Success Stories

When Ken Ankli, third-generation president of Brammall Supply Company, first saw Activant Trading Partner Connect nearly five years ago, he could not believe his eyes. "The ability to form relationships with manufacturers and buy and sell dead stock seemed to good to be true," he recalls.

An early adopter of the Internet trading network, Brammall Supply uses Trading Partner Connect to facilitate dead stock purchasing and reduction, and streamline communications with manufacturers. In addition, Trading Partner Connect offers Brammall Supply the ability to utilize an information channel that streamlines transactions, expedites sourcing, and expands geographic reach.

With Trading Partner Connect's streamlined information channel, Brammall Supply transmits business documents, including purchase orders, invoices, and acknowledgements, in real-time, via a secure Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network. "We're using EDI to send orders to one of our key manufacturers," Ankli says. "At first, I didn't think it would be anything special, but after using it, EDI is a no-brainer - it's like we flipped a switch and our orders were being processed instantly."

Embracing Change

Founded as a plumbing and heating wholesaler by Edward Brammall in 1873, the Benton Harbor, MI-based distributor's history is one of growth and stability in the face of change. As the war effort gained momentum throughout the 1930s and 40s, Brammall Supply broadened their product lines to include mill and industrial supplies to service the growing local industrial manufacturing base. Brammall Supply gradually phased out their plumbing lines throughout the 1970s, when the rise of the Detroit automotive manufacturers cemented their position as a full-time industrial cutting tools and abrasives distributor.

As the American automakers continue to struggle, and many MI-based distributors fight to keep their operating costs down, Brammall Supply uses Trading Partner Connect to buy distributor's dead stock and ensure a competitive stance in a shrinking market. "We use purchase requirement reports to focus our dead stock purchases toward items we have on backorder," Ankli explains. "This ensures that everything we need has a buyer waiting on the other end, and since we purchase dead stock at a discount, the savings go straight to our bottom line.

"We're saving an average of $500 a month purchasing dead stock," Ankli continues. "Since distributors make about 5 or 6 percent after taxes, that $6,000 a year equates to finding a $100,000 account for free."

Gaining Momentum

As Ankli's familiarity with Trading Partner Connect grows, he looks forward to reaping the benefits of selling Brammall Supply's dead stock. "If we can sell our dead stock with the same effectiveness as we purchase dead stock, that may add another $500 a month to our bottom line," he says. "In Michigan, where you have accounts going out of business each day, that extra money will really help us stay afloat.

"Now that we have a little momentum, we're ready to do some great things," Ankli concludes. "That's the key to Trading Partner Connect - it would become a larger part of everyone's business if they invested some time and effort to get going - anyone using it on their own is fine, but once everybody joins, we'll all benefit."

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