Founded in 1983 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Benshaw Inc. has risen to the top of its industry in the production of reduced voltage, solid-state motor controls and advanced drive controls. A truly multi-national enterprise, Benshaw maintains state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities as well as sales and service centers throughout the United States, Canada, South America, and Asia. Despite a high-profile client base including General Motors, Ford Motor Company, United States Steel, Shell, Exxon/Mobil, and others, Benshaw realized that competing successfully over the long term required that it shore up its technology infrastructure and add new e-commerce capabilities.
Integrated Business Solution Needed to Enhance Profitability
Dave Richey, information systems manager at Benshaw, wanted to add several elements to the company's existing business infrastructure in order to help it realize its full potential. Topping the list was a fully integrated e-commerce solution that could integrate with Benshaw's existing Sage Accpac ERP accounting package and MISys Manufacturing System, a manufacturing add-on solution offering seamless integration with Sage Accpac.
"We knew that we needed an end-to-end business solution in order to have the company running on all cylinders. To stay competitive in today's market and maintain a high level of customer service, we needed the capability to effectively integrate and manage the financial, operational, and manufacturing activities of our remote locations, plus add integrated Web store capabilities that would facilitate online customer ordering," says Richey.
Remote Locations Share Data in Real Time
The new solution also had to unite Benshaw's remote locations throughout the United States and Canada so that employees on the network could share data in real time. Richey turned to Sage Software partner Applied Data Solutions (ADS) for help upgrading and expanding Benshaw's current business and manufacturing system. ADS assessed Benshaw's system requirements and devised a cost-effective implementation plan. After upgrading Sage Accpac and expanding the network operating system environment to include a Citrix-based system, Benshaw successfully gained remote access to its off-site locations.
Accpac eTransact Elevates Profitability
The next step in Benshaw's technology makeover included launching the online store. "As long as we were lacking a Web store, we were losing revenues and risking our competitive advantage," Richey says. "We evaluated several Web store software vendors, but only Accpac eTransact offered seamless integration with our existing environment."
With Accpac eTransact in place, Benshaw customers can place orders over the Web and data flows directly into the Sage Accpac Inventory Control, Order Entry, and Accounts Receivable modules, eliminating potential data entry errors. According to Fran Livingston, president at Benshaw, "Accpac eTransact has generated an additional 10 percent of revenue that we would have never received otherwise. We now have a significant competitive advantage due to the implementation of the Web store."
Integration and Innovation Lead the Way
The functionality and integration between Sage Accpac and MISys has given Benshaw a system that is powerful, versatile, and expandable. Benshaw has also taken full advantage of Sage Software's world-class, object-oriented, multi-tiered architecture by developing in-house systems that tightly integrate with the Sage Accpac and MISys databases. For example, Benshaw developed a Customer Service Management system that integrates with Sage Accpac. It has also implemented a First Pass Yield System, an Automated Proposal System, and an E-Procurement System. Under development is an Electronic Documentation System.
