Success Stories

Getting Things Right

"In order to succeed in business, you just have to do more things right than you do wrong."

Ross Barna, director at RAB Lighting, Inc., a manufacturer of outdoor lighting fixtures and controls based in Northvale, NJ, recalls the simple equation his grandfather, Raymond Barna, used to endorse. Founded to support the local construction industry in the Bronx by Raymond and his father-in-law Tobias in the 1940s, RAB Lighting has since grown to include 30 stocking locations that supply upwards of 4,500 electrical distributors across the United States.

It's probably fair to say they've done a few things right.

In fact, according to Ross, things have been good to the point that RAB's consistent expansion has threatened to become problematic. "We've seen double digit growth every year since the 80s," says Barna. "There's a limited amount of space in our warehouses, so it's been a challenge for us to manage that growth by trying to reduce inventory and increase turns."

In 2003, RAB took a proactive step toward streamlining their business when they implemented Activant Prelude. An enterprise-class ERP system designed for large, multi-location and specialty manufacturers and distributors, Prelude is a comprehensive and functionally rich solution designed to help companies increase sales, improve customer service, and reduce costs.

"On Time and On Budget"

After an implementation Barna describes as "on time and on budget," the employees at RAB immediately put Prelude to work, and they began with the solution's powerful forecasting functionality. Since RAB imports many components for it's manufacturing operation, lead times can grow to as many as 100 days, which makes precise purchasing a must.

"Prelude's purchasing functionality is the best I've seen," says Barna. "Accurate buying is the first step in managing inventory, and Prelude helps us get the right inventory, at the right location, at the right time, which is critical because we all know, if you've got it, you get the order. If you don't, you don't."

Prelude has also helped RAB cultivate a strong Internet presence, thanks to its optional VIA solution, which provides a Web-based storefront distributors can shop 24 hours a day, seven days a week. According to Barna, since implementing VIA, 20 percent of their business now comes through the Web.

"Besides being a store that never closes, the VIA e-commerce solution provides an easy way for customers to check orders or get pricing and availability information," says Barna. "It has also reduced the average time it takes to fill an order, since pick tickets find their way into warehouse workers' hands minutes after a Web order is finalized."

Going forward, Barna is confident that Prelude will continue to help RAB be a better and more efficient business. "Prelude is a great product and Activant is on the leading edge," he concludes. "They've got a knowledgeable staff who cares about their customers' success."

For more information on Activant's enterprise software solutions, please fill out our Web Contact Form.

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