Markinson Supports A & B Seals

A&B Seals was established in 1995 to service a niche market in Australia. A&B Seals supplies an extensive range of products mainly to the agricultural, building and medical industries.

Allan and Bette Turner started A&B Seals in 1995 with some second hand furniture and $28,000 of consignment stock. The business has grown rapidly and achieved an average growth rate of 20-25 percent every year since 1995.

“We have achieved good growth since 1995. Our turnover is constantly growing and that means more work,” says Allan. To help support this growth, A&B Seals uses MomentumPro. MomentumPro is an Enterprise Distribution Software solution developed and supported by Brisbane-based Markinson Business Solutions.

“We had originally planned to put in a computer system after three years of operation. However, the growth we experienced in the business meant that we had to do it in less than 12 months. We simply couldn’t handle the amount of work manually anymore,” according to Allan.

The Right Decision

“We looked at 55 different software packages before we found Markinson Business Solutions. A computer system is like anything: you can do it the right way or you can do it the cheap way. We went with Markinson so we could do it the right way,” said Allan.

“When we first began in 1995 we had about 5,000-6,000 product lines. We now carry over 10,000 line items in separate bin locations. There is another 40,000 line items active and a further 40,000 in-active items stored in a separate reference table within MomentumPro that can be called up if need be.” MomentumPro has the ability to handle a potentially unlimited number of product lines and bin locations. “That’s where MomentumPro comes into its own.”

“We survive in business because of two things: stock and service. We use a broad range of suppliers to ensure we have the best stock available providing quality products for our customers. If we can’t get the product in and out the door when the customer wants it, you might as well close the doors now. Your computer system has to be able to react fast to the pace of your business. MomentumPro does,” says Allan.

MomentumPro Provides Information at Your Fingertips

“Most of our customers enquire over the phone. MomentumPro is an important tool in providing good service. You can look up a customer’s transaction history quickly and check to see if their accounts are up to date. MomentumPro allows you to get the information you need instantly which is extremely important when they are on the phone,” says Bette.

“The search facility in MomentumPro is great. Our customers comment on how fast we can give them answers, especially when they ring up looking for an invoice. With MomentumPro, I can electronically fax a copy of an invoice through while I’m on the phone to them. That makes a big impression on our customers,” says Allan.

“We utilise the reporting facility extensively in MomentumPro. We have all our customers divided into territories and view reports every quarter to examine how each area is performing. We also constantly view our stock levels to see what products are actually selling,” says Allan. MomentumPro has advanced reporting capabilities that provide you with the ability to make informed business decisions.

“MomentumPro is great,” says Allan.

“We’ve always recommended the system. We have seen some of the other systems that our large suppliers use. MomentumPro would eat their systems for breakfast. The functionality in MomentumPro is massive in comparison to what else is available,” says Bette.

“As far as we’re concerned, the computer system was not a cost for the business: it is an asset for the business,” says Allan.

“We have received a good return on our investment in MomentumPro. The system has returned the initial investment two or three fold and negated the need for us to put on new staff,” says Bette.

MomentumPro Supports Growth

“One of the biggest things about MomentumPro is we are still growing into the system. MomentumPro has the ability to allow us to keep growing without restriction. If you have the right engine in there to drive the system, then there is nothing you can’t do,” says Allan. MomentumPro is built on Progress. Progress is an advanced Relational Database Engine that provides MomentumPro with excellent scalability.

“There are some excellent staff at Markinson. In any business relationship that continues over eight years there will always be some ups and downs, but overall we are very happy with Markinson and MomentumPro. Everything just works so well in MomentumPro,” says Allan and Bette.

The Result

“MomentumPro is effective across the board with accounts and inventory because it covers every facet of the business. MomentumPro has allowed us to keep growing with our current level of staff whereas, if we didn’t have all the functionality that is in MomentumPro, it would not have been possible. You have to be game to take that extra step initially and spend the extra money on a system that works. Making the right decision the first time will save you a lot of time and money down the line. MomentumPro has definitely been well worth the investment we have made,” says Allan and Bette.