Material Management Software partners with clients to achieve specific goals. Together, we identify your unique situation and tailor our products to integrate with your existing system. Read on for detailed stories about real customers.
CSI Electrical has been building an extensive team of consultants, engineers, craftspeople, project managers, and vetted professionals since 1970. Their dedication to delivering the highest caliber electrical, energy, and technology solutions has reaped accolades as well as continuously turning higher profits. At Material Management Software (MMS) we’re proud they’ve included us in their ascent.
In 2016, CSI was implementing Viewpoint Vista in 2016. They were also looking to increase their billings by 30% — from $100M to $150M. Greater efficiencies in terms of time, labor and money were critical. More specifically, CSI had three main problems they needed to solve:
This is when MMS entered the picture.
Together with CSI, issues were clearly identified. Of course, any efforts had to integrate with Viewpoint Vista. By taking a holistic approach, it wasn’t long before MMS had met the CSI business process through the unique ability to customize our software.
Since that time, we’ve partnered in a mission to further tailor their software. Evolving together, the MMS team has developed specific requested features for CSI, which has boosted their system in terms of ease of use and flexibility. Initial product topline:
Accurate and timely job costing of their materials was achieved with PONGS by integrating directly with their vendors. CSI went from lump sum POs and billing to detailed items-based entries. This improved the accuracy of their spend, as well as how those dollars were spent.
MMS helped CSI migrate to a centralized purchasing department with accurate detailed items-based purchasing using Power Purchase. From the time material is identified (either field or estimation), CSI can find their historical costs, the current vendor pricing and make informed purchase decisions all inside Power Purchase. Power Purchase allows CSI to see their spend in real time and understand where/when/how a job is going wrong and quickly bring it into line with estimation when also using PONGS integration. The ability to see detailed items also allows greater flexibility in understanding which product substitutions meet their quality needs and providing submittal information back to GCs or contract stakeholders.
Our relationship has been so successful, CSI became a launch customer for Power Invoice for Vista in 2017, which reduced their total cycle time from invoice entry to payment from 45 days to 10 days, allowing them to capture the 2% cash discount on materials.
Next, CSI started using PDF Decipher, which allowed them to integrate with smaller vendors that did not have the technology to exchange data. Further digitizing their process, eliminated paper and PDFs that required manual data entry.
In 2021, CSI began a roll out of PONGS, Requisitions, StockPile, and Receiving Buddy. These field tools have allowed their field and centralized buyers to make purchases in the way that suits them, also integrating data back to the ERP. Targeting specifically approved SKU/UPCs has reduced the amount of clicks the field must do as opposed to other products they tried, including Excel spreadsheets – and the ever popular “well I guess!”
Significant time savings in the field and the back office have proven to be a force multiplier for CSI. The company has continued to grow without adding headcount while improving net profitability. As a dedicated partner, we’re already working on the products they’ll need next.
With 74 years in the contractor business, OEG Inc., has done it all. When you’re around that long, it’s easy to get set in your ways. But this company didn’t achieve $215M a year in sales by resting on their laurels.
OEG reached out to Materials Management Software (MMS) in 2007. At that point, business had been booming at the company for 15 years. To keep up with increased volumes, they estimated they’d have to triple their staff in purchasing and AP. As they were utilizing the Viewpoint Spectrum ERP, they were facing four barriers to greater efficiency:
Our team was more than ready to get started.
OEG went from lump sum purchase orders for large purchases and manual field purchase orders to an items-based system that was automated into their Spectrum ERP. The first step was implementing PONGS, which drove four key improvements in their process. Allowing visibility of any item purchased, as well as price, and where it was purchased provided much needed clarity.
With PONGS, the company could expand into regions they had not previously serviced. In addition, leveraging the MMS network of vendors allowed them to seamlessly integrate with any vendors they chose. Recognition of job costing enabled jobs to stay on budget as they grew geographically. Finally, though purchase volumes eventually tripled, OEG never had to increase their purchasing headcount while maintaining high-quality data and integration with their ERP.
Five years after bringing PONGS on board, OEG added Power Invoice for Spectrum. In just the first three months, payment timeliness made a 30% improvement, jumping from 45 to 30 days.
Power Invoice has continuously reduced their payment cycle – today it’s at a mere 10 days for key vendors, achieving a substantial cash discount.
In 2020 PDF Decipher was added to the OEG lineup, allowing them to connect with smaller vendors that lacked the technical capabilities to exchange data electronically. Since that time, the company has committed to doing much of their purchasing from smaller local vendors in the areas they serve. MMS helps them to deliver on that promise by making data exchange easy and accurate for both the vendors and customers.
Over the years, OEG has evolved to a hybrid centralized and decentralized purchasing model that fits their unique needs to optimize every step of their purchase process. Large value purchases are centralized, while low-value high-volume purchases are purchased by the field. Over the 14 years of our relationship, purchase volumes have tripled for OEG and their purchasing department is handling it all with one less employee. Today, the wider MDU family boasts multiple divisions, and MMS supports all of MDU. We know their business is always changing – and we’re always here to help.
Contact our sales department at (800) 590-1300 or sales@materialmanagementinc.com. Or request a demo now.
