Pipe, Valve, and Fittings Distributor Says New Industry-Specific ERP Solution Will Enable Collaboration, Streamline Operations, and Simplify Employee Training
Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today announced The Collins Companies has chosen Epicor® Prophet 21® as its new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution to streamline operations, enable collaboration among staff from recent acquisitions, and ease training for new users and future employees.
With nine locations in the northeast, The Collins Companies is one of the largest industrial distributors of pipe, valves, and fittings in North America. Headquartered in East Windsor, Connecticut, the company was founded in 1920 and purchased by president Brian Tuohey in 1998, who led the search for a new ERP solution in April 2015.
“Before choosing Prophet 21, we relied on enterprise asset management software, and we were the only distributor using that system,” said Toni Wall, business development manager, The Collins Companies. “We knew we wanted our next solution to offer features and insights specific to the distribution industry. The Prophet 21 customer profit analyzer, for example, will make it easier for us to see how profitable our customers are and adjust our strategy accordingly.”
Enabling Communication in Midst of Growth
The Collins Companies is in the midst of an aggressive growth period; the company acquired Burns Cascade Company in 2012, Apex Remington Pipe & Supply Company in 2013, and Power House Supply in 2015. Though these acquisitions increased the company’s geographic footprint, Collins executives recognized the importance of enabling communication among new employees at different locations. They also wanted to streamline multiple software applications into one solution.
“It’s difficult to run an efficient business when the tools you’re using aren’t talking to each other. We knew we needed to get all of our information into one centralized location, and that’s what we’re hoping Prophet 21 will do for us,” said Mary Fahy, assistant to the president, The Collins Companies. “Prophet 21 will also enable our sales staff from recent acquisitions to easily and quickly access account data no matter their location, allowing the entire Collins team to serve our customers better.”
Easing the Transition for New Employees
The Collins Companies will also take advantage of the Prophet 21 Learning Management System (LMS), a robust education tool that offers preexisting user guides and the ability to create custom tests, message notifications, user groups for restricting and assigning courses, and more.
“With so many different branches, we knew it would be difficult to train our employees on a new system, but the LMS tool will help make the transition a smooth one. It will also make it easier and less expensive for us to train new employees in the future,” Fahy continued.
“Prophet 21 and its associated tools were built to address challenges shared by many professionals in the distribution industry. That industry-specific functionality and expertise is what sets Epicor products apart from our competition,” said Michael Goeke, product marketing manager, Epicor Software. “We’re thrilled to partner with The Collins Companies at such an exciting time in the company’s history, and we look forward to supporting their operations as they continue to grow.”
About Epicor Prophet 21
Leveraging a half-century of distribution industry knowledge and expertise, Epicor Prophet 21 is an end-to-end distribution solution offering deep functionality – from open ecommerce platforms to mobile sales and field services, wireless sales counters and warehouses, advanced inventory management, and customer optimization tools. Visit the Epicor Prophet 21 solution hub to learn more.
About Epicor Software Corporation
Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed around the needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 40 years of experience with our customers’ unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solution―in the cloud or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions manage complexity, increase efficiency, and free up resources so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.
