them, three VAI employees remained on-site at Kinnunen for the first week after
Kinnunen’s live inventory and that open orders were converting correctly from the old system into S2K. Once VAI developed a test version of Kinnunen’s ERP system, the Kinnunen team would come in on weekends to practice running orders through the point-of-sale system. Employees practiced handling different “what-if” scenarios, such as how a phone order would be entered into the system. “We did a lot of mock go-lives,” Andrews recalls.
54 Inbound Logistics • November 2024
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