FEHR BROS. INDUSTRIES, INC.
Fehr Bros. Industries, Inc., an importer and distributor of industrial steel products, has been a part of the world of international trade for almost 50 years.
The company's roots, however, date back to 1857 when the Fehr family first established a trading company in London to engage in international commerce. Initially specializing in the import and export of tallow (animal fat, used in making candles), The Fehr Organization would adapt to new markets and branch into textiles, agricultural commodities and manufacturing goods as the years progressed and economies changed.
Fehr Bros. Industries, Inc., an independent company based in Saugerties, N.Y. is part of this dynamic worldwide organization long dedicated to serving the shifting patterns of trade.
Still owned by the Fehr family, The Fehr Organization is comprised of companies, based in London, Liverpool, Hong Kong, Durban, South African, Vancouver and Saugerties, New York.. The chairman of the international organization is Basil H.F. Fehr, C.B.E., the third generation of Fehrs to manage the group of companies which bears the family name.
FEHR BROS. INDUSTRIES, INC. COMES TO THE NEW WORLD
Despite its global presence, it was not until 1949 that a part of the Fehr empire established an American presence in New York City to trade steel, chemicals, plastics, cocoa, coffee and other commodities. The New York-based, internationally focused concern prospered, and, in 1974, evolved to become Fehr Bros. Industries, Inc. which it remains today.
With its move to Saugerties, a semi-rural community 90 miles north of New York City in 1974, Fehr Bros. Industries, Inc. became an independent corporation to warehouse and distribute industrial steel products. Fehr Bros. Industries, Inc. is focused on a variety of industrial steel products, including wire rope, cable, chain and related hardware, serving a number of niche markets throughout the United States.
With $12 million in sales, 43 employees and approximately 1,300 active transactions per month, the company has recently concluded a year-long search for a modern wholesale distribution software system. The winning system: NEXT GENERATION Software for Distributors.
"We wanted a computer system and software package that provided the tools we needed without extensive modification," said Richard Dooley, president. "We didn't want to have to re-invent the wheel or extensively customize the programs to suit our needs. Munics gave us the most features in our hardware, software, and the service and support relationship that we wanted.
"Just as important as the system," Dooley continued, "was the selection of a company who could service our needs in terms of back-up and support. We wanted an easy-to-use system, and a reliable support team. We believe we have found that with Munics Information Systems."
KEY FEATURES
Fehr Bros. had two key information needs:
1) Replenishment information, including inventory and purchasing management data.
2) On-line, real time customer-service information.
"I wanted our system to be as elegant and refined as that of (retailer) L.L. Bean," Dooley explained. "There have been many refinements in retail and catalog customer service operations. The industrial side, however, has lagged behind. Our implementation of this system is one step forward in refining and streamlining our own customer service operation."
Dooley explained that the Munics system is a key information management tool. Fehr Bros. priority is to have current information available when the company's sales and purchasing teams are on the phone with customers.
"Our customers want and need accurate and timely information," he said. "When we have a customer on the line, we must be able to give them all the information they ask for, including price, availability and order status, immediately.
"With our former system, " he continued, "our order entry staff could only provide information on a daily basis. Data was updated in a batch mode, usually overnight, so our information was only as current as the time the last batch was run. Now our information is updated minute-by-minute, so that we can respond instantly."
Dooley also explained that the real time information update was critical to Fehr Bros. inventory control.
Through the system's replenishment module," he said, "we can anticipate our inventory needs and streamline our purchasing management programs."
NEXT GENERATION Software for Distributors features a Purchase Order application including modules for: Automatic inventory replenishment recommendations with interactive review and user-defined buying targets; Automatic generation of purchase orders from approved replenishment recommendations and automatic review of stock surplus by location and suggested transfers. In addition, the software also includes a Gordon Graham Inventory Management application with modules including: Inventory control by branch, warehouse, bin or lot/serial number; Automatic calculation of item reorder point, economic order quantity, suggested minimum and maximum stocking levels and inventory movement classification; Inventory turnover analysis with trend analysis; and last, average, or standard cost, as well as others.
Like other wholesale distributors, Fehr Bros. Industries, Inc. is also sensitive to sales analysis, and the company is using NEXT GENERATION software to help target new customers by reviewing sales histories and creating customized sales analyses and transaction details.
"The theme behind our efforts," said Dooley, " is improved customer service to maintain our growth throughout the nineties. We know we will have challenges for the future. We plan to continue to grow in the markets we are in, but we also plan to explore new markets and we believe enhanced computerization with sophisticated software will help our growth."
Part of that growth is likely to come from the very roots of Fehr Bros.'s beginnings -- the international marketplace.
"Roughly 15 per cent of our business is international right now," said Dooley.
"We started as an international business, and we plan to grow globally. Fehr Bros. Industries believes that computerization will be the language of international business, and we plan to communicate in that language in the years ahead."