Client Overview
Since 1994 Elite Tile Imports has been setting trends in the design industry, offering a unique collection of high quality and cutting edge products including; Porcelain tiles, Natural Stones, and mosaics to their distinguished clientele.
A family owned and operated company, Elite Tile Imports specializes in working with custom home builders, designers, and architects and has worked on internationally renowned projects.
The Challenge
Tile distribution and sales is a very competitive market. Elite Tile knows it can win customer loyalty and maintain a strong presence in the market given management’s detailed product knowledge and exclusive supply lines for high end tile products. The main issue was the existing information system that failed to provide accurate reporting of inventory and had few features to support staff in the growth of business at Elite Tile. The system was slow and crashed often. Management understood that they needed to replace the aging application and hardware with a more modern and comprehensive application designed around their business needs.
Much of the critical information was maintained outside of the main software application. Supplier product details and prices, order details and current inventory levels were difficult to assess from the existing software. This meant purchasing decisions could not be made confidently. When sourcing products from Europe and Asia, it was very difficult to accurately calculate inventory needs.
The Solution
Beckard Associates implemented the Masterworks Wholesale Distribution suite of software applications to automate and better manage the business information needs of the company. Regular reporting of sales and inventory changes were available to management. Purchasing functions could now be better planned with suppliers. Value of on-hand Inventory was lower and the fill rate for orders improved dramatically.
Management was able to plan inventory levels to better match what they were selling and what products they planned for future promotions. Resources were then used to bring in new product lines and expanded categories to increase overall revenue for the company. Sealants, glues, epoxies and resin finishes were all added to the catalogue. These complementary products allowed Elite Tile to gain more revenue from each tile sale.