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Motorsports Parts Distributor Keeps on the Fast Track
 Gentleman, start your engines!
Anticipation grips the crowd….
With a sharp snap, the flag is
dropped and the cars burst forth with a fury…
Then, faster than it began,
one car races across the finish line, the lone victor.
Beginning with
the Finish Line in Mind
Business is also an intense race
against tough competition—especially in the world of motorsport parts
manufacturing and distribution.
 Inside the engines of many
winning NASCAR and NHRA cars are quality parts manufactured by Manley
Performance Products of Lakewood, New Jersey. For nearly 40 years, Manley has
led the global motorsports community, supplying a myriad of valve train and
internal engine components to enthusiasts, leading race teams, professional
engine builders, specialty vehicle constructors, and OEMs.
To satisfy
clients who live life at breakneck speed, Manley needs to stay ahead of the
race. And just like the pros on the track, second place just doesn’t cut it.
“Most of our customers who place orders today needed them yesterday,”
said Gil Morejon, CFO for Manley Performance Products. “Our business is based
upon speed and we need to deliver quickly.”
Picking Up the
Pace
Once a
small shop, Manley is now a multimillion dollar enterprise. Its success is
grounded in the fact that it knows its clients.
In addition to its New
Jersey headquarters, Manley operates a warehouse in Orange, California.
Transactions on both coasts are nonstop. When a part is out of stock in one
location, sales staff electronically contact the other location for an overnight
shipment.
But, there was a time when the locations were not connected.
Since there is a three-hour time difference between coasts, this caused
difficulty if California needed to obtain a part from New Jersey after the east
coast office had closed for the day.
“Our clients do not have time to
wait,” said Morejon. “If we can’t get quick answers, they’ll go elsewhere.”
Manley asked CompuData for a speedy solution. Now both locations are
connected through a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) through a high-speed
T-1 line.
“The technology not only attributes to increased sales, it
helps prevent business erosion,” said Morejon. “With a few keystrokes, employees
in one location can view the inventory of the other location. Since there is a
three-hour time differential between the facilities, this automation can make
what otherwise would be a lost sale due to one location being closed.”
 No Time for Pit
Stops
Swapping
inventory between locations is convenient, but Manley tries to minimize the
practice. To do so, its managers need to know exactly what is and what is not in
stock.
Using MAS 200, Manley has 100% inventory control and
replenishment capabilities. While all Manley wares are fast-moving, so to speak,
some sell much quicker than others.
“Having an automated accounting of
inventory is a critical cash flow tool,” said Morejon. “It also saves us
substantial shipping costs. Metal parts are expensive to transport. While there
are times one location needs to borrow parts from the other, it makes more sense
to keep each location appropriately stocked.”
Cruising the
Next Lap
Manley
has recently contracted with Ford to supply parts for the 2004 Cobra. This
entrance into the passenger car market is a huge opportunity for further growth.
Manley’s challenge is, however, in
exchanging information with Ford and other large clients that will come down the
track. Often, large clients rely on different accounting packages that use
different formats than vendors use. And so, in order to communicate efficiently,
major customers such as Ford demand that vendors comply with Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI) standards. EDI translates and automates accounting processes
such as invoices, purchase orders, inventory management, and product
distribution across the wide array of available accounting processes.
CompuData helped transition Manley
Performance Product to EDI compliance with eBridge Software. eBridge seamlessly
integrates into MAS 200 to process valuable information that needs to be
exchanged with Ford and other large clients. Such information could include
accounts payable, accounts receivable, order entry, and/or inventory control.
Providing seamless, automated
integration, the eBridge EDI software allows businesses to eliminate the need
for manual data entry and to quickly achieve EDI compliance with business
partners for maximum efficiency. eBridge instantly synchronizes sales order and
purchase information, payment data, and other business critical information
between both systems.
Relying on manual data entry and
duplication always leaves open the possibility of human error, which can quickly
grow from a mistyped number to an inventory and invoicing nightmare. eBridge for
MAS 200 eliminates the need for manual data duplication, while leveraging the
business logic in your accounting application to ensure that information
received and sent during EDI transactions is reliable and accurate.
“EDI is just another step in our
growth,” said Morejon. “But, dealing with one technology solutions provider that
knows our company from top to bottom is a huge advantage.”
“We are
pleased that CompuData provides this key solution,” Morejon continued. “But
we’re not surprised. CompuData has been our IT advisor since the 1980s. Its
people know and understand our business.”
Are you working with
software that is no longer able to meet the demands of your growing business?
Call CompuData today to find out if there may be a more cost effective and
efficient way to address your business needs.
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