Companywide inventory and end tally visibility 

Trent Yoder, Buckhorn location manager says, “Epicor LumberTrack does a great job of inventory management. We’re tagging our production so we have detailed information on our inventory at all our locations.” 

“We also capture bundle end tallies so that they’re visible to our sales and production teams,” says Yoder, commenting on their use of Epicor LumberTrack Handheld data collection software that helps hardwood manufacturers create end tallies, load and volume tallies. “Sometimes our customers will ask for specific bundle compositions, and we can easily search within Epicor LumberTrack to find bundles that meet their requirements. But more often, we use the end tally descriptions to select bundles to use in our own manufacturing. It saves time, and we get better matches to production requirements.”

With over 12 MMBF of production, in a wide range of species, grades and dimensions, having detailed inventory and bundle information visible to all Epicor LumberTrack software users makes planning and sales personnel more efficient and effective. 

Faster customer service 

“The best part of Epicor LumberTrack is that it’s an all-in-one system with a seamless interface between sales processing, inventory management, and accounting,” says Yoder. “That gives users visibility into a great deal of information that we know is accurate and up-to-date.”

Yoder Lumber has three sales teams focused on wholesale, distribution, or internal orders.

“The sales people can see inventory in all our locations, at each stage of production in addition to finished bundles, as it is all the same pool of data,” says Yoder. “Our sales staff can see in an instant what a customer ordered previously, their account history, and what we have in stock. It’s much faster to provide information and take orders. And we can attach scanned documents such as purchase orders in the Epicor LumberTrack notes feature. It’s really convenient to look up documents from inside the system.”

“It’s also very helpful to be able to customize the home page dashboard for a particular user’s needs,” says Yoder. “It helps users be more productive and efficient when their tasks and pertinent information are all right there in front of them.”

Streamlined financial management and analysis

“Epicor LumberTrack also integrates seamlessly with the financial system, and the GL entries and inventory valuation information just happens automatically in the background,” says Yoder. “It’s more accurate, and certainly faster since you don’t have to do double entry in separate inventory and financial systems.”

The centralized database and ease of data access in Epicor LumberTrack software helps Yoder Lumber view critical business information, which supports in making successful decisions every day.

“The Quick Answer Lists is a valuable resource to pull data out of the system to help with all types of planning or analysis. We use them to create production reports, which we export to Excel to massage and
analyze,” says Yoder. “Epicor LumberTrack just makes it really easy to get the information we need because it’s all in one place.”

Continual improvement and support

Trent Yoder says they’re continuing to find ways to take advantage of the evolving platform and functionality advancements of Epicor LumberTrack software.

“We’re implementing Epicor LumberTrack FiberTrack to track log inventory in our log yards at Charm and Buckhorn. And we’re undertaking a Business Process Review in the coming months, which will help identify the most beneficial enhancements for us.”

Yoder commends the Epicor team that develops and supports the LumberTrack product and its user base.

“The people that support the Epicor LumberTrack software have been great. More than a working relationship, we’ve developed friendships over the years.”

About Epicor

Epicor Software Corporation is a global leader delivering business software solutions to the manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industries. With more than 40 years of experience, Epicor has more than 20,000 customers in over 150 countries. Epicor solutions enable companies to drive increased efficiency and improve profitability. With a history of innovation, industry expertise and passion for excellence, Epicor inspires customers to build lasting competitive advantage. Epicor provides the single point of accountability that local, regional, and global businesses demand. For more information, visit www.epicor.com.

Reprinted with permission from Epicor