Warehousing and distribution have become a very competitive industry in Canada. With players like Amazon disrupting the market, companies must ensure they keep focusing on customer service and efficiency through technology adoption such as direct-to-customer sales and automation. 

 

The Client

The Shandex Group is a privately owned Canadian company that began its operations in 1987. They specialize in a number of areas, including development, manufacturing, distribution, and the transportation of consumer packaged goods throughout Canada and the United States. Shandex manages three distribution centers, a fleet of highway tractor-trailers and a manufacturing operation. All Shandex facilities are Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliant and are operated by a Warehouse Management Software (WMS) system. (Shandex, 2020). 

 

The Challenge

The Shandex Group has a management team that is determined to grow the company in terms of volume of product moved, number of larger customers, and also by offering a diverse range of services that typify a sophisticated wholesale trade operation. Such services include trucking, third party logistics (3PL), and manufacturing.

A high volume of shipping and receiving orders means that warehouse efficiency is critical. Poor network reliability and business intelligence left room for poor customer service, margin erosion and the inability to pull key reports for decision-making – all of these could trigger a domino effect that would impact the efficiency of the business. 

Information Technology strategy has to also align with business growth goals and mission-critical operations. IT priorities such as fast and secure networks, disaster recovery contingencies, data protection, and end-user support also become vitally important.

 

Our Approach

Indusflow Systems approached these challenges with growth and scalability in mind, providing the client with the following benefits:

 

1. Integration and Automation

Shandex needed to generate key reports and made them available to key users on a scheduled basis. Indusflow helped develop automated and user-run macros that would extract key reports from Sage 300 ERP and deliver them in various formats such as Excel and Crystal Reports.

EDI integration was another major requirement. Indusflow developed scheduled macros to automatically import and export EDI documents between Sage 300 and their EDI provider.

 

2. Business Intelligence

Shandex required easy-to-use BI tools for their own use as well as for their 3PL customers. Indusflow implemented and trained users on Sage Intelligence allowing users to create their own reports.

 

3. Strong Software Development and Customization Capabilities

Many software integration projects cannot be delivered with off-the-shelf solutions. Indusflow was able to take on custom software projects to develop integration points and tools to further push automation and efficiency. 

 

4. Managed IT Services

As our relationship with Shandex grew, the client’s needs for a more comprehensive IT relationship came into focus. Shandex decided that with their growing headcount and IT footprint, they needed a partner to provide 24/7 IT support and server management. Shandex decided to partner with Indusflow’s managed IT services team to provide the full range of IT support services needed by a mid-sized company. As a single partner with both software, process and IT capabilities, Indusflow is able to optimize the IT environment for maximum software performance while helping the client cut down costs and reduce the overhead of managing multiple partners.

 

Result:

Originally, Indusflow Systems came on to provide ongoing support for their Sage 300 ERP system. Ensuring that Sage 300 is up and running at all times is crucial as it is used to manage inventory, warehousing, sales, purchasing, and accounting. Over the years, the partnership grew to include managed IT services as Shandex continued to lead with a technology-focused gameplan. As a result, Indusflow Systems has helped Shandex with integrated solutions for ERP, warehouse management, barcoding, electronic data interchange (EDI), and business intelligence. Indusflow’s partnership with Shandex now includes full management of over a dozen servers, 160+ workstations, network performance and security, end-user service desk, and backup/restore. 

The Shandex Group is an inspiring example of a company that embraces opportunity and technology to succeed and grow within the wholesale trade industry. Shandex is a leader in customer service, warehouse management, and logistics as they continue to expand their square footage and operations. 

————————————————————————

About Indusflow Systems

Indusflow Systems is a Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) and Authorized Sage Partner established in 1986. Our core specialties are:

• Providing one-stop outsourced IT management including end-user help desk, security, backup, network monitoring, onsite servicing, hosting, cloud enablement, project management, and IT leadership. Our customers are organizations and IT departments that need a partner to cut down the costs of managing IT while maintaining excellent service levels.
  
• Providing integrated business solutions based on Sage 300, Sage CRM and related products for several industries including warehouse/distribution, manufacturing, commercial services, non-profit and financial services. Range of services include discovery, needs analysis, software demos, solution specifications, consulting, implementation, training, data analytics, and customization. 
• Implementing SYNDi suite of financial applications for loan management requirements.

Indusflow Systems is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and serves customers in North America, the Caribbean, and Africa.