Success Stories

After almost 17 years using the same enterprise software solution, the 300 employee-owners of United Electric Supply needed more than a technology upgrade.

"We were ready to move on to something new," explains Richard Chadwick, the company's training director. "We were initially planning to upgrade to a new version of Activant Array, but we instead decided to cast a wider net."

Employee Owned And Operated

Founded in 1965 as a general-line distributor of electrical supplies to local industrial, commercial, and construction customers, the four-person company started out in an 8,000-square-foot former barn and potato chip factory in Wilmington, DE.

Today, United Electric is a $170 million operation with more than 300 employee-owners at 15 locations throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey. The company has been employee owned since 1996, when it was purchased from the former owner upon his retirement.

Farther Than Necessary

The search for a new solution began after an employee committee put together a list of what everyone wanted, what they needed, and what they felt they were missing at the time. "We also took our customers' needs into account, and we gave some thought to what we might need in the future," recalls Chadwick.

After narrowing the choices down to three potential providers, the company engaged in two rounds of demos and followed up with site visits to Activant Eclipse™ user locations, including other electrical distributors who shared a similar focus on quality and customer service.

"We talked to many Eclipse users and asked them what it was like working with the solution, and the responses were unanimous," Chadwick says. "In each area where we had concerns, people felt that the solution always went a little farther than necessary to do the right thing. And when we added it all up, it was clear that Eclipse was a lot better than the others."

In particular, Chadwick says that the committee was impressed with the solution's ability to enhance productivity. "All the automation built into the solution really lets things happen - without our having to get involved," he notes, adding that the company was also pleased to see that Eclipse included an integration with the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) SPA rebate guidelines in its EDI tools. ability to enhance productivity. "All the automation built into the solution really lets things happen - without our having to get involved," he notes, adding that the company was also pleased to see that Eclipse included an integration with the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) SPA rebate guidelines in its EDI tools.

"The other companies said they were committed to doing it, but Eclipse had already done it," he says, "That was huge - and it gave me a high degree of confidence when I spoke with another Eclipse customer who was already using those tools."

What's more, Chadwick says the Eclipse RF Warehouse Management Solution was the most advanced warehouse and inventory management solution of those he saw. "The others weren't nearly as robust," he explains, "As an employee-owned company, we answer to not just one owner, but 324 of them, so we were really looking for something that gave us lots of bang for the buck, and that's what we got with Eclipse."

A Smooth Go-Live

To ensure that the transition went as smoothly as possible, United scheduled a "practice" go-live event, which allowed everyone in the company to show their supervisors that they knew exactly what to do and how to do it. "I can't speak highly enough of the people who helped us every step of the way. We had a great instructor who kept everyone focused and on track," says Chadwick. "The hardest part was getting everyone to practice, but it paid off in that we had a smooth go-live."

In the end, Chadwick says he's glad the company didn't automatically opt for the most convenient choice. "Saving money on an enterprise software solution is like looking for a cheap brain surgeon, it's just not the brightest idea," he says. "We obviously didn't want to waste money, but we certainly understood the value of doing things right."

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

Back to Top