News

Industry leading ERP, Retail and Business Management software provider, Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS), and leading analytics software provider, Phocas Software, today signed a global partnership that will enable KCS’ customers to elevate data held in their KCS systems

COVID-19 has presented one of the most staggering economic challenges in memory. As markets around the world begin to pick up pace at varying speeds, how can rental businesses across the globe ensure business sustainability? The answer is circular, and here are the 3 things rental businesses need to know now about the concept of a circular economy:

Back in January, 2020 was already being hailed as the year the majority of workloads move to the cloud. Fast-forward and flexible working has swiftly become the new norm - and is powered by cloud software. Here's our round-up of the top 9 cloud benefits you and your rental business can't live without in 2020.

“K8 Trader will allow us to expand. We are looking to open new premises further down the line... we would eventually like to branch out into roofing and other areas.”

Cliff Bennett, Branch Manager, Desi Building Supplies

New builders’ merchant chooses Kerridge Commercial Systems’ (KCS) business management solution to speed up stock checking and improve efficiencies.

Choosing software for a new business venture means weighing up the features that are most valuable - and for Desi Building Supplies, stock control functionality was an absolute must. The company was established in early 2020 shortly before lockdown took hold, and it soon became evident that automating stock management processes would make a real difference to the business.

Changes mark the first anniversary of automotive software company's acquisition by Kerridge Commercial Systems

MAM Software has unveiled its new branding, as the company marks one year since being acquired by Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS).

Kerridge Commercial Systems, a leading ERP, Retail and Business Management software provider for Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers and the Hiring industry, have launched their first intern program in South Africa.

The Kerridge Commercial Systems South Africa internships started in October 2020 and was the company’s first pilot for intern programs. The company took on ten (10) new interns which is an important contribution to the software industry. More and more skilled resources are needed due to the growing demands of businesses, especially as they continue to digitally transform.

From finding new ways to trade, to ensuring safe working, 2020 has accelerated the need for merchants to embrace digital solutions such as e-commerce. We spoke to the Professional Builders Merchant about the shift to online:

Our UK Managing Director, James Mitchell, spoke to Professional Builders Merchant about how integrated e-commerce solutions from Kerridge Commercial Systems enable companies to continue to sell profitably in these challenging times. 

“We decided the implementation would be overseen by two project managers. For us, this was quite a positive because it allowed people to get on with their normal jobs; more people would have got involved if the implementation was carried out on site.”

John Caswell, Project Manager, Caswellsgroup

Unusual trading conditions have arisen for many businesses over recent months, and for one company, the coronavirus pandemic came just as it planned to move to a new ERP software provider.

Caswellsgroup, a leading supplier of industrial consumables, was due to go live on Kerridge Commercial Systems’ (KCS) K8 solution when lockdown rules were enforced. Still keen to go live with its new 32-user system, Project Manager John Caswell explained that KCS put forward the idea of a remote implementation.

Kerridge Commercial Systems recently acquired Unit4 Wholesale and are now pleased to announce that Unit4 Wholesale will, moving forward, operate under the Kerridge Commercial Systems (KNW) brand. “We believe that by merging our products and services to one brand and working as one team, that it will enable us to become a stronger and more strategic partner for our customers”.

July 2020 - Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS), a leading provider of ERP software, services and support solutions for wholesale, distribution, rental and installation customers worldwide, announced today it has acquired Unit4 Wholesale in the Netherlands.

This acquisition is an important strategic acquisition for KCS in the Benelux and a positive development for Unit4 Wholesale. Unit4 Wholesale will continue to maintain and support existing software solutions and introduce the benefits from the KCS portfolio to its customers to support customers even better

April 2020 - Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS), a leading provider of ERP software, services and support solutions for wholesale, distribution, rental and installation customers worldwide, has today announced its acquisition of Infomat.

This is an important strategic acquisition for KCS in Benelux and a positive development for Infomat. The company will continue to maintain and support its existing software solutions and introduce the benefits of the KCS portfolio to better support its customer base.

“One of the benefits of Vecta is that it’s a great reporting tool for the remotely based field sales team, giving them the visibility they need around customer history and performance.”

Gary Molloy, Business Systems Manager, Trilanco LTD

Trilanco is a Lancashire-based specialist equine, pet and agricultural products wholesaler. The company supplies brands from all over the world and offers more than 20,000 product lines.

Heather Preu has joined Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) as Chief Executive Officer – North America. With a strong background in executive leadership, Heather’s recent roles include senior management positions within Infor and IBM, both global suppliers of software solutions.

Heather will take full responsibility for all KCS operations in the USA and Canada, including MAM and KCS (previously known as Dancik and Mincron).

Dear Customer,

As the effects of Coronavirus deepen across our world I wanted to update you on the work we are doing to support our customers around the world.

All our offices are in home working mode. Our Business Continuity plans have been instigated and all services continue to function with remote working. You should see no degradation of service on our support hot lines, including our 24x7 support service. Our R&D teams continue to develop and innovate and our consultants and training department are continuing to successfully help customers with new implementations, system management and upgrades by way of video conferencing tools.

Over the last 2 weeks we have implemented hundreds of VPN solutions to help many customers work from home. We have provided hundreds of hardware devices to help customers work in a mobile way and we have helped many of our customers move to Cloud Solutions for their business critical systems to ensure business continuity. This week we are launching new web-trading software to help customers rapidly implement internet trading solutions and keep trading electronically.

We are determined to be there and help you innovate, automate and evolve to meet the new trading challenges.

If we can help in any way please do not hesitate to contact your personal Account Manager or the support desk.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Bendelow
Kerridge CS Group CEO

Dear Customer,

In these unprecedented times, we are reaching out to make sure you know that Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) are here to help. We are working hard to make sure we support your business in any way we can and have put in place measures to ensure all our services continue in every way possible.

Many of you will be listed as critical services / key workers that are crucial in the country's supply chain. Keeping your IT system running is our number one priority. For businesses, finding innovative ways of still trading are important, which is why we are here to help you in any way possible. We will continue to reach out to every customer individually to understand what we can do to help.

Over the last few months, we have invested in technology to enable KCS to carry out our business operations remotely and we are pleased to say that this is fully operational and working well. This includes remote working capability for our staff and Microsoft Teams collaboration technology, which enables us to communicate effectively from various non-office locations, and to conduct remote training and assistance for our customers as required.

We are continuing to offer full support services and we will continue to provide our consultancy and training services remotely. Our account management team is here to help you engage with KCS.

We are already providing remote services such as system health checks, report writing, product file health check and remote training to a number of our customers. Our consultancy department is available to help our customers make the transition to remote working and address any urgent changes in their supply chain.

In light of the dramatic change to the way businesses in the UK & IE are operating, we are making available a variety of quick deployment ecommerce solutions to enable you to interact and continue trading with your customers remotely.

KCS is supported by a team of professionals loyal to the business and dedicated to providing a first class service and we will make sure that together we successfully get through this period.

Please feel free to contact me directly or our support team or your Account Manager through the normal channels.

Finally, in these challenging times I wish you, your families and your work colleagues all the best and hope that you remain healthy.

Kind regards,

James
James Mitchell | Managing Director UK & Ireland

“Most importantly the Kerridge Commercial Systems implementation team were very focused on giving us exactly what we wanted in the way the system was configured. Their ongoing support throughout the project gave us confidence we would get a system that was right for us.”

Karen Jay, Director of Operations & Defence Business

Gresham Power chose K8 MFS software to manage their business processes after their incumbent supplier was no longer able to provide support to their 20-year-old system. “The old DOS based system had been updated with a Windows interface which looked quite user friendly but was anything but,” remembered Karen. “It was such a struggle to get to the information we needed quickly and impossible to extract data for reporting. It was also impossible to delete obsolete parts and the system was getting really clogged up as data cleansing was far too time consuming. We did however have plenty of warning that we would need to upgrade so we had time to look at a number of systems.”

Karen said that the ability of a system to calculate ‘actual’ costs was a key requirement as they seldom made the same piece of equipment twice. “Calculations based on standard or average costs just don’t work for us. We also needed to be able to export all of our existing data to any new system because of the very long-term support we provide. We eventually chose K8 MFS because it provided the costing model we needed, and the team reassured us they could successfully extract all our data. The Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) team were also able to train us using our own data. This made it far easier to check the data fields imported were correct, as our users were working with familiar data. Virtually every other provider we looked at only offered on-line training with documentation that didn’t match what you could see on their videos - with dummy data that bore no relevance to our business.”

Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) has appointed Camilla Lardner as its Professional Services Group (PSG) Director. Her background in project delivery and passion for continuous improvement will mark the start of a new direction for PSG, with a strong emphasis on excellent customer service and experience.

Camilla joined KCS as Project Delivery Director in July 2018 after spending 12 years in Application Delivery Services at IBM. As Delivery Director, she focused on expanding the governance and control of projects in order to provide more repeated successful implementations.

“Being able to send out invoices and statements directly from K8 by email has made this job much quicker and easier. I used to have to print them out and put them in the post!”

Lee Peters, Manager, Lakeside Timber

Lakeside Timber operates from a modern showroom in Gillingham and supplies a huge range of timber, sheet materials, decking, doors, windows and tools to customers across the Medway area. One of the company’s specialist areas is the supply of loft conversion products. Established in 1989 by Del Peters, today the company is managed by his son Lee, who is a director. There are eight full time employees as well as two apprentices. Business is split fairly evenly between retail and trade customers with many of the trade account holders having dealt with Lakeside since the company started.

Lee said, “Our incumbent provider informed us they were no longer supporting our software at about the same time we realised it was time to upgrade to a more modern system. We needed more functionality around business intelligence and accurate visibility of stock. I looked at one other solution before choosing K8. Cost was a factor in my decision but not the only factor. I was more impressed with the attitude of the K8 sales team and the quality of their demonstration.”

Plugins are windows that present a user with additional detail about the order you are entering without having to go searching for it. Details such as product images, customer price history, product demand, or even sales charts can be automatically displayed, enabling you to provide the information that your users need to impress as they interact with your customers.

To find out more, please contact us.

“We chose K8 because of how its functionality is geared to our type of business, particularly around trading timber, but also because of the expertise of the individuals from the Kerridge CS team who presented it to us.”

Craig Mayor, Managing Director, Terry Howell

According to Craig Mayor, MD at Terry Howell Timber & Builders Merchant, there aren’t enough words to describe the changes he expects the implementation of K8 software will make to the business!

Accepting that it will entail a huge transformation in the working practices of many of his team, he believes the benefits, in terms of visibility and accuracy across all business processes, will far outweigh any initial challenges caused by the introduction of a modern ERP system.

“We have Vecta open on our desktops all day and every day. I think we sometimes forget how dependent we are on it. Without Vecta we would feel like we’d had our right arm cut off!”

Rachel Carter, Business Development Manager, KRM Building Supplies Ltd

KRM is an independent, family run builders’ merchant serving Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The Ilkeston based company supplies a wide range of building products including timber and landscaping materials.

There are 28 staff employed at KRM and customers range from local builders and ground workers to DIY enthusiasts. The experienced team at KRM also offers a brick matching service and materials quantity estimating.

Vecta combines world-class integrated sales analysis with CRM using up-to-date transactional data from a company’s ERP system alongside contact history, diary and more. A fully mobile, browser-based solution, Vecta is accessible 24/7 from desktop, tablet or smartphone.

Results

• Granular sales analysis provided for the KRM team
• Lost quotes monitored and analysed in depth
• Effective diary and call management with link to Outlook
• System tailored to suit KRM’s needs
• Sales team able to review performance and customer status
• Opportunities and issues highlighted via alerts

As well as ordering for delivery, your customers can easily select the branch they wish to collect from, as well as seeing stock availability from within K8 if you wish to enable this. With flexible calendars, you can determine whether to accept orders for immediate collection, or whether you want to set cut-off times so that you have time to prepare the goods.

Discover more on Web Builder.

Visibility of SPA’s is crucial to maintain accurate margins in any supported business. Easy to set up within K8 and applied to lines within sales orders, SPA’s ensure claims for the value that is being supported by your supplier are tracked and can be claimed simply. As these are applied to sales order lines, you get a true reflection of your margins at the time the order is placed.

To find out more, please contact us.

Hungerford, UK, October 21, 2019 – Kerridge Commercial Systems (“KCS”), a market leader in software, services and support solutions for trade, wholesale, manufacturing and distribution customers worldwide, today announced it has completed its acquisition of MAM Software Group, Inc. (NASDAQ Capital Market: MAMS) (“MAM Software” or “MAM”), a leading global provider of on-premise and cloud-based business management solutions for the automotive parts, tire and vertical distribution industries, having satisfied all requirements.

Ian Bendelow, CEO of Kerridge Commercial Systems, said, “KCS offers end-to-end ERP solutions including Supply Chain Management, Financial Management, CRM, Warehouse Management, Plant and Hire Management, Transport Management, Business Intelligence, ePOS and more, specifically for the distribution and manufacturing markets. Bringing MAM into the KCS group will strengthen our presence in the automotive aftermarket sector. We believe our broadened set of complementary solutions will allow us to better serve existing customers of both KCS and MAM over the long-term while also providing a very compelling alternative for new customers.”

Mike Jamieson, CEO of MAM Software, said, “The completion of this combination marks a significant milestone for both MAM Software and KCS. Working in partnership with KCS, will provide MAM with opportunities to more effectively serve its customer base through the deep and broad resources of KCS, which has a strong base of more than 15,000 customers globally. We are confident KCS will be able to enhance MAM’s leadership position in the automotive aftermarket space by leveraging the domain expertise of the KCS organization. We look forward to an exciting new chapter together as part of the KCS group.”

About MAM Software Group, Inc.

MAM Software is a leading global provider of cloud-based business and on-premise management solutions for the auto parts, tire and vertical distribution industries. The company provides a portfolio of innovative software (SaaS and packaged), data (DaaS), and integration (iPaaS) services that enable businesses to intelligently manage core business processes, control costs and generate new profit opportunities. MAM’s integrated platforms provide a wealth of rich functionality including: point-of-sale, inventory, purchasing, reporting, data and e-commerce. Wholesale, retail and installer business across North America, the U.K. and Ireland rely on MAM solutions, backed by dedicated teams of experienced service and support professionals. For further information, please visit www.mamsoftware.com.

About Kerridge Commercial Systems

Kerridge Commercial Systems provides specialist software, services and support to deliver fully integrated trading and business management solutions to distributive trades customers, large and small – wherever they are in the world. With our heritage in distributive trades, our technical experts are thought leaders in trading and management technology, and our innovative and flexible approach ensures our customers partner with us for the long-term. Our mission is simple: to design and deliver high performance, integrated ERP solutions that enable our distributive trade customers to source effectively, stock efficiently, sell profitably and service competitively. For further information, please visit www.kerridgecs.com.

Contact:
Kerridge Commercial Systems

Todd Fogarty
Kekst CNC
+1 212 521 4854
todd.fogarty@kekstcnc.com

A comprehensive suite of workplaces are available as standard within K8, all of which allow you to both see and manage what is going on in your business easily. Behind this summarised information is easy access straight to the details you need, making sure you are always on top of things.

But did you know that you can easily build your own? Simple to use tools within K8, let you construct personalised views of data for groups and for individual users, giving you the data you need, where you need it, for your business.

To find out more, please contact us.

“We try to support all BMF initiatives because we believe that working in close partnership with the Federation benefits all its members – and in turn the whole industry. We were particularly honoured at the commendation in this category as it was the first time a service partner has been nominated for the award.”

Paula Hayter, New Business Sales Director

The Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) team was thrilled to be ‘Highly Commended’ by the Builders’ Merchants Federation (BMF) in the Supplier Engagement category at the recent BMF Awards. Just eight companies were shortlisted from over 300 BMF supplier and service members!

The BMF said the shortlisted companies were those that actively sought to gain the greatest value from their BMF membership during the preceding 12 months. And, were those that had successfully integrated their membership of the BMF within their sales and marketing strategies, lending support through attendance at meetings and events and by various forms of sponsorship.

“Right from the outset I believed K8 software was by far superior to anyone else’s.”

Stewart Wilson, Operations Director, Collinson

Scotland’s leading independent tile distributor, Collinson Ceramics, is to implement K8, the fully integrated, business management software solution, developed by Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS).

Stewart said that from when he first started talking to the KCS team, he found them to be highly professional and very open and honest. “Since the first demonstration, I’ve been very impressed with every aspect of the KCS operation. Now we’re in the implementation process, I can see the project manager and his team are a really well organised and committed bunch of people. And as far as the software is concerned, in my opinion there’s no question that K8 is the market leader.”

It is great to see that an additional 12 employees have now qualified as Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA). We now have 29 volunteers qualified at KCS UK & Ireland and have a plan to train more.

Mental health issues are a normal part of life. We all have a personal responsibility to look after our own wellbeing as well as the mental health of those who we work with and care for. The business understands the importance of this, and therefore we have partnered with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England in order to increase mental health awareness and skills across the business.

Our aim is to support employees by giving them the facts about mental health and the practical skills to support wellbeing, as we work towards building a healthier and more productive workplace, free from stigma.

Our Support FAQs handbook is now available. This guide is designed to help you understand your support service.

To find out more, please visit the customer portal support.kerridgecs.com or contact us.

Blue Bell, PA and Hungerford, UK, September 3, 2019 – MAM Software Group, Inc. (NASDAQ Capital Market: MAMS) (“MAM Software” or “MAM”), a leading global provider of on-premise and cloud-based business management solutions for the automotive parts, tire and vertical distribution industries, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which it will be acquired by Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS), which provides software, services and support to deliver fully integrated trading and business management solutions to trade, wholesale, manufacturing and distribution customers across the world, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $154.2 million. Under the terms of the agreement, MAM stockholders will receive $12.12 per share in cash for each common share of MAM, which represents a 14% premium over the closing price on August 30, 2019 and a 38% premium over the prior 90-day average of $8.80 per share.

“This all-cash transaction provides MAM Software’s stockholders with a premium over the pre-announcement market price of their shares, and we believe it will allow our team to increase our focus on long-term success that will benefit customers, employees and partners. Together with KCS, we can offer a broader portfolio of solutions to our customers globally,” said Mike Jamieson, MAM Software CEO.

“We have long believed that a partnership between MAM Software and KCS would create a range of significant strategic opportunities,” said Ian Bendelow, CEO of Kerridge Commercial Systems. “MAM has significant traction in the automotive aftermarket sector that augments our solution offering, and this combination also will expand our U.S. market presence. We look forward to joining with the MAM team as we invest further in the business to accelerate MAM Software’s growth and bring greater value to its customer base.”

Following an extensive review of strategic alternatives and a thorough process, MAM’s Board of Directors have unanimously approved the proposed transaction. Following the execution of the merger agreement, stockholders of MAM representing more than 50% of MAM’s outstanding shares delivered a written consent approving the transaction and no other approval of MAM’s Board of Directors or stockholders is required to complete the transaction. The transaction, which is expected to close in or prior to the fourth quarter of 2019, is subject to certain customary closing conditions. A copy of the definitive agreement will be made available at MAM’s website at www.mamsoftware.com.

Mirus Capital Advisors and Sullivan & Worcester LLP are serving as MAM’s financial and legal advisors, respectively, for this transaction. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as KCS's legal advisor.

About MAM Software Group, Inc.

MAM Software is a leading global provider of cloud-based business and on-premise management solutions for the auto parts, tire and vertical distribution industries. The company provides a portfolio of innovative software (SaaS and packaged), data (DaaS), and integration (iPaaS) services that enable businesses to intelligently manage core business processes, control costs and generate new profit opportunities. MAM's integrated platforms provide a wealth of rich functionality including: point-of-sale, inventory, purchasing, reporting, data and e-commerce. Wholesale, retail and installer business across North America, the U.K. and Ireland rely on MAM solutions, backed by dedicated teams of experienced service and support professionals. For further information, please visit www.mamsoftware.com.

About Kerridge Commercial Systems

Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) provides specialist software, services and support to deliver fully integrated trading and business management solutions to distributive trades customers, large and small – wherever they are in the world. With our heritage in distributive trades, our technical experts are thought leaders in trading and management technology, and our innovative and flexible approach ensures our customers partner with us for the long-term. Our mission is simple: to design and deliver high performance, integrated ERP solutions that enable our distributive trade customers to source effectively, stock efficiently, sell profitably and service competitively. For further information, please visit www.kerridgecs.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are based on beliefs and assumptions of MAM’s management and on information currently available to MAM’s management and that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements include information concerning MAM’s possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, potential market opportunities, the successful closing of this transaction, effects of the transaction, operations as a private company and the location of its headquarters and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements consist of all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as “accelerates,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including, without limitation, (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; (2) the possibility that the consummation of the proposed acquisition described in this communication does not occur or is delayed, either due to the failure of closing conditions or other reasons; (3) the risk that the proposed acquisition disrupts current plans and operations or increases operating costs and the potential difficulties in customer loss and employee retention as a result of the announcement and consummation of such acquisition; (4) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against MAM, KCS or others following announcement of the merger agreement and transactions contemplated therein; and (5) those risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of MAM’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and MAM’s subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. MAM urges you to consider those risks and uncertainties in evaluating its forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. MAM does not undertake any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed merger, MAM intends to file relevant materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including a preliminary information statement on Schedule 14C. Following the filing of the definitive information statement with the SEC, the Company will mail the definitive information statement to all MAM stockholders. You may obtain copies of all documents filed by MAM with the SEC regarding this transaction, free of charge, at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or from MAM’s website at www.mamsoftware.com.

Contact:

MAM Software

Brian H. Callahan
Chief Financial Officer
610-336-9045 ext. 240

Kerridge Commercial Systems

Todd Fogarty
Kekst CNC
212 521 4854
todd.fogarty@kekstcnc.com

Neil Abraham has joined Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) as Director of Cloud Operations. The position is a new role at KCS, created as part of the company’s continuous investment in their K-Cloud team and cloud-based product service solutions.

The vast majority of customers now choose to consume their mission critical KCS software on a SaaS basis (Software as a Service) delivered from K-Cloud.

Neil and his team will be responsible for the design, provision and support of the whole cloud infrastructure at KCS, including the global management of KCS data centres and relationships with third party vendors/partners. Neil said, “I’ll also be focusing on the methodology that goes into delivering our cloud offerings, to ensure KCS delivers a top quality service in the most efficient way. I want to simplify the process of working with us for our customers, and to deliver a world class cloud service that KCS and our customers have total confidence in and to support their business critical IT systems and processes.”

Tony Pey, Head of Product Marketing at Kerridge Commercial Systems, examines how the role of an ERP system is changing. It’s still the engine that drives a business - but today merchants need to choose even more wisely to ensure their system not only delivers the functionality they need now and in the future, but that it can also co-exist in the new technology landscape.

To find out more, read the full blog post.

K8 users can export Advanced Columnar reports to a spreadsheet, with formatting preserved. The spreadsheets may also be built on the server rather than connecting to the client directly, meaning that tasks may be configured within the system agent to produce spreadsheets ready for deployment elsewhere (e.g. automatically emailed as attachments via background tasks in the agent to nominated recipients). A user may use any spreadsheet viewer that supports office open xml format to view these spreadsheets.

To find out more, please contact us.

“Previously the only way we sold was through direct selling from the rep, so Vecta has facilitated a more multi-channel approach.”

Paul Gordon, Managing Director, Olympic Fixings

Vecta, the on-line sales analytics and CRM solution, has enabled Paul Gordon, managing director of Olympic Fixings, to spend more time managing and directing his business - rather than chasing data!

The BMF has announced the finalists for its 2019 Supplier Engagement Award. Eight companies, Crystal, Encon Insulation, Ibstock, JCB, Kerridge Commercial Systems, Knauf, Marsh Industries and Velux have been shortlisted for the Award from over 300 BMF supplier and service members.

The eight companies have actively sought to gain the greatest value from their membership during the last 12 months. They have successfully integrated membership of the BMF within their sales and marketing strategies and supported the BMF through attendance at meetings and events, and through various forms of event sponsorship.

Read the full article

It is great to see that our MD James Mitchell has taken the lead with the Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) team. He and 8 other KCS UK & Ireland employees are now qualified Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA).

Mental health issues are a normal part of life. We all have a personal responsibility to look after our own wellbeing as well as the mental health of those who we work with and care for. The business understands the importance of this, and therefore we have partnered with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England in order to increase mental health awareness and skills across the business.

Our aim will be to support employees by giving them the facts about mental health and the practical skills to support wellbeing, as we work towards building a healthier and more productive workplace, free from stigma.

Our Knowledge Base is available to all K8 users of support.kerridgecs.com.

Highlights:

• Over 600 articles available
• Available 24/7, 365 days of the year
• Aid to self-serve

Our experts have been adding helpful information and ‘how to…’ style articles, and there's more on the way. You will notice the option to “Search Knowledge Articles for Help”. Just type in a few key words, click 'Go', and the relevant articles will be available.

To find out more, please visit the customer portal support.kerridgecs.com or contact us.

Controls are now available to control this process. These allow for items that have been picked to a container (e.g. box or pallet) to be tracked on a pre-configured journey via multiple stages/waypoints through the warehouse and onto the truck. This process can be managed using hand held devices.

To find out more, please contact us.

“After a detailed review of the ERP market, I have confidence that this is the right System for JT Dove and that there is no other product with such a depth of advanced functionality for builders merchants.”

Steve Robinson, Managing Director, JT Dove

Leading Builders’ Merchant, JT Dove Ltd, has made a significant investment in a new ERP system to improve efficiencies and allow for the next phase of growth.

The new chosen ERP system, Kerridge Commercial Systems’ (KCS) K8, will be used across all of JT Doves 19 locations by around 190 users throughout the group, across the branches and in head office. The system will allow for better customer service through better support of the team and their daily activities.

K8 is a fully integrated system that comprises financial accounting as well as a suite of apps designed to digitally transform delivery, showroom and warehouse management tasks. These are accessed through the KCS Digital Services gateway that enables users to access, and proactively use, data from their version of K8 on an iOS or Android device.

At JT Dove there will be 60 drivers using the K8 ePOD app that will enable them to access and manage a branch generated electronic manifest with signature capture. KCS’s latest generation digital services will also be used to support their digital web development.

“My Director immediately said it was just what we had been looking for - it ticked all the boxes for us.”

Simon Johnson, IT Manager, Marcrist

Marcrist International Limited specialises in the production of diamond-based products for cutting and drilling. The company, seen as a technology leader in its field with its premium quality products, distributes to professional users through merchants and distributors.

Results

• Smooth implementation of combined sales analysis and CRM solution
• Browser based customer and sales data always accessible via user dashboards
• Sales representatives able to generate their own bespoke reports
• No more re-keying of information into ERP system
• Gap analysis identifies further sales opportunities
• Total management visibility of team diaries and performance

The Kerridge CS (KCS) solution portfolio continues to grow

Over 150 of our customers travelled an estimated 60,000 miles between them to attend the Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) customer conference. A statistic, according to UK and Ireland Managing Director, James Mitchell, that demonstrated the enthusiasm K8 users have for learning and updating themselves on current versions and options in the KCS software portfolio.

Watch the highlights video.

Conference delegates included companies that were new to the software as well as those who have been using it for 30 years plus. And, among the delegate companies involved in the distribution of timber and other building materials were those who worked in the more niche industries of fish radar systems and ginger biscuits!

Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS), a specialist software provider, is proud to announce that they have officially opened an office in Nairobi, Kenya. KCS is focused on servicing the distributive and retail trades and have software solutions that allows businesses to streamline their processes and operations. These solutions are especially effective in helping businesses manage their stock.

The decision to open an office in Nairobi was made due to KCS already having a significant number of customers in Kenya. This strategic move will therefore further support their existing customer base and grow the business.

Des Nangle, Managing Director of Kerridge Commercial Systems, Africa, said “We are very excited about our investment in to Kenya. An ERP or a proper retail software solution is no longer optional for any SME or larger sized business. The world around us is constantly changing and competition is really tough. As a result, businesses need to maintain a competitive advantage by optimising processes and focusing on their customers. This is what is so great about our ERP and retail solutions; it is cost effective, quick to implement and can really change how a business operates, especially if it involves managing stock.”

KCS already has several Business Partners in Kenya and there are additional opportunities for other local businesses. This supports the Kenyan economy, via FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) and will result in new jobs being created. This initiative further supports and compliments our objective of providing quality service to both existing and new customers.

Trevor Dorasamy will be heading up the new Kenyan office. Dorasamy said “I have been in this industry for many years working closely with customers, matching solutions to individual business needs, resulting in improved performance. I believe that strong relationships are key to successful business journeys and I look forward to that journey with our Kenyan customers.”

Support for Making Tax Digital for VAT (MTD), which requires the electronic submission of VAT Returns via the HMRC API has been developed within K8. You can prepare your VAT Return within K8 and submit this via the K8 MTD Bridge, which handles all of the communication with HMRC. You’ll have heard a lot from us about MTD recently, but if you still need assistance please don’t hesitate to contact us.

inspHire Limited is pleased to announce its acquisition of the inspHire software business from its reseller Elev8 Australia Pty Ltd.

inspHire has provided its award-winning rental solutions through its local reseller for the last 12 years and now plans to service customers directly. It targets a number of core markets including heavy plant, construction vehicles, powered access equipment, oil and gas equipment, portable toilets, audio visual and medical equipment.

inspHire has been providing its software solutions to the rental industry for a number of years and operates in Europe, North America and Africa, supporting over 1200 companies in 30+ countries. It is part of Kerridge Commercial Systems Group, who provides software to 15,000 customers worldwide, offering end to end ERP solutions including rental, supply chain management, financial management, CRM, warehouse management, transport management, business intelligence and ePOS solutions for the distribution and manufacturing markets.

We are delighted to announce our 2019 customer conference on Wednesday 1st & Thursday 2nd May at The De Vere Cotswold Water Park.

The event will be packed with presentations on the latest innovations with hints and tips on using our products and value-added products, as well as two guest speakers!

There will also be a networking dinner on the evening of Day 1, open to all attendees with plenty of opportunities to socialise and network with peers from your industry.

This enables standard word searches to utilise this search method. For example, typing ‘Brik’ would also return ‘Brick’ , typing ‘Smyth’ would return ‘Smith’, etc. It is possible to set default settings for the search at the system level or for individual searches allowing different searches to behave differently. The settings can be used to select whether the search uses fuzzy logic or soundex, neither or both. There are also settings to determine the “fuzziness” of the search as well as the ordering of the results.

“Vecta is usually the first thing my team look at in the morning. We all use it on a daily basis and invariably I have it running in the background all the time.”

Graham Knight, Operations Director – South, FPS

How does a leading national wholesale distribution business like FPS use its business systems to stay ahead of the competition?

Vecta for K8 integrated sales analysis and CRM, helps manage customer relationships by uniquely combining world-class sales intelligence with up to date transactional data from a highly sophisticated, wholesale distribution solution. It’s fully mobile, cloud based and accessible 24/7 from desktop, tablet or smartphone.

Kerridge CS is pleased to provide MTD compliant software. Here is why K8 is the perfect solution for your business.

To find out more, read the full blog post.

James Mitchell has joined Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) as Managing Director - UK and Ireland. With a strong background in global business management as well as technical credentials in the software industry, James’ recent roles include senior management positions within CDK, a global supplier of IT solutions for the automotive retail industry.

James’ appointment follows a period of strong growth at KCS, both organic and through acquisition, and will allow CEO Ian Bendelow to focus on the future growth strategy of the KCS group. As managing director of KCS in the UK and Ireland, James will report to Ian Bendelow – alongside the managing directors of the KCS businesses in North America, South Africa and the Netherlands.

James said, “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead a company that has such a strong portfolio of products which enable our customers to be market leaders in their industries. KCS’ strong customer partnership and heritage shows the company has been doing the right things over the years. I also value the commitment and backing we have from our investors, our executives’ clear vision as industry leaders for the future and the investments the company makes in innovating global products for the benefit of the entire customer base.”