At its core, cyber security is a people issue. Viruses don’t magically appear in your company’s system. They get there because of things employees do (or don’t do), frequently without realizing it.
Most people know the basic rules of cybersecurity: don’t open suspicious attachments, don’t click on suspicious links, don’t give your bank account to anyone claiming to be a Nigerian prince, etc. But there are other ways people expose their businesses to risk, many of which are routine, seemingly harmless actions.
Risk 1: Traveling Devices
Computer viruses spread kind of like human viruses. A cold virus spreads when a sick person comes into contact with a healthy person. When a computer virus gets into a network, it spreads into devices that connect to that network. If an infected device connects to other networks, the virus spreads again. This is why traveling devices such as laptops and USB thumb drives can be security risks.
Laptops and thumb drives are routinely used outside your company’s secure network. Sales reps take their laptops on sales trips and customer visits. Managers save files on thumb drives, so they can continue working at home. And while most businesses have decent firewalls, the average home network has expired anti-virus software, weak passwords, and kids who download things they shouldn’t. In short, home networks are pretty vulnerable to malware. If a laptop or thumb drive picks up a virus and then goes back to the office, that virus can spread into the company network.
Risk 2: Mobile Apps
Mobile apps can legitimately improve productivity at work. With so many free options to choose from, people are building personal libraries of apps to track expenses, streamline their inboxes, and manage their passwords – all from their phones. While these apps are highly convenient, they can also make company information more vulnerable.
Using outside apps for company business is like handing your wallet to a stranger. You have no control over how your information is used, stored, or protected. If anything happens to the app’s publisher, your information is up for grabs. For example, in June 2017, the password management app OneLogin was hacked, giving the criminals access to thousands of people’s user IDs and logins. When employees give third-parties access to their company email, financial data, and passwords, that information is less secure.
Risk 3: Outdated Software
New software isn’t always a huge priority for businesses. “I know the program is 10 years old,” the thinking goes, “but it still works. Why should we pay for something new?” The current generation of software programs aren’t just faster and better, they’re also more secure. Older software is often full of well-known security holes, which makes businesses running these programs attractive targets for hackers. For example, the WannaCry virus exploited a weakness in Microsoft Windows 7, an old operating system from 2009. Computers with the most current version of Windows were not vulnerable to the virus.
To be fair, newer software also has security flaws. New products, however, are routinely updated with security patches to repair the holes. Here’s the catch: in order for the security patches to work, end users have to install them. And end users, it turns out, aren’t great about installing updates. The Equifax hack was traced to a known security flaw in a common web program. Even though Equifax was alerted to the issue, they waited months before taking action, giving hackers plenty of time to work. Had the company been more proactive, they may have been able to prevent the entire fiasco.
TWO WAYS TO IMPROVE SECURITY
Viruses, hackers, and software patches are all technology issues. But taking a laptop home, using outside apps, and ignoring security updates are all people issues. If you really want to improve cybersecurity, you need to address human behavior. (And, because humans aren’t perfect, you need a contingency plan.)
Create a Cybersecurity Policy
A cybersecurity policy is more than telling employees they can’t look at Facebook. It’s a proactive plan for how the business will protect its network and respond to security breaches. Some things the policy might include are:
The policy should also include an employee-specific section that explains how the policy affects them. This might include rules regarding the following:
While documenting your policy is important, documentation alone won’t lead to change. You need to actively engage with employees around this subject. Have educational sessions about cybersecurity. Explain the different ways hackers may attempt to attack your business, and teach employees to identify suspicious messages. (This is useful knowledge for their personal lives as well!) Describe the changes the company is making to improve security and their role in these changes.
Change Your Infrastructure
Changing employee behavior is important, but there’s no way to make any system 100% human-proof. People will make mistakes. This is why the second course of action is changing your infrastructure. More specifically, stop using an in-house server and move your data to the cloud. Using the cloud won’t stop employees from opening a corrupt file, but it does protect your data in the event a breach happens.
A lot of businesses don’t trust the cloud. They want to have physical control over their technology because it feels safer. But private servers are actually the riskier option (unless you also have a full-time cybersecurity team). Keeping your data on a private server is like keeping your money in a shoebox. It’s physically in your possession, but if a criminal breaks into your home, the shoebox is easy to steal. Using the cloud, on the other hand, is like keeping your money in a bank. You still have access to the money, but if a thief breaks into your home, there’s nothing for him to steal.
So, what’s to keep viruses from getting into the “bank”? In a word, resources. Cybersecurity is expensive, which is why most businesses only have the basics. Data centers, however, invest heavily in sophisticated security tools and anti-virus software. They also provide 24-7 monitoring by cyber-security experts who constantly walk the (virtual) perimeter, checking for weaknesses and suspicious activity. Let’s go back to the shoebox vs. bank analogy. Your only way of protecting that shoebox is to lock your front door. The bank, on the other hand, has locks on the door, cameras in the ceiling, and German Shepherds patrolling the lobby.
Cybersecurity can seem overwhelming, especially if you don’t have a technology background. But when you approach it as a people issue, it’s a feasible project for any business to tackle.
This article originally appeared in Building Products Digest.
Data is one of the most valuable resources a business has. It’s the key to repairing weaknesses and leveraging strengths. Solid information lets managers make better decisions for their departments: Sales can find the most profitable accounts; Purchasing can predict seasonal demand and Operations can improve production rates. But businesses that rely on isolated reports aren’t realizing the full value of their data.
While department-level reporting is helpful, it’s also one-dimensional. The most valuable insights require multiple pieces of information. Unless a business combines purchasing, sales and operations data, it can’t accurately calculate the cost of a custom door or determine if it’s being sold at a loss. Businesses must synthesize their information if they are to profit from it.
“Synthesize your data” is easier said than done for businesses that use different software programs for their core processes. Exporting multiple data sets and reviewing them in a spreadsheet is time-consuming at best. For instance, sales reps are much more successful when they review an account’s stats before a meeting. Unfortunately, most people can’t afford to spend an afternoon looking up open quotes, backorders, delivery histories and past-due invoices for all their customers. Valuable information is there, it’s simply inaccessible. Even when people spend hours processing operational data with a spreadsheet, the results are less than perfect. Unless someone at the company has a background in data science, it’s easy to miscalculate values and misinterpret results. Trying to do cost allocation with an Excel formula is incredibly risky.
Analysis becomes much easier when businesses consolidate their core processes under one software application. Multi-functional platforms like the Agility ERP system use a single data set, so updates made in one area of operation are immediately reflected in the others. For example, when a sales rep enters a work order, it’s immediately visible to employees in Accounting, Purchasing and Remanufacturing. Because Agility supports every area of operation, it has the built-in ability to combine information from multiple departments when calculating things like suggested purchase orders and cost allocations.
While data is an incredibly valuable resource, it’s prohibitively expensive to use without the right tools. Software that allows businesses to make smarter decisions, gauge performance, and track actual profitability is well worth the investment.
You don’t normally associate words like “lovable” with software companies, but customers of DMSi Software think it’s an apt description. In customer satisfaction surveys, the word “love” comes up more than you would expect: “I love you guys,” “we love your software,” “I love your support team,” “you guys are just so damn lovable.”
So, what does it take for a company to inspire this kind of feeling among its customers? DMSi’s recipe for success is one that can be followed by any lumber yard that prioritizes customer relationships.
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
All businesses know good service is key to building customer loyalty. But while leadership may say service is a priority, the reality is service quality depends on the company’s employees. Interactions with employees are powerful factors shaping a customer’s overall opinion of a company.
So how does a company make sure customers have the right experience? It starts with hiring the right people.
DMSi is uncompromising about hiring candidates that fit the company’s service-oriented culture. In addition to intelligence and experience, DMSi management looks for people who are thoughtful of others and find personal satisfaction in team success.
Kerry Blusys, a Senior Account Manager at DMSi, said, “We value our people and we want them to value what they are doing.”
When you have naturally service-oriented people who value relationships, it’s easy to build positive connections. DMSi customers develop lasting relationships with the employees who install their software and answer their support calls. When DMSi customers and employees see each other at tradeshows or the company’s biennial customer conference, the smiles and handshakes are those of old friends rather than client and service provider.
Kerry Blusys said, “I have been with DMSi since the first decade of existence. We treat our clients like family. That‘s more than being friendly on the phone or remembering people’s names. We genuinely like our customers, we want to see them succeed, and we’ll work our butts off to help them. Because that’s what you do for family.”
BUILD EXPERTISE
Part of delivering good service is knowing what matters to your customers. A phone call letting a customer know a shipment is on its way is a small gesture. But during the busy season when product availability is critical, that phone call may be a great relief.
For a business to deliver the highest quality service, employees must understand customers and their priorities. That contextual knowledge allows employees to provide more meaningful service. This is why DMSi makes internal education a priority.
“We have a lot of employees with strong accounting or logistics backgrounds. Those skills bring great value, but we also want to be sure they understand the world our customers live in. We have on-going employee education so our people understand the products our customers sell and the unique elements of their businesses,” said Brent McNurlin, Market Team Coordinator.
In addition to internal classes, visits to customer locations are key to employee training. “Seeing a lumber operation in person, talking to the people who count on our software to do their jobs, it gives a totally different perspective on what we’re trying to accomplish,” said McNurlin. “Our objective is to have every employee at DMSi visit a customer at least once a year – from our software developers to our marketing team, everyone. That context helps us build products that actually meet our customers’ needs.”
In addition to working with individual customers, DMSi staff are active participants in multiple trade associations, with NAWLA being a prime example. Not only are these associations valuable in building and maintaining relationships, but they also put DMSi at the heart of industry developments and concerns. DMSi’s Director of Customer Support Anthony Muck, who has served on multiple NAWLA committees, said “We track all aspects of the industry and marketplace, including price, transportation and sourcing. This way, we can proactively help our customers adapt to changing elements.”
BUILD GOOD SOLUTIONS
Deciding which products to carry is a strategic decision for any business. Is that “hot” item a good addition, or will it just sit in your warehouse? Technology companies face a similar issue: is this new technology worth pursuing or just a flash in the pan? No matter the industry, companies need to decide where to invest resources and which products are worth bringing to market.
DMSi bases its decisions on the needs and priorities of customers. Its development teams prioritize new features and products based on the value they deliver to customers’ businesses.
For instance, the company’s flagship product, Agility ERP, is an end-to-end platform that handles all core business processes. But it really shines in inventory control and order management as these areas have always been top priorities for DMSi’s customers. The company invested heavily in functionality to more easily handle the complexities of dimensional products, units of measurement, inventory optimization, and fulfillment issues. Anthony Muck said, “The two key factors that differentiate Agility are inventory control and order management. Those two features are above and beyond all the others.”
DMSi continues to drive Agility forward, expanding and adding features to meet customers’ changing needs. Scott Davis, Business Analyst for DMSi, added, “As our customers evolved and started selling different products and providing different services, Agility has changed right along with them. We can handle what sawmills and other manufacturers do, and our sweet spot has always been with distributors, but now we can go further down the chain to point of sale and the retail environment. If Agility doesn’t handle something the way our customers need, we have the ability to build it.”
A classic challenge in order fulfillment is timely transfer of information, especially for activities outside office walls. DMSi addresses this by leveraging mobile technology. For instance, their Mobile Sales app lets outside reps check stock levels, get job-specific pricing, and even submit orders directly from their smartphone. This means the rep can provide the answers and services the customer wants during the sales meeting rather than needing to return to the office first. The Mobile Warehouse Tools app lets warehouse staff calculate, enter, and submit inventory counts from the yard or warehouse floor, making counts faster and reducing paperwork. The Mobile P.O.D. app lets delivery drivers capture electronic signatures and confirmation photos. Then the electronic signature is automatically generated on the relevant forms and emailed to the accounting department with all signatures, pictures of the delivery and everything needed to verify receipt.
As Brent McNurlin explained, “We are providing instant gratification and instant answers to issues that matter. Previously, our customers would scan in their delivery tickets that night or the next day. Now with Mobile P.O.D., they can have an update in 30 seconds or less. They can immediately know the status of an order. ”
DMSi is hardly the first company to recognize the importance of customer relationships. What makes the company different is its willingness to invest in elements that make those relationships possible: hiring practices, employee education, and targeted product development. Companies willing to treat those building blocks as priorities can see the same success.
This article originally appeared in the publication Softwood Forest Products Buyer.
If you count inventory once a year, your inventory records will be accurate once a year. When you consider that inventory is a yard’s biggest capital investment, “accurate once a year” is a sorry benchmark.
While most business owners already know this, many still have poor inventory management practices for a range of reasons: lack of time, not having the right counting and recording tools, and not having the right processes in place.
Like building a house on a faulty foundation, running a business on faulty inventory records has far-reaching and expensive consequences. Almost every aspect of a business can be affected by poor inventory management practices.
First, poor inventory management hurts profits. When buyers mistrust inventory data, they’re more likely to over-purchase. This means you might easily meet demand, but the extra product means your carrying costs are higher than your competitors. That overhead, coupled with the cash tied up in surplus inventory, all affect the bottom line. Additionally, irregular buying processes make you more vulnerable to market fluctuations. If you’re regularly over- or under-purchasing, price spikes and drops will unduly affect you.
Customer relationships can also be hurt by poor inventory management. Think about someone placing an order now for pick-up at a future date. When the scheduled deadline arrives and the product isn’t in stock, you’ve hurt your customer’s business. Disappointing one client is bad enough, but if you start developing a reputation for back orders, customers may start looking for more dependable suppliers.
Finally, poor inventory management drains company resources. Think about the buyers who are placing another last-minute order because stock has run out; the warehouse crews searching for misplaced product; the sales reps checking the yard before submitting an order. This is time, energy, and focus that could be better spent elsewhere.
The “good” news is, you aren’t alone. Many businesses struggle with maintaining accurate inventory records – your competitors are likely among them. Improving your inventory management isn’t only good for your bottom line, it’s an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage!
Here are three basic strategies to improve your situation and turn a company weakness into a strength.
1. REPORTING
Before you fix your inventory issues, you need to know what those issues are. Good reporting not only brings problems to light, they help drive action. The following reports are standard options in most inventory management programs.
Inventory turns – how many times you’re cycling through each product in a year – is a good place to begin. Six turns is a good target. If the report shows inventory turns and sales are misaligned, you can adjust your buying strategy.
You’ll also want a dead stock report to learn what inventory is sitting around taking up valuable space in your warehouse. Create strategies to get rid of it (like offering deep discounts or rearranging stock so dead items are more likely to get pulled). Then make sure you don’t buy it again.
Finally, a hit report shows how many times material shows up on orders. That’s extremely valuable information that’s easy to act on. For instance, you can sort it from the lowest to learn what items are likely to show up next on your dead stock report and again – strategize on how to move it. Doing so frees up both warehouse real estate and cash flow.
2. CYCLE COUNTING
Cycle counting, where small batches of inventory are counted throughout the year, is one of the most valuable changes you can make. Compared to the “all hands on deck” annual inventory count, (which we promise your staff hate doing as much as you do), cycle counts allow you to focus on subsets of inventory. They’re also far less disruptive to daily operations. Smaller, more frequent inventory counts not only improve business practices, they also save time.
At minimum, cycle count your A items – the ones earning you 80% or more of your money. (Most modern inventory management platforms allow you to categorize and flag ABC items.) If you’re frequently engaging with these, you’re far less likely to run out of stock or over-purchase.
3. MOBILE WAREHOUSE TOOLS
Finally, consider a mobile inventory management solution. Traditional inventory control methods involve counting items on the floor, writing the counts on sheets, taking those sheets back to the office, then waiting for someone to key the data into the system. A mobile solution eliminates most of those steps. When staff members have a mobile device for tracking counts, whether a scan gun or an app on their phone, they can update records on the floor in real-time. Not only does this make counting less of a burden for them, it drastically reduces opportunities for human error.
There’s a range of mobile inventory tools available from full-blown WMS systems to streamlined apps. If you decide to invest in one of these solutions, make sure it integrates directly with your inventory management software.
Accurate inventory data is a powerful asset in running a successful business. It’s closely connected to both profits and your company resources. It also makes for satisfied customers and happy employees, two things you will always be working to gain and keep.
But by implementing key strategies of cycle counting, actionable reporting, and good software, the groundwork to grow your business will be laid on a nice, solid foundation.
This article originally appeared in the publication Softwood Forest Products Buyer.
People are obsessed with attracting the “right” customers. Usually this means offering all kinds of discounts to their most profitable accounts.
But trying to win high-value customers by lowering prices is a losing game. Not only do you sacrifice profitability, you’re building conditional, shallow relationships. They’ll leave as soon as a competitor underbids you. If you want to build long-term loyalty with high-value customers, you need to stop thinking like a vendor and start acting like a partner.
“Be a partner” is more than a feel-good cliché. It’s a competitive strategy that emphasizes value rather than price. It’s a more sustainable approach because it doesn’t turn every deal into a race to the bottom. And unlike price discounts, value is something your competitors can’t replicate quickly or easily.
Most businesses use “be a good partner” as a motto and not a strategy. But talking points and motivational posters won’t change behavior or results. By spending a little time with your customers and your business data, you can develop an organized “good partner strategy” complete with concrete action steps and measurable outcomes.
Good Vendors vs. Good Partners
The real difference between a vendor and a partner comes down to objectives. Good vendors care about customer satisfaction. Good partners care about customer success. That may sound like motivational fluff, but it has a profound difference on strategy.
For instance, let’s say your millwork customers are facing cut-throat competition on custom jobs. They need to complete orders faster, or they’ll risk losing business. A good vendor would help by prioritizing on-time deliveries. A good partner would look for ways to speed up order-fulfillment, such as offering next-day shipping.
This isn’t just about “going the extra mile.” There are hundreds of ways businesses go above and beyond for their best customers. But a friendly sales staff and special pricing won’t help your millwork customers finish custom jobs any faster. Next-day shipping will.
Listen to Your Customers
This is not a one-size-fits-all process. Your customers’ priorities are unique to their market, competition, and business goals. The more you know about what they value, the more you can align your business with theirs.
You need to find out two basic things: what your customers value most and their opinion of your performance in these areas. Collect this information through one-on-one conversations, group lunches, mass surveys, or a combination. (Make sure to prioritize feedback from your target audience. Trying to build loyalty with opportunistic customers is a losing game.) You should have some way of quantifying the responses, such as multiple-choice surveys or rating systems, but personal feedback may give context to the numbers.
Pick the Right KPIs
Once you identify which value is most important to your customers, you need metrics that quantify how well you’re delivering that value. These will form your scorecard. The variations are endless, but here are some suggestions:
Whatever metrics you choose, make sure they relate directly to your customers’ goals. Remember, this strategy is about their success, not your bottom line.
Turn the Scorecard into Strategy
When you’ve picked your metrics, run a few reports and establish a baseline. Determine where you have opportunities to improve and start coming up with action steps to boost your performance. Consider a range of options, from the ambitious to the obvious. You could speed up the picking process by implementing cycle counts in your inventory system or simply moving the ticket printer to a more central location.
In addition to improving your current processes, brainstorm new ways to deliver the value your customers want. For instance, say your customers really care about staying on schedule. On-time deliveries are obviously critical, but if you implement software that allows them to track shipments or get updates about deliveries, they will likely appreciate the extra visibility and assurance that everything is on time.
If your current infrastructure can’t support big changes, you may need to make some capital investments. (For instance, you may need to purchase new equipment to make next-day shipping possible.) You (or others in your company) may be reluctant to invest in this project. After all, if customers are currently satisfied, a big capital expense may seem unnecessary. This is where you need to go back to the idea of price vs. value. Competing on value makes you very “sticky” with your customers. If you excel at answering their most important needs, they’ll be less interested in shopping around for other suppliers. When done correctly, you’ll create a significant barrier to competitors trying to break into your market. Purchasing new equipment may hurt short-term profitability, but nurturing customer loyalty will generate value for years.
Planning for the Future
As you work towards becoming a better partner, continue to survey your customers to make sure your efforts are on track. You may work hard to reduce backorders, only to discover customers don’t notice the difference. If a particular strategy isn’t resonating, consider changing or refining your metrics. The scorecard is a helpful tool, not your ultimate objective. Your goal isn’t to get an “A.” It’s to deliver the value your customers want in a way nobody else can.
If you’re looking for a project that delivers an immediate, measurable impact on your bottom line, then a partnership strategy is not the plan for you. Profitability is not a strategy. It is the result of a value-based strategy. Long term, you will gain more of your customers’ business by listening to what is important to them.
You don’t have to be perfect to be a good partner. You just need to excel at the things your customers care about. Using surveys to build a scorecard and create long-term strategies may require some short-term investment, but if done correctly it will pay dividends for years to come.
Messy inventory records are an evergreen problem for lumberyards. One that gets worse with time. Because there is rarely a consistent system for creating items, sales staff can’t find products in the system and routinely create new item codes on the spot. It’s not unusual for a product to have two or three item codes.
Not only do inconsistent item codes and duplicate records make it more difficult to find products, but they also distort key reports. For example, a popular item may look unimpressive if its sales data is spread across multiple item records. Purchasing staff assume the different codes represent different products, none of which looks like top sellers, so they don’t see a need to reorder. The result: high-demand items aren’t in stock.
DMSi Software tackled this challenge with a new feature in their Agility ERP, an integrated inventory management system. Agility’s Item Builder is a seamless system for creating consistent item codes. If a user can’t find an item in the system, they simply enter the product’s attributes in the Item Builder. If the item exists, Item Builder will find it and alert the employee. If the product truly isn’t in the system, Item Builder will create an item code based on a formula defined by the business. (For example, the business may determine that all lumber inventory needs to indicate the species, grade, and thickness within the code itself, or they may require the vendor name, color and style in the item code for all their countertop material, but the width, length should be indicated in the description of the item record). This provides a two-fold benefit, reducing duplicate records and keeping product codes consistent so it’s easier for people to find them.
The Item Builder is only the latest addition to Agility’s lumber-specific features. To learn more about the ways Agility helps lumber yards, stop by booth 400 at the NHLA Annual meeting this October in New Orleans.
Installed sales is an increasingly important area for dealers. It’s a way to set your business apart from competitors and provide additional value to your customers.
At DMSi, we wanted to help our customers succeed in this new area. We developed an installed sales module in our Agility ERP software that gives our customers end-to-end visibility into their installed sales jobs. Project managers can view everything from sales orders and job details to contractor schedules and payment histories in one place.
The basis of our module is solving specific issues our customers were facing with installed sales.
GOAL 1: SIMPLIFY MAINTENANCE
Spreadsheets and notebooks are clunky tools for managing an installed sales operation. Manually entering project details and constantly updating records with every schedule change is time-consuming and frustrating.
We eliminated a lot of data entry because our installed sales module is part of Agility’s order management system. For example, when a sales rep adds an installation package to an order, Agility automatically generates the job and related tasks in the installed sales module. The job details, customer information, and related transactions are all there – no data entry required. The project manager just needs to assign installers to each task from a list of available employees and contractors.
GOAL 2: IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
Communication is a frequent issue in installed sales because so many people are involved in every job. A sales rep or purchasing agent may make a decision that affects a project, but the installed sales team doesn’t find out until a problem arises.
We delivered some immediate communication wins because Agility manages every part of our customers’ businesses. Changes made in one place are reflected throughout the entire system, so the installed sales data is always current. For example, if products for one job go on backorder, Agility’s backorder alert gives the installed sales manager advanced notice so they can reassign the installers to other projects. And if a customer asks their sales rep about the status of a job, the rep can check the job’s open and completed tasks in Agility. There’s end-to-end visibility into the project and information is always current.
GOAL 3: TRACK WHAT MATTERS
There’s a lot of activity in an installed sales department. It’s easy for projects to slide off track before anyone notices. We wanted to help our customers cut through the noise and focus on the items that matter.
The installed sales dashboards are designed to guide action. For instance, it alerts managers if any tasks are off track or overdue so they can take steps to get them back on schedule. Each project has a dashboard summarizing the job’s status such as phases completed, number of scheduled days remaining, and even revenue and costs. Users can even do a quick comparison of quoted, projected, and actual GM for the project so managers can quickly see if they are losing money on a job.
GOAL 4: EMPLOYEES SHOULD WANT TO USE IT
Many employees are reluctant to change their established processes. Spreadsheets and notebooks may be inefficient, but they are also familiar tools. That’s why we made usability a priority for our installed sales module. We wanted the module to be inviting and intuitive.
Our design team created a look and feel similar to other web-based applications. For example, the schedule section uses simple drag-and-drop actions similar to Outlook and Google calendars. The screens are clean and simple, making it easy for users to find the information and functions they need. By designing for usability and an intuitive interface, this module feels less overwhelming to users. A new employee could start using the module with minimal training. Also, the installed sales module in Agility is hosted on the web, which means people can access it anywhere from any device.
By working with our customers and designing a product specific to their issues around installed sales, we built a product that will be an effective tool for their businesses. It’s now in BETA testing with several of our customers, and we look forward to its general release in the near future.
DMSi Software was recognized for its contributions towards the School of Business at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
The software company has built close ties with the School’s Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics. Team members have presented to classes and been guests on panel discussions to explore real-world issues in supply chain management.
DMSi has built especially close ties with the Department’s student organization, the Nebraska Supply Chain Club (NSCC). Most recently, the company arranged for club members to tour a customer’s facility, so students could see class theories put into practice. DMSi has developed internships for students, and several alumnae of the program have gone on to become DMSi employees.
In addition to classroom activities, DMSi financially contributed to the construction of Howard L. Hawks Hall, a new, 240,000 square-foot, privately-funded building for the College of Business. An honorary plaque has been placed by the entrance to the Department of Supply Chain Management wing in recognition of DMSi’s support towards the new building and ongoing relationship with the NSCC.
In the coming year, sawmills and manufacturing facilities will see an increased use of mobile solutions designed for their unique needs. Tech companies and even individual businesses are forging a path by taking advantage of APIs.
APIs are pieces of code that make it easy for software apps to talk to each other. They’re like channels for sharing information. If a program has an API, other applications can use it to send and receive data to and from that program.
Fantasy football is a real-world example of APIs in action. Fantasy sites can use the NFL’s API to pull the latest player statistics. When the new stats are pulled in, the fantasy site recalculates the player rankings and user points.
So why do APIs matter for enterprise software? In short: integrated business apps. Businesses can replace isolated programs with a united ecosystem of tools.
Imagine a mobile sales app. When a rep creates a new order, the app uses an API to push information from the rep’s phone to the business’s ERP system. When the ERP receives the information, the order is created. There’s no need for the rep to manually sync his phone or update the record later. APIs make the process seamless.
APIs have two major implications for the building materials industry. First, tech companies can more easily create products for a wider range of needs. At DMSi, we’ve used the APIs in our Agility ERP to create a host of integrated products. Most recently, we developed Agility | Mobile Warehouse Tools, a simple alternative for customers whose operations don’t require our full WMS solution.
Second, APIs will let forward-thinking businesses take charge of their technology toolsets. Trying to customize your ERP system for every imaginable scenario is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. If, however, a business can access the APIs in its primary software platform, it can easily create powerful, integrated apps without disrupting the existing system’s business logic.
DMSi customers can access Agility’s APIs to use as they see fit. Recently, DMSi customer Premier Hardwoods, Inc. (Jamesville, NY) built a mobile app to streamline remanufacturing. Workers on the line use their mobile phones to scan bundles of rough lumber. The app passes those tags through our APIs into our Agility ERP system and reserves the material to a work order. As the rough lumber gets surfaced, the workers use the app to specify what material was made, and the app uses Agility’s APIs to create and print tags as the output material comes off the line. All of the information inputted on the app runs through our APIs and then through Agility’s remanufacturing logic. Since we designed the APIs, we keep our business logic safe while allowing our customers to program their own applications.
APIs provide a major opportunity for businesses struggling to find technology products that fit every aspect of their operations. They’re central to DMSi’s development strategy, and we’ll continue to leverage them as we create more integrated solutions for our customers.
