DOORSET MANUFACTURER MOVES TO ACUMATICA, ENJOYS 24/7 ERP ACCESS

SITUATION

Hi Spec Doorsets is an innovative and well-respected manufacturing company in the UK, providing high quality doorsets for the construction industry. Prior to implementing Acumatica, the company ran a client/server-based system called EFACS. This was a traditional ERP package that never quite met expectations. The sales staff would have to wait until they returned to the office to update their leads, contacts, opportunities or sales orders, or they would do battle with some remote login software, or have to ask someone in the office to enter their information. This was extremely frustrating and wasted valuable time.

SOLUTION

Hi Spec launched Acumatica 3.0 in 2012, upgraded to 4.0 in March 2013, and recently stepped up again to 4.1, to take advantage of exciting new features such as drag and drop, quick search, and the one users love the most, Favorites.

First among the numerous advantages of Acumatica over their old system is the freedom of being browser-based, which allows them to work from anywhere, on any device. With Acumatica the sales staff can now get their information back to the office in minutes rather than days. As one salesman commented, “It is like having our ERP system travelling with us.”

This also makes an impression on the customers when they see how the new system works.

Another new feature for selected customers is automatic notifications: as soon as Acumatica is updated with shipment information the customer is informed, removing the need to phone
the customer and cutting costs. Since construction businesses must carefully watch their costs, Tim Patton, Hi Spec’s ICT Director, stated, “Two things instantly attracted me to the Acumatica model. One was the reduced costs in maintenance and the other was no user licensing…. In addition was the ease of use and intuitiveness of the system itself. If a system is easy to use, then it will get used
and that, ultimately, is what we want as a business. If you rely on your ERP to be the sole repository for your data and business logic, then it must be up-to-date at all times.” Another aspect that caught Tim’s eye was performance: “I am still getting used to drinking a coffee in Starbucks
while looking at our ERP, but that is the flexibility and usability that all companies should have now.”

At Hi Spec the new look and feel to Acumatica 4.0 was well-received. Upgrading is no longer an issue. As Tim said, “The mindset is completely different from old ERP, where you would lock down your system for years. Business evolves weekly, even daily, so why would we not evolve our ERP?”

BENEFITS

After working with Acumatica for a few months a Hi Spec user commented, “The old system was a bit like a landline; the new system is like using a smartphone. Both make the same calls, but you can do so much more with a smartphone.”

Up next for Hi Spec are projects to bring the JAMS manufacturing module online and giving key customers their own portal. This not only shows Hi Spec’s customers that the firm is investing in the future, but it also further reduces costs, as a customer can easily find information without calling the Hi Spec office. Hi Spec also has plans for a second and larger plant, which will require some custom tailoring of Acumatica, but the framework allows this without imposing unwanted restrictions.

As the first UK Acumatica site, Hi Spec has set the standard. With the support of the Acumatica ecosystem, the firm has managed to move to a SaaS-based cloud solution, free from the constraints of their older system. Their financials and distribution work well, the users are motivated, and they have many more features to bring online. All in all, a great success story for both Hi Spec and Acumatica.