JHC Hardware live on K8

JHC Hardware has been supplying kitchens, bedroom, shopfi tting and DIY products to the trade since 1968. The company has been continually expanding since its conception and with the acquisition of RG Laughlin and Sons in 1998, the group now operates as two separate companies controlled by one head office server. *Kerridge Commercial Systems spoke with Eamon McNeill, IT manager for both companies, about his choice of K8 as their business management system.

When JHC Hardware decided to upgrade its system, they took the opportunity to research the market for possible alternative IT providers. Eamon explained “The existing system was character- based and limited in functionality and had no development path for the future. The new IT system, regardless of whether we stayed with our existing provider or move to an alternative provider, would require a total migration to a new package which had a long term development strategy.

JHC Hardware conducted a thorough investigation of potential IT suppliers in the marketplace, short-listing those best suited to their trading environment.

“We were looking at the overall package when making assessments. Our priorities included; excellent customer service, a secure company with a solid reputation, the ability to conduct business management analysis and to fi nd a product that could support us throughout our future growth."

One of the issues with the incumbent system was the time consuming manual extraction and upload of price changes. JHC needed a fully integrated system incorporating sales order processing and e-commerce capabilities, which are both available in K8.

After rigorous detailed reviews were conducted, JHC made the decision that K8, with its fully integrated trading and fi nancial control and its suitability for both single and multi company, was the solution for them. The fl exibility of K8 adapts easily to any business environment, whether a wholesale, distributor, merchant or retail business. The system ensures suitability for specifi c issues facing customers in even the most specialist vertical markets. K8 brings the security and longevity of investment and ease of support expected from a standard product.

For JHC, it was the powerful combination of Kerridge Commercial Systems' world-class system, IT services and its team of industry professionals that put it in the forefront. The company has a track record of working closely with its customers to help them achieve a good return from their system investments. “I felt that *Kerridge Commercial Systems, as a provider, could offer a world-class system with a solid reputation and demonstrable experience. Kerridge Commercial Systems' technical expertise and proven track record of delivery with strong customer references was central in our decision to move to K8.”

JHC followed the successful implementation of K8 with Kerridge Commercial Systems' e-commerce solution across both companies. The K8 module incorporating B2B functionality provides the company with real time integration into the back offi ce system and allowing them to maintain one K8 database. JHC and RG Laughlin will be launching their online customer catalogue in the near future. One of the benefi ts of this facility will be the ability to personalise catalogue information for each user, depending on the criteria selected.

The experience of Kerridge Commercial Systems staff came to the fore during the implementation of K8 – the team worked hard to ensure minimum disruption to JHC business operations throughout the process. “The *Kerridge Commercial Systems ‘partnership’ approach was very impressive. Throughout the go-live, the consultants were extremely professional and the hand-holding provided was excellent. It really is a partnership between us and *Kerridge Commercial Systems and on the rare occasions that we have a query that a consultant can’t answer immediately, support processes are in place to provide us with the information we need without much delay.”

“The possibilities with K8 are endless, I am constantly fi nding new things and better ways to use the system which present more opportunities to improve the business. I am very pleased with our choice of *Kerridge Commercial Systems and K8; it is the right combination for our business.”