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FH Chamberlain
Kerridge Commercial Systems Case Study
FH Chamberlain live on K8
FH Chamberlain is a large independent builders merchant based predominantly in the Pretoria area. Founded in 1903, it is one of the largest and most respected companies in the industry. Traditionally FH Chamberlain serviced the contractors market but has recently expanded into the DIY and retail sectors.
Time for Change
Before K8 was installed, FH Chamberlain had a strong
back offi ce system with retail and trading software
installed on servers at each of their branches. Morne Nell,
Retail Systems Manager of FH Chamberlain commented,
“Due to business growth and with increased interaction
of different systems and servers, we were losing key
transaction history and fi nancial detail. The consolidation,
from a head offi ce point of view, was a mess. As a result,
the need for a new system, one that could cope with the
demands of our daily business requirements, became
an extremely urgent matter. We required an immediate
solution!”
The selection process
Initially, FH Chamberlain tried to rectify their system’s shortcomings with their incumbent software supplier, but was advised, by them, that a new system was the best approach. It was on this recommendation that FH Chamberlain conducted a detailed analysis of 10 products, including K8, which quickly made it to the short list and was ultimately chosen.
An important factor in the decision process was that
FH Chamberlain wanted to deal directly with the software
provider and not through a value added reseller.
Another consideration was that with a new, more
advanced system, the company identifi ed that they
did not possess the necessary knowledge or resources
required to maintain the new system’s server themselves,
Morne commented “We wanted to pass as much of
the system management and technical responsibility to
*Kerridge Commercial Systems. We elected to have our K8 system hosted by *Kerridge Commercial Systems
in their data centre. *Kerridge Commercial Systems ensures that all back-ups are
maintained and all day to day system administration
functions are performed. This move has allowed us to
focus on our core business. *Kerridge Commercial Systems has provided us with a
complete business solution – and one that I believe sets
*Kerridge Commercial Systems apart from their competition.”
Benefits of K8
With the K8 system now in place, FH Chamberlain are
now able to provide their customers with a far superior
service at all points of contact. The company is also
benefi ting from greater control on margins and the
powerful stock management facility ensures the correct
breadth and depth of stock is carried by the business.
Morne States “Promotions and forecasting are a lot
easier now as the system allows quick and effi cient
access to vital data that can be called on to improve
profi t margins. We can’t stress enough that K8 is a system
for the builders’ merchant industry - the perfect fi t! The
great thing about it is that there is scope for us to take
its capabilities further and in particular, we are looking
forward to introducing the K8 e-commerce facilities in the
near future.”
Summary
It is clear that FH Chamberlain and *Kerridge Commercial Systems have much in
common. As with *Kerridge Commercial Systems, FH Chamberlain customers have
come to expect superior product and service levels.
FH Chamberlain expects to be able to run its business
using a computer system that supports and shares these
values. Morne concluded, “Through this approach, we
have been able to establish a mutually benefi cial business
relationship with *Kerridge Commercial Systems and we look forward to many years
of working with the company.”
“The FH Chamberlain implementation is an example of
how all new systems should be installed. The commitment
from the customer and having access to their
key resources was pivotal to this success, along with a
well planned and implemented associate and customer
change programme.” Des Nangle, Country Manager.
For further information on any of the products and services Kerridge Commercial Systems can provide, please contact our sales team: Phone: 011 998 6000 email: k8info@kerridgecs.com