| Kent Bearings |
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It was back in 1995 that we first came into contact with Kent Bearings. They were getting frustrated with the lack of sales information available from their Sage system, and had heard about MAP4 from several contacts within the Bearings Industry. As a result, we were invited to demonstrate our software to them, which we duly did at their Head Office in Ashford.
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| That was the last we saw or heard of them until 5 years later. We then received a request from them to have another look at MAP4. The difference this time was that the company had grown considerably, and the problems they had been experiencing in 1995 were now much more acute and had far greater consequences for the continued expansion of the company.
It transpired that Kent Bearings had installed a Foxpro Database system in the intervening years, written and installed by a family friend. This, in turn, had not been the answer to all of their problems, and they subsequently opted for the market leader in the industry, MAP4. |
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But the story had begun 12 years previously, when Martin Bennett and Stuart Parker decided to leave Mecro and, like many others, start up on their own. An 8' x 10' office near Ashford Airport was their first home, with a move to larger premises coming 2 years later.Expansion continued when they acquired BT Express in Whitstable in 1993. |
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<>This was followed in 1996 with the opening of a branch in Hastings and in 1999 the relocation of their Head Office and branch in Ashford. Yet another new branch was opened in Rochester in 2000, and the recent purchase of BG Engineering, of Staplehurst, and it's relocation to Ashford completes the story. |
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An impressive growth, but one that could only have been achieved with the right administrative set-up to support it. Which is where MAP4 came in!
"Our previous system was struggling to cope with the volumes that our four branches were achieving" says Martin, "and we weren't able to rely on the information it was giving us. We knew we had to do something, and we had been impressed with MAP4 when we looked at it in 1995. BLCS demonstrated the system again to all our branch managers and assistant managers, and the decision was unanimous." |
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The Head Office and Ashford branch system was installed and Kent Bearings went live in December 2000. There was no necessity for the other branches to be constantly on-line to Head Office, and each of them operate their own MAP4 Server. This provides a greater level of resilience in the event of hardware failure, and saves huge amounts of money on dedicated communication links. Invoice data from the branches is electronically transmitted to Head Office on a daily basis and each branches stock profile is also electronically transmitted to every other branch, although in this case a weekly update is considered sufficient. This provides the sales staff with instant access to stock levels at all the branches with one screen enquiry. |
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Has the system been a success and are Kent Bearings happy with it? |
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Ashford Branch
"In our business we firmly believe in high standards and our aim is to never let anyone down" says Martin. "MAP4 has helped us enormously in both respects. It never goes wrong and if we ever need any help, BLCS are always there. Happy? We're absolutely delighted!" |
