Faxon Engineering was profiled in the February 2008 edition of Manufacturers' Mart:
Faxon Engineering Revamps Distribution Management System
Founded in 1946, Faxon Engineering has evolved to become a leading distributor of hose, fittings, hydraulic, pneumatic and lubrication components throughout New England. Their commitment to quality industrial distribution is supported by an experienced sales force, dedicated inside staff and conscientious warehouse personnel, all striving to make it easy to do business with them. The one area that needed attention was having the right set of tools so they could more effectively serve their customers.
Faxon Engineering recently invested in new technology to maximize their efficiency, productivity and profitability. That's where Tribute, Inc. and their state-of-the-art Windows-based distribution management system called TrulinX came in. Tribute works with many manufacturers in the hydraulic, pneumatic and rubber products industry to provide the specific tools Faxon needs to do business. They partner with major manufacturers like Eaton Corporation to provide support to their distributor network. Faxon can now send their point of sale reports directly and easily to Eaton Corporation via email for sales at their Aeroquip Express Store. They can also directly transmit their inventory valuation report to Eaton in accordance to their standards with little effort. What took hours to do by hand is now automatic. Purchase orders to Eaton are automatically consolidated by TrulinX to take advantage of buying discounts. Faxon's orders can be transmitted via email, saving time and postage and reducing turn-around time on orders. TrulinX also allows them to track and manage customer rebates for Eaton and include the appropriate information in the POS/Rebate report.
As a distributor with an Aeroquip Express store, TrulinX's Counter Sales has truly streamlined Faxon's business processes at the counter. TrulinX allows the easy entry of items, kits and hose assemblies on the fly. Faxon can handle checks, cash, credit cards or on-accounts, speeding up the checkout process and giving customers the best in service. TrulinX also provides them with a Hose Assembly Generator with their unique Smart Part process, allowing them to design and generate hydraulic hose assemblies in seconds. It even calculates the cut length and labor factors for them. Shipping is much easier now that Faxon has UPS Integration. They no longer have to enter this information manually and have saved more than 12 hours per week on invoicing alone. Warehouse personnel truly appreciate the ease and time savings of this feature.
TrulinX offers sophisticated BOM tools that allow Faxon to allocate parts down to the component level and expedite components in complicated BOM assemblies. For those assemblies that are always built slightly differently or for different customers, TrulinX offers multiple versions of the BOM parent, which can be recalled any time, copied, modified or saved as a totally new BOM. This allows more flexibility and customization for their hose assemblies. The BOM module also allows them to track labor and overhead, which is so important to the bottom line. Each part number and BOM can also have an attached schematic so warehouse staff is sure they are building the part correctly. TrulinX protects against mistakes by ensuring the right quantity per component is included in the BOM.
Faxon had several unique problems that TrulinX was able to address. They now have real time visibility into their Maine manufacturing shop - they no longer need to treat them as a vendor in their system. They no longer need to re-key in orders from their largest vendor - they simply import their Excel spreadsheet and TrulinX does the rest. Faxon's owner requires up to the minute information that is accurate and reliable in order to make the best decisions for his business. TrulinX allows him to look at sales and accounting information in real time. Faxon's staff can get a wide variety of reports to help expedite business, from quotes to sales orders to commissions to purchasing to inventory and accounting.
Along with the many specific tools that TrulinX offers, the system generates documents and reports that are easy to generate, look professional, and are easy to read. Faxon is now able to use regular laser printer paper, saving a lot of money on pre-printed multi-part forms. The auto-faxing feature enables them to get right back to customers with quotes, purchase orders, invoices and memos. Their month end processing used to take hours, but is now done quickly and efficiently. One of the most important things about TrulinX is its product support. When Faxon needs to call in with a question, they get someone who knows them on the phone. They now pay lower support fees for better, more knowledgeable customer service.
Contact Faxon Engineering for your hydraulic and pneumatic needs at 467 New Park Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110; tel. 860-236-4266 or toll-free 800-543-2966; fax 860-232-5856 or visit them online at www.faxonengineering.com.
Manufacturer’s Mart - February 2008 www.manufacturersmart.com
