News

Source: IBM Wholesale Distribution, April 7, 2002

Arc Abrasives sees Trading Partner Connect as a way to improve efficiencies between them and their distributor partners

YARDLEY, PA, April 1, 2002 - Arc Abrasives Inc. is a small, family-owned business competing among giant, corporations. Yet with the help of Prophet 21 Trading Partner Connect, an Internet trading network, Arc is clearly differentiating itself from the industry leviathans.

Julie Meldrum, director of marketing and customer service for Arc, reveals an analogy that they often use. "The big guys are big ships on the ocean. We consider ourselves as more of a speedboat because we're able to turn on a dime and be very flexible to meet our customers' needs. We see Trading Partner Connect as a way to improve efficiencies between us and our distributor partners."

Arc utilizes B2B Buyer, a component of Prophet 21 Trading Partner Connect that streamlines the purchasing process between manufacturers/suppliers and distributors. "Trading Partner Connect enables our distributors to view our inventory. We don't have to re-key orders into our solution, and we can provide more timely invoicing without using faxing or standard mail. By utilizing technology, we've added consistency to our list of differentiators," explains Tony Stayman, vice president of sales and marketing for Arc Abrasives.

Live on Trading Partner Connect since January 2002, Arc expects that order accuracy will continuously improve and be a big factor in getting a rapid return on their investment. The Internet trading network is helping them cut down on returns and late shipments as orders come right from a distributors' enterprise software solution into Arc's own solution.

Typically purchase orders come in by phone or fax and are manually entered into their business solution. "When you have people involved in the process - taking orders over the phone, re-keying orders that come in via fax - there is a greater chance for human errors," explains Meldrum. "By communicating electronically, we take that chance for error out of the equation, which is a big cost savings for us."

According to Stayman, Arc is focusing on building long-term relationships with targeted distributors. "Trading Partner Connect is a great way to streamline the whole purchasing process. We are able to give our customers access to Arc 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can check their inventory levels and retrieve order information without having to wait to contact us when our call desk is open. This helps us improve customer service," remarks Stayman.

"There is a lot of talk in the industry about using XML and the Internet to connect business systems. Unfortunately, most of it is just that - 'talk.' The exciting thing about Prophet 21 is they are actually doing it," says Craig Mayrer, director of information technology for Arc. Mayrer further notes that Prophet 21's integration server kept Arc from having to use a separate application to receive orders. According to Mayrer, the integration server gave them a means to talk to Trading Partner Connect without requiring complex programming.

Arc decided to embrace Trading Partner Connect because it fits their business objectives and is a key element for their future plans. Stayman quotes the Philosopher Seneca: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. "We're preparing for the future with a very solid business plan and business team," concludes Stayman. "We are developing a very solid distributor base. The opportunities are out there for us."

About Arc Abrasives

Zerla Stayman, president and CEO, founded Arc Abrasive, Inc more than 40 years ago in her kitchen, using a mix-master to make pressure sensitive adhesives. Since then, the company has served the industrial distribution market and industrial end users with coated and non-woven abrasives in North America and parts of Europe. One of the three American Eagle Awards presented to Arc by The Industrial Supply and Manufacturers Association (ISMA) was awarded to Zerla Stayman, the first woman ever in the history of ISMA to receive the award for "Outstanding Individual Efforts."

Back to Top