Talk about good timing. In early January, process instrumentation products and services distributor George E. Booth Co. launched a cloud-based ERP system that had been in the works since June 2019.

In a discussion with MDM’s John Gunderson, President Scott Young shared how the timely move contributed to a nearly seamless transition to work from home after COVID-19 hit, and is allowing the Midwest distributor and manufacturer rep to focus on the key differentiators of its business — process implementation and automation — without having to rely on “slow and bulky” VPN technology of the past.

“The cloud-based piece ended up being a blessing when COVID hit. For us to send our employees home was very, very easy, especially versus the system that we were on previously,” said Young.

With value-added services really taking off in the last several years, Booth knows that customer expectations of their distributors have changed, amd the move to Epicor’s Microsoft Azure cloud-based ERP is a key step in the ongoing effort to keep ahead of competitors, Young told Gunderson.

“We know that competitors such as Amazon are out there trying to figure out how to get a foothold into our business. … We continue to invest in service to differentiate ourselves from just-online shops,” Young said in the MDM Spotlight video. “It seems to be working.”

Expanded Opportunities to Provide Value

Today’s customers have fewer resources at their plant sites and therefore are looking for more turnkey opportunities from their distributors. Being on the cloud, in addition to utilizing Epicor’s data analytics capabilities, helps with that process by making it easier to automate and cutting down on duplicate activities, Young explained.

“We’re looking at every which way that we can save time on the back end, and put our focus and our efforts into revenue-generating positions, sales, service, etc.,” he said. “We look at, how do we be lean and do what we need to do, have systems that are catered to offer the best experience for our employees and for our customers, so that we can continue on in the future?”

For more on how Booth has been able to integrate the cloud-based ERP into a vendor’s SAP and the ways it is helping with manpower, watch the complete Spotlight video here.