The BlueBay module, developed in house by Blue Rock Systems as an additional module for its Intact software, allows users to seamlessly import orders, new customers and email address to their back office system.  Mike Parker, Techincal Director at Buyaparcel.com told us “We download roughly 500 orders a day. Prior to Bluebay this job would have taken hours, if not days, and curtailed our net profit considerably…..Now the job takes 10-15 minutes and we have gained complete control on this side of the business”

Blue Rock Systems have been nominated for 3 awards:

BT Retail Week Technology Awards - Category: Venda Multichannel Integration of the Year

MicroScope ACEs - Category: Technology: Software

IT Europa Awards - Category: Technology Solution of the Year

The awards come on the back of a number of high profile wins and are recognition of excellence in the industry. The awards put Blue Rock Systems on the same platform as worldwide giants like Fujitsu, and BT to name a few.  Sales Director Glen Jewell said ‘It’s a real honour for Blue Rock to be nominated for such illustrious awards and to be recognised by our fellow peers in the industry.”, with managing director George Troullis adding, “It’s fantastic to see a great piece of software like BlueBay being acknowledged on a national and international platform. It’s also great for the team to have all their hard work recognised.”

The awards will take place 19^th June 2012, NA, 30 May 2012 respectively.  You can also vote for Blue Rock Systems in the MicroScope ACEs here

For more information on BlueBay or to book a demo Call0800 082 0403 or email sales@bluerocksystems.co.uk

PVC Building Supplies and their bathroom showroom Sovereign Bathrooms have been supplying national builders, independent plumbers and retail customers through central Southern England for over 30 years. This family run business originally started by husband and wife Barry and Christine Wright now continues its successful path under the management team of Spencer Wright and sister Jenny. The company now employs 34 full time staff, operates 6 trucks and has an approximate turn over of £ 6 million.

The Issue:

PVC had successfully used the same character based Xeres software system for virtually 20 years. This provided the company with robust and quick order processing, stock control and financials but lacked the ability to provide timely management figures, key performance indicators and advanced stock management routines. In addition, as anyone will tell you who has visited their site in Southampton, PVC pride themselves on their appearance and the documentation produced by the old system was “dated” and just did not portray the company at its best. More recently , convoluted and complex, rebate agreements from suppliers made the task of generating accurate profit figures virtually impossible – a position that Managing Director Spencer Wright just could not accept.

“We have been supported by the team at Blue Rock for two decades and we could not fault the relationship, especially over the last 6 years when Blue Rock started up. However as time has progressed it became apparent that forcing older technology to perform in the same manner as modern software is just not practical with the net result that our business couldn’t , effectively put in the control and generate the analysis that we needed”.

“To be fair to Blue Rock prospect of upgrading our systems was never pressed upon us, but information had been provided and we knew many of their customers who used the Intact software product that they supplied and supported. The realisation that we needed to invest to keep ahead of the competition and to resolve some fundamental issues that we were experiencing led me to decide to upgrade and we took that decision in October of 2011”.

“I have to say that although we knew Blue Rock exceptionally well, that they knew our current system inside and out and they had a track record and references to back up their claims that I, in particular, and my management team were full of trepidation  at the prospect of replacing our old “friend” Xeres for a brand new system”.

The Process

After a series of demonstrations and contracts agreed a review of the clients’ detailed requirements was carried out, despite the long term relationship . Much emphasis was placed on the rebate requirements and ensuring that PVC’s customers would not detect a reduction in the services that they had grown accustomed to. Equal emphasis was taken to ensure that all the data transfer was pre mapped between the systems – a task never to be under estimated.

Once the review was documented and agreed the project started in earnest and careful, control by Blue Rocks and PVC’s project manager ensured that all the training plans, steps and tasks were adhered to and met. Concurrently new hardware servers were configured and installed and this considerable capital investment was implemented over the ensuing 4 months.

“I made it clear to my team from the start why we were doing this”, continues Spencer. “ A memo, and some meetings were held, well before implementation to ensure that, as individuals, they would take up the challenge of training and testing and embrace the technology for the good of us all. On reflection, getting them “on board” was entirely the right thing to do and my team, I am proud to say, put their backs into the task without complaint or detraction from their day to day jobs”.

“On the flip side I requested which consultant from Blue Rock I wanted on the project and he and his team just took the pain out of the process”

The Result

“So, 5 months on we are operating well with the new Intact system with 22 users. It was installed on time and to budget and, most importantly, without disruption to our business.” “I had no gripes from the staff and although we have yet to embrace all of the wonderful routines and functionality  we are experiencing some very early gains from the system and the future appears bright”.

“And, if any other merchant in a similar position were to ask me for advice I would say once you have carried out proper due diligence with the supplier and software make sure that you “own house is in order” and ensure that the staff are positive and that they test and train avidly  – you will reap the rewards”

Spencer Wright, Managing Director, PVC Building Supplies

Robert Lee Distribution Limited are a leading supplier of bathrooms, showers, plumbing and kitchen equipment to the merchant and showroom markets in the UK. This multi branch wholesaler is managed from their Head Office in Waltham Abbey, Hertfordshire with 95,000 square feet of warehousing space and has seen sustained growth over the last ten years. Their 27,000 product lines are available for next working day delivery.

The Issue:

Robert Lee has evolved processes specifically aimed at providing the best customer service available and whilst this has underpinned their growth they feel their ambitions are now inadequately supported by their current software systems and infrastructure. Best of Breed solutions have been integrated but fail to deliver the single company interface that Robert Lee desires and cannot easily be adapted to tackle areas that the company now perceives as critical to future expansion plans.

“We’ve adapted systems quickly and continually to improve efficiency and customer service levels and whilst we will consider best practice in standard software we will not accept it if it does not help us achieve our goals,” explained Tim Wayman, Managing Director. “Robert Lee is managed by an excellent team that have been with us for many years, but the business systems that support our success have effectively been out grown and cannot keep pace with our escalating demands.”

The Solution:

Having decided to replace its current system, Robert Lee evaluated a number of solutions and spent several months meeting with potential suppliers and their respective business systems. “Virtually all of the systems that we assessed would provide distinct advantages over our current situation but even after a dozen demonstrations we didn’t quite see the future for Robert Lee until Blue Rock demonstrated the Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution. Developing this solution with Blue Rock to fulfil our particular and quite demanding service orientated requirements then became a clear path for us to follow. It wasn’t just seeing the flexibility and potential of the solution first hand that impressed us, but it also provided us with confirmation that Blue Rock clearly understood our requirements and had the capability to deliver them.” concluded Tim Wayman.

The late Melvyn Worman setup New City Heating 38 years ago in the picturesque town of Bletchley, near Milton Keynes. Today, his sons Adrian and Ian run the £ 5 million business with 6 branches across the region and have grown with the reputation that -if it is required-it is in stock at New Ciity. Today the company compliments their traditional plumbing and heating merchants business with high end bathroom showrooms catering for both retail and trade customers.

The Issue:

As the business has grown the  task of keeping a “finger on the pulse” has become more difficult . For Adrian and Ian to maximise their potential they decided, after 38 years of using no more then pen and pad, that it was high time to install a business system suitable for their industry.

A timely sales call and subsequent letter from Blue Rock set the ball in motion and the brothers at New City we’re impressed with Blue Rock’s client list and when they took the opportunity to contact some existing customers they were equally reassured by the level of service that the Blue Rock customers had received.

“Our first demonstration of Intact really was impressive and the issues that we faced on a day to day basis were readily solved by the standard software. I guess we should have looked at other options but our initial reaction to the software, the references and the team at Blue Rock gave us the upmost confidence. Our trust has not been misplaced and now that we are live on the new system we are starting to see the benefits come into fruition—even after 4 weeks!”

Thanks to a great start to the year it’s all hands to the deck at Blue Rock and as a result Managing Director, George Troullis  took the lead role of consultant at the New City installation.

“George really knows his software and we were pleased to have his involvement throughout. The go live was a real anti climax with no
business disruption. It’s early days but we already have gained the control that we needed. The software is transparent and instant and now we can predict and deal with business issues as and when they occur”.

“ We are progressively using more and more of the software to improve our credit control and stock management. So much has changed in the last 4 weeks” concluded Adrian, Director at New City.

Glen Jewell (Left), George Troullis (Centre), Lance Norton (Right)

  You can’t choose your family but you can choose your associates and friends!

Over the last 25 years colleagues George Troullis, Managing Director (centre),  Lance Norton, Commercial Director (right) and Glen Jewell, Sales Director (left) have worked together and have made the transition from independent, customer focused organisation through to Plc and back again. The last step, taken in 2005, when they formed Blue Rock Systems sees a return to their core values which has underpinned the steady growth of this forward thinking supplier of business software systems to small and medium sized distributors and merchants.

Working together has been a choice which has been echoed by the rest of the Blue Rock team which boasts an incredibly low turn-over of staff.

“I’m not saying that we don’t have disagreements from time to time but we all share the same vision for our company and its customers”, stated George Troullis. “The Blue Rock Team have not only worked together for the best part of a quarter of a century but we also look after customers from way back then. I strongly believe that the combination of innovation and service backed by our enviable levels of consistency has provided both staff and customers with the peace of mind that they require. I, Lance and Glen are proud of what we have achieved over the last 6 years in this competitive market place but recognise that it is the group of talented individuals at Blue Rock that have made it possible”.

Buyaparcel.com began trading on eBay back in 2004 selling packaging materials, small gifts and the occasional plumbing product. Originally they traded on Ebay with the intent to get some more movement into their new online venture. Several years later and their eBay presence is a major part of their business.

No longer is eBay full of people selling old junk from the garage, it is a credible platform in which to enhance a business’s online presence. The likes of Tesco, eBuyer, Currys and Argos are on eBay these days and there are reasons for that – massive product exposure through unbelievable level of ‘footfall’ and the consumer’s perception of eBay being cheap (which it isn’t always!)

When looking to trade online, it is important to have more than one route to market – referred to as a multi-channel strategy. Multi-channel is not putting all your eggs in one basket. Buyaparcel.com sell products via their website, over the counter, telephone and of course eBay. Each channel complements the other, and allows your buying power to increase by selling out more and reaching markets that you couldn’t normally address.

Buyaparcel’s eBay shop now contains top products from all their departments – from tools to gifts and plumbing to cookware. Many eBay shops are all things to all men whilst others, like Buyaparcel, specialise in a particular industry.

Buyaparcel’s revenue on eBay alone this year will be around £3m and they have only just scratched the surface. They mindfully held back expanding any further until they achieved greater automation and warehouse space – both being addressed by acquiring the whole 17,000 sq. ft. warehouse they have been sharing with their sister company and the integration of the BlueBay module developed by Blue Rock.

Mike Parker
Technical Director, Buyaparcel.com

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Previously running a Sage Line 50 system they realised that they had outgrown this and required more control and functionality and back in June 2010 they decided to upgrade to Blue Rock’s Intact package following a detailed review of the market.

Opting for a fully integrated Intact system including the full CRM system, this went live in their business in the Autumn of 2010. Since its go-live husband and wife owners Alan and Kathy Kilford have seen the system help their business cope with the ever growing demands being placed on them as a modern, expanding Electrical Wholesaler.

Founded in 1975 and working closely with associate Chinese company Sunnex, the Zodiac Stainless Products Company is established as one of Europe´s leading importers and distributors of catering and domestic houseware products.  Zodiac boasts an extensive and comprehensive portfolio that includes cookware, cutlery, tableware, glassware and food service products, and pride itself on supplying both catering and domestic markets with quality products at competitive prices.

Located in the heart of the West Midlands and with a wealth of experienced and knowledgeable sales and marketing staff, Zodiac pays great attention to current trends in the market place, constantly adding to its ranges so that it can offer customers the latest technology and the best product solutions.

The Issue:

Zodiac’s existing financial applications could no longer keep pace with the company’s ever-increasing business. Some years earlier, Zodiac had developed its own DOS-based bespoke accounting package which was subsequently augmented with a Sage application to handle the Nominal and Purchase Ledgers. “This was an extremely cumbersome and frustrating solution,” explained Keith Evans, Zodiac’s Office Manager. “With two different systems we had to do a lot of rekeying which wasted a lot of time and introduced errors.”

Recognising that the existing system was no longer fit for purpose, Keith began to investigate replacement solutions. Having met with some 12 specialist IT organisations, Keith was disappointed to discover that there appeared to be limited accounting solutions specifically developed for kitchen and catering distribution companies. “Most of the solutions available were standard accounting solutions that could be enhanced and customised through additional development to deliver the specific capabilities that organisations in our line of business needed,” added Keith.

Eventually Keith identified an organisation that was able to meet most Zodiac’s requirements and which had already enhanced its offerings for other high volume distribution companies. “We were quite far down the negotiation processes when I came across Blue Rock Systems,” said Keith. “I met with the company and quickly realised that they had an integrated accounting solution that had been specifically developed for the catering distribution business.”

The Solution:

The solution that so impressed Zodiac was Intact – a Windows-based Wholesale, Distribution and Merchants business software solution that had already been successfully installed in other catering and kitchenware distributions companies.

“Intact is an easy-to-use yet commercially advanced solution that was developed with the catering distribution industry in mind,” explained Glen Jewell, Blue Rock Systems’ Sales Director. “The standard package was written from scratch to take full advantage of Window’s technologies and features and delivers a host of capabilities, including credit control, stock management, margin check and review, and an innovative ‘iManager’ that provides managers and key staff with immediate, up-to-date and accurate summaries of the business.”

Keith Evans agreed. “Intact appeared to provide a lot of features and capabilities that were optional extras on most other integrated accounting solutions. I liked the company; I liked the product and felt that in Blue Rock Systems, Zodiac had found its partner of choice.”

Following detailed discussions on Zodiac’s immediate and long term objectives, and having analysed the company’s current and planned business procedures, Blue Rock Systems proposed a solution based around Intact. “From the outset, Blue Rock’s attention to detail was extremely impressive,” explained Keith. “They took the time to understand our unique issues and designed a solution that would meet our accounting requirements and which could also be integrated with our other automation projects, including warehouse bar-coding.”

The Benefits:

Zodiac’s new integrated accounting solution is due to go live shortly, with training and knowledge transfer commencing a month earlier. Keith’s development of the existing bespoke application will ensure that the data transfer process will run smoothly thus allowing a quick solution usage and maximise Zodiac’s return on investment. Zodiac anticipates some substantial benefits once its new Intact integrated financial system goes live:

Intact’s primary strength is in its simplicity; screens are exceptionally intuitive and the solution does not need the level of administration and IT skills associated with most competitive products. And with standard Windows integration, documents can be imported and exported to and from Windows applications with ease – a feature that Keith welcomes as Zodiac will soon be able to email invoices directly to clients.

One of Zodiac’s major requirements was for its new accounting system to be able to handle all aspects of the business from order taking, through detailed CRM and Marketing to easy-to-use management reporting tools. Intact delivers an all-in-one approach to all facets of the business, which Zodiac intends to take advantage of with plans to run and maintain all areas of the business effectively through a single, central point.

“Intact  will be an excellent fit for Zodiac,” explained Glen. “All the typical distribution capabilities are included with the base system. In addition to standard features such as back-to-back ordering, detailed price books and fast and easy order entry, Intact has several powerful features which will allows us to handle overall control of the business via easy-to-use reporting and business analysis. The simple to use point-of-sale and stock control elements will enhance overall business management and when combined with Intact’s in-built and powerful CRM, will give time and money savings across the business

Founded in 1977, Rifina has grown from a small single branch in Cheltenham to become Gloucestershire’s leading Independent Electrical Distributor. In over 30 of years servicing electrical contractors and the local industry, Rifina has built up a justified reputation with its customers and partners for competitive pricing, comprehensive stocks, rapid delivery and outstanding technical ability.

The company has a large central warehouse at Tewkesbury and two further branches in Gloucestershire. The move into a new larger head office in Tewkesbury also allowed Rifina to centralise sales, distribution and accounts and establish a single point of contact for all customers, whether by phone, fax, mobile or email.

The Issue:

In 2008, Rifina took the decision to replace its existing green screen based computer system with a more powerful, comprehensive and feature-rich solution that would deliver the enhanced capabilities that the company now needed. “Our green screen system was just not up to the job,” explained Richard Bartlam, Rifina’s Managing Director. “The fundamental program was good but we had been promised that it would evolve with time, which it never did.”

Rifina invited several IT companies to outline proposed solutions but found that most could not deliver the specialist requirements that a multi-branch organisation with thousands of stock items and hundreds of customers needed. Promises that such features would be available in future releases, combined with a noticeable reluctance to organise visits to other satisfied customers in the electrical distribution industry left Rifina’s directors justifiably unimpressed.

“The way to prosper in this business is to make the right decisions at the right time,” continued Richard. “One of the biggest decisions that electrical distributors have to make was which computer system the business needs for the future. This has got to be the one that you get right; otherwise it could affect your business for years to come, sometimes with disastrous results.”

Becoming more and more frustrated with the apparent failings of existing solutions, Richard received a cold call from Blue Rock – a rapidly expanding software house specialising in the design, development, implementation and support of financial, logistic, warehouse and service software applications for small and medium sized organisations throughout the UK. “I invited Blue Rock to give a presentation to my colleagues as I was going on holiday,” added Richard. “Imagine then, my surprise when on holiday I received a phone call from my management team, saying that they thought we had finally found a system to replace our old computer.”

The software that Blue Rock recommended was Intact – a Windows-based Wholesale, Distribution and Merchants business software solution that had already been installed throughout the building supply chain industry. “Intact was developed

with the supply and distribution chain industry in mind,” explained Simon Barber, Blue Rock Systems’ Sales Manager. “Although we did not have an electrical distribution client in the UK, we had already successfully installed Intact in Ireland and arranged for Rifina to visit the site to see how the solution improved credit control and stock management, and provided managers and key staff with an immediate, up-to-date and accurate summary of the business.”

The Solution:

Rifina partnered with Blue Rock for the design, implementation and support of its new computer system. “The time to put in a new computer system is when you aren’t busy, not when you are rushed off your feet,” continued Richard. “We signed the agreement with Blue Rock and told them that we wanted the solution installed and live in just over three months!”

Working closely with Rifina, Blue Rock met the tight deadline. Rifina’s first objective was that customers should not notice any difference in service and paperwork for the month end. “Almost without fail, we achieved this, including our consignment accounts,” said Richard.

Over the next few weeks, Rifina’s management team and Blue Rock technicians customised and enhanced Intact to meet the business’ specific requirements. Good communication and close co-operation were vital during this initial period. “We had asked for so many changes to tailor the new system exactly to our needs that issues were bound to arise,” added Richard. “Blue Rock’s technicians worked extremely closely with us through the rollout period, installing updates and enhancements to ensure that our solution did exactly what we wanted it to.”

The Benefits:

Rifina’s solution is fully operational. Customers now sign for the goods on LCD screens, get their invoices and statements by email and POD’s in seconds while they are still on the phone. Rifina’s accounts department finally have a computer system they like: “Intact’s accounting side is strong and flexible and not just a normal add-on,” explained Richard. “Conversations and the promises of customers are recorded and kept as they are made, for all to see.”

Counter staff now have margin and profit information at their fingertips, and can search quickly and easily for any product across a vast range of stock items. Quotes can be emailed or faxed to customers at the touch of a button.

And, after years of trying, Rifina’s sales department now have one sales office throughout the company. With an 0800 sales phone line, calls can be picked up by any branch of the company and, because of Intact’s transparency and built in CRM, a sales lead started in one branch can be concluded in another.

One of the biggest changes that Rifina has seen is the way the business manages buying, stock management and pricing. All supplier prices are loaded onto the computer (including rebates) and the computer then works out the best place to order. Gone are the days of separate Excel spreadsheets and trying to keep up with price changes.

“We finally have a system that is REALLY looking after stock levels,” concluded Richard.”I know it sounds like Utopia, but we have a solution that really can suggest sensible stock levels, for either the company or branch. It’s good to know that we have a computer system that is, as they say ‘Fit for Purpose’.”

C&S Builders Merchants (Stamford Hill) Ltd is probably East and North London’s largest independent timber, building materials and plumbing supplier.

A family owned business founded in 1986, C&S Builders Merchants employs 40 staff and has grown from a single branch to a three branch operation including a central distribution depot. The firm has a long history of success based on customer satisfaction, reliable delivery services and huge stocks.

The Issue:

In a business in which protecting margins whilst offering real value for money is critical, and accurately maintaining and monitoring outstanding accounts is crucial, the implementation of a specialist IT solution can have a real effect on the bottom line – particularly in ensuring a positive cash flow.

For several years, C&S had relied on a hand written counter ticket process, keying the information into a standard accounting application at the end of each month. “Initially this was an adequate solution but our business grew, stock lines increased, the number of customers increased along with our fleet of delivery vehicles,” explained Rav Sumal, a Director of C&S Builders Merchants and son of one of the original founders of the firm. “The manual process was becoming exhausting and arduous, was tying up staff and was prone to error as the information from each ticket had to be manually keyed into the system.”

The original founders of the business: Michael, Mengha and Gian Singh Sumal were initially reluctant to invest in an automated solution, questioning whether it would deliver a return on investment and how the firm would cope with a computer system failure. This was a major concern but advances in technology, ever reducing investment cost and the realisation that the firm could become far more efficient by automating an integrated accounting solution finally convinced the founders to investigate the benefits that such a system could deliver.

“Our fathers remain extremely passionate about their business and were adamant that a reliance on technology was not the C&S way,” added Rav. “After all, when has a manual counter ticket let you down?”

The business peaked to a £12 million turnover over the three branches, and the need for accurate and up-to-date records of all transactions become even more important. “Some years ago we had looked at various solutions and although we were unsuccessful in purchasing a system, we did find something – a team of software professionals that gave us confidence and who we liked,” continued Rav. “These guys really understood our business, recognised our requirements and suggested solutions that would be extremely cost effective – a refreshing change from other solution providers that appeared to be more concerned with booking our business rather than partnering with us for the long term.”

C&S decided that the time had come to implement an integrated financial system. “We reviewed several leading industry systems but were pleased to see that the team that had impressed us when we first looked at computerisation had decided to form their own business,” said Rav. “And by all accounts, they were doing rather well within our industry.”

The Solution:

The team that has so impressed Rav and his brothers Dal and Suki, had worked together for over 20 years before forming Blue Rock Systems – a rapidly expanding software house specialising in the design, development, implementation and support of financial, logistic, warehouse and service software applications for small and medium sized organisations throughout the UK.

The software that Blue Rock recommended was Intact – a Windows-based Wholesale, Distribution and Merchants business software solution that had already been successfully installed throughout the building supply chain industry. “Intact is an easy-to-use yet commercially advanced solution that was developed with the building supply chain industry in mind,” explained Glen Jewell, Blue Rock Systems’ Sales Manager. “The standard package delivers a host of features, including credit control, stock management, margin check and review and an innovative ‘iManager’ that provides managers and key staff with an immediate, up-to-date and accurate summary of the business.”

Intact compared favourably against the competition in terms of functionality and price but the team that came to demonstrate the system over several visits once again inspired the confidence that we so dearly needed,” added Rav.

The Benefits:

C&S purchased Intact from Blue Rock Systems in 2008. The accounts department went live on the system in October with the trade counter following in 2009. “Dal was handed the task of compiling from scratch with a stock file of 20,000 lines,” explained Rav. “We had to train a 20 man team, who had little or no computer experience, to enter orders into a fully computerised trading system. Blue Rock got us there in a relatively short space of time. Even the staunchest pre installation objector is now a fan of the software.”

C&S’ primary target was to computerise the order process. Now that has been achieved, the firm is working with Blue Rock Systems to introduce other major benefits to the business.

“Our initial confidence in our chosen provider has been borne out”, concluded Rav. “The net result so far is a much more efficient and smooth day-to-day running of the C&S organisation. Orders taken at the trade counter during the day are invoiced at the end of the week or month with no additional work and the timely invoice run has meant an improvement in our cash flow. In addition the electronic POD system and the ability to instantly check on the last price paid has all but eliminated the ‘chancers’ from the customer base – protecting margins and keeping the cash flow positive.”