FH Chamberlain live on K8

FH Chamberlain is a large independent builders merchant based predominantly in the Pretoria area. Founded in 1903, it is one of the largest and most respected companies in the industry. Traditionally FH Chamberlain serviced the contractors market but has recently expanded into the DIY and retail sectors.

Before K8 was installed, FH Chamberlain had a strong back office system with retail and trading software installed on servers at each of their branches. Morne Nell, Retail Systems Manager of FH Chamberlain commented, “Due to business growth and with increased interaction of different systems and servers, we were losing key transaction history and financial detail. The consolidation, from a head office point of view, was a mess. As a result, the need for a new system, one that could cope with the demands of our daily business requirements, became an extremely urgent matter. We required an immediate solution!”
Initially, FH Chamberlain tried to rectify their system’s shortcomings with their incumbent software supplier, but was advised, by them, that a new system was the best approach. It was on this recommendation that FH Chamberlain conducted a detailed analysis of 10 products, including K8, which quickly made it to the short list and was ultimately chosen.

An important factor in the decision process was that FH Chamberlain wanted to deal directly with the software provider and not through a value added reseller. Another consideration was that with a new, more advanced system, the company identifi ed that they did not possess the necessary knowledge or resources required to maintain the new system’s server themselves, Morne commented “We wanted to pass as much of the system management and technical responsibility to Kerridge Commercial Systems.
We elected to have our K8 system hosted by Kerridge Commercial Systems in their data centre. Kerridge Commercial Systems ensures that all back-ups are maintained and all day to day system administration functions are performed. This move has allowed us to focus on our core business. Kerridge Commercial Systems has provided us with a complete business solution – and one that I believe sets Kerridge Commercial Systems apart from their competition.”
With the K8 system now in place, FH Chamberlain are now able to provide their customers with a far superior service at all points of contact. The company is also benefi ting from greater control on margins and the powerful stock management facility ensures the correct breadth and depth of stock is carried by the business. Morne States “Promotions and forecasting are a lot easier now as the system allows quick and efficient access to vital data that can be called on to improve profit margins. We can’t stress enough that K8 is a system for the builders’ merchant industry - the perfect fit! The great thing about it is that there is scope for us to take its capabilities further and in particular, we are looking forward to introducing the K8 e-commerce facilities in the near future.”
It is clear that FH Chamberlain and Kerridge Commercial Systems have much in common. As with Kerridge Commercial Systems, FH Chamberlain customers have come to expect superior product and service levels. FH Chamberlain expects to be able to run its business using a computer system that supports and shares these values. Morne concluded, “Through this approach, we have been able to establish a mutually beneficial business relationship with Kerridge Commercial Systems and we look forward to many years of working with the company.”

“The FH Chamberlain implementation is an example of how all new systems should be installed. The commitment from the customer and having access to their key resources was pivotal to this success, along with a well planned and implemented associate and customer
change programme.” Des Nangle, Country Manager.