Buck & Hickman go live on *Kerridge Commercial Systems K8 Business Management Software

Buck & Hickman, part of The BSS Group plc implemented a 550 user K8 system in December 2008 – the installation went live in a single step implementation across all 32 branches and the company’s national distribution centre.

The BSS Group plc, a leading distributor to specialist trades acquired Buck & Hickman - the UK’s leading distributor of tools, maintenance and health and safety products from Premier Farnell plc in 2007. Following the acquisition, the group urgently needed to review the existing Buck & Hickman systems. The requirements specified a system that would be able to integrate seamlessly with its other business applications, such as the newly implemented STEP (Stibo catalogue’s software that manages product content) and a new e-commerce web solution from Snow Valley and Mercado.

Mike Spalding, BSS Group IT director stated, “We chose K8 as the strategic transaction system for the BSS Group and once we had confirmation that it had the necessary integration capabilities, we made the decision to deploy K8 throughout Buck & Hickman. The pressure was on to complete the interfaces, install K8 and be ready to move off the legacy Farnell systems within 18 months of the acquisition. I am delighted to report that the objective has been met, a real credit to the hard work and commitment of our staff and the *Kerridge Commercial Systems team.”

The integration process was achieved using K8’s powerful DX (Data Exchange) module. Trading with the K8 solution meant all the existing interfaces could be incorporated seamlessly, linking data through K8 creating a completely integrated environment. All the interfacing modules are now generating sales orders into K8.

Howard Luft, managing director, Buck & Hickman, said “We are using a wealth of K8 functionality throughout the business including full ‘Electronic Funds Transfer’ (EFT) in credit, debit and purchase cards. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is submitting sales orders and invoices generated within K8 across to trading partners. These facilities are saving us time and money and help us to provide a better service to our customers.“

The Buck & Hickman national distribution centre is benefiting from the K8 Warehouse Management System to control movement and storage of stock. Hand-held terminals connected via wi-fi are accessing K8 to provide more accurate booking-in and put-away processes. The K8 Contact Management System has also been implemented to help manage some of Buck & Hickman’s business processes.

Ian Bendelow, managing director, *Kerridge Commercial Systems, explained, “The Buck & Hickman implementation proves that we offer a ‘best of breed’ solution which provides an ‘out of the box’ fit for our customers, who are then able to achieve a quicker return of investment.”

Ends

About Kerridge Commercial Systems and K8

With over 30 years experience, *Kerridge Commercial Systems and its flagship software, K8, has continued to offer a comprehensive business management solution for the building supplies industry. *Kerridge Commercial Systems seeks to support its customers with tools which improve efficiency, reduce cost, provide superior customer service and increase profitability.  K8 offers a wealth of integrated functionality including: fast sales order processing, CRM , e-commerce and purchase order control; stock, delivery and warehouse management, works orders, financials, business reporting and management information.

The BSS Group

The BSS Group plc is a market leading distributor to specialist trades. It has three
Divisions: Domestic, Industrial and Specialist. The BSS Group turns over in excess of
£1.2 billion operates through 400 trading branches and employs over 5,000 people. It is headquartered in Leicester and is listed on the UK Stock Exchange.

Buck & Hickman
Buck & Hickman is the UK’s leading supplier of tools, maintenance and health and safety products offering 60,000 products to order today and use tomorrow. 
The Roebuck brand is exclusive to Buck & Hickman and offers a comprehensive range of over 23,000 tools, maintenance and health and safety products.  Roebuck products are designed specifically for professional users working in demanding industrial environments. 

For further information regarding The BSS Group and Buck & Hickman please contact Catherine Ashworth or Rose Kilby at Willoughby PR on 0115 924 7132 or email catherinea@ Willoughby-pr.co.uk or rosek@willoughby-pr.co.uk