...UK’s largest white goods distributor to building industry invests in Strategix  supply chain expertise...

Strategix, a leading European software house dedicated to the development and rapid deployment of supply chain software for value-added distributors and service providers, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Arrow Distributors Ltd to implement OneOffice.  Arrow is the leading specialist supplier of electrical and gas appliances to the UK building industry, and has committed to a total overhaul of its entire supply chain system by Strategix.

Arrow’s current system is unable to support the company’s growing inventory, tracking, packing, and warehousing requirements - and for an organisation that holds over 23% per cent of the market, this is a problem that must be solved quickly.  One of the first needs Strategix will meet is to integrate Arrow’s two different supply models within one technology environment. The company operates on both a supply-only and supply and fit model, with 17 fitting teams, and more being recruited, undertaking an average of over 300 fits a week - which makes it essential to be able to track what needs to happen and when.

Tony Cassey, Operations Director at Arrow says, “To maintain our position in this fiercely competitive market, we need to run as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Our current system is unable to support the level of integration we require to maintain - let alone increase - our operating levels.  We are a results driven company and aim to grow our business year on year and Strategix OneOffice is the system that is going to help us do it.”

 “Strategix has a special focus on the building supplies sector, and building supplies distributors have come to recognise the advantages of working with us. Our ability to anticipate developments in the market, so our customers keep one step ahead and the fact that we deliver industry-specific solutions as standard are especially important for them.” comments Peter Lusty, Chief Executive, Strategix, “We know we can help Arrow meet its supply chain objectives and are delighted that the company has chosen to invest in OneOffice”

Past experience in this sector means that Strategix can be relied upon to deliver a well integrated supply chain system that gets the correct information to the relevant people at the right time - whether they be packing product on the warehouse floor, taking orders in the call centre, printing invoices in the finance department or fitting an oven at the installation site.

about OneOffice:
OneOffice is a new generation of supply chain software which combines operations, finance, customer and event management in one innovative system.

This seamless approach maintains a 360° real-time view of an organisation providing information as important events occur. Human intervention is automatically sought at critical junctures or if conditions unexpectedly change. This enables businesses to respond quickly and make informed decisions.

OneOffice has a component based design, enabling businesses to select a solution which is right for them using a single package. The OneOffice product suite includes:

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to streamline the 'back office'
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to improve service and increase sales
• Supply Chain Event Management (SCEM) to detect and respond to critical events inside and outside the business
• Supply Chain Management (SCM) to reduce costs and improve customer service by automating processes with customers and trading partners

The benefits of the OneOffice approach are many, including:

• Enhanced business efficiency, with software designed to meet the unique requirements of distribution businesses
• Outstanding customer service, by ensuring that every customer contact is valuable for both parties
• Improved responsiveness, by monitoring activities in real time and detecting opportunities and problems as they happen
• Feedback on the business, using dashboards to deliver summarised information in real time
• Streamlined back office, by creating an automated, low touch operation which - when conditions change - actively seeks human intervention
• Using one database and one intuitive user interface to avoid the significant cost and risk of integrating different vendors' software products into a hybrid system

about strategix
Strategix is a leading European software house, dedicated to the development and rapid deployment of supply chain software.

We focus on the wholesale and retail distribution, logistics and service sectors where our software maximizes supply chain efficiency and accelerates customer service. Our systems are designed for reliability, availability and performance. Our customers enjoy a rapid return on their investment and genuine competitive advantage.

Focused on key growth sectors which range from high technology to household and building products, Strategix numbers businesses such as Fired Earth, Fuller Smith & Turner, Jewson, London Underground, MacLean Electrical, Midwich, Routeco, Virgin Mobile and Wolseley among its customers.

about arrow distributors
For more information about Arrow Distributors Ltd, please go to www.arrow-distributors.co.uk

August 2003

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