Information Builders Case Studies Scherer Bros. Lumber Builds Its Operation With WebFOCUS

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	Scherer Bros. Lumber Builds Its Operation With WebFOCUS Information Builders

Scherer Bros. Lumber Builds Its Operation With WebFOCUS

Information Builders

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries	Construction & Infrastructure
Applicable Functions	Logistics & Transportation Sales & Marketing
Use Cases	Predictive Quality Analytics Supply Chain Visibility
Services	Data Science Services
Challenge	Scherer Bros. Lumber Co., a third-generation family-owned business, was looking to retool its operation to become a lean manufacturing organization. The company wanted to shift from creating materials in anticipation of demand to a model where materials are not purchased and goods are not produced until they are pulled into production by customer orders. This required a significant amount of new business information and a performance management framework to measure progress. The company also wanted to improve its retail-side reporting to enhance decision-making, create efficient and balanced delivery loads across multiple yard locations, and eradicate errors in customer information. Read More
About Customer	Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. is a third-generation family-owned business that provides lumber and residential construction materials to homebuilder customers in the Minneapolis, Minnesota metro area. The company was founded in 1930 and has grown beyond its humble beginnings as a single lumberyard. Today, it employs approximately 250 people and has several yard locations plus manufacturing and retail facilities spanning all the needs of home construction. From windows to cabinets, lumber to engineered trusses, one-of-a-kind custom millwork to wood-specialty products, Scherer Bros. strives to provide the highest quality products and services possible while delivering exceptional customer service to professional contractors in the residential construction industry. Read More
Solution	Scherer Bros. decided to use business intelligence (BI) technology from Information Builders, specifically WebFOCUS, Active Technologies, and JD Edwards Adapter. The WebFOCUS BI platform enabled the company to scrutinize its activities at a more minute level, providing visibility into the future. The company used WebFOCUS to determine customer purchase patterns, maximize sales opportunities, and improve product offerings. It also helped improve customer service and minimize human error in information entries. The company developed a BI application that uses Google Maps with WebFOCUS Active Technology reports to show deliveries for a given day, including whether any given item is a first-round delivery, return, or vendor pickup. The application then pulls up each truck’s GPS information and shows where the truck is making the delivery. This allowed the company to balance delivery loads and minimize the need to send out a truck with a small or remote order. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Applicable Industries

Construction & Infrastructure

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Predictive Quality Analytics

Supply Chain Visibility

Services

Data Science Services

Challenge

Scherer Bros. Lumber Co., a third-generation family-owned business, was looking to retool its operation to become a lean manufacturing organization. The company wanted to shift from creating materials in anticipation of demand to a model where materials are not purchased and goods are not produced until they are pulled into production by customer orders. This required a significant amount of new business information and a performance management framework to measure progress. The company also wanted to improve its retail-side reporting to enhance decision-making, create efficient and balanced delivery loads across multiple yard locations, and eradicate errors in customer information.

About Customer

Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. is a third-generation family-owned business that provides lumber and residential construction materials to homebuilder customers in the Minneapolis, Minnesota metro area. The company was founded in 1930 and has grown beyond its humble beginnings as a single lumberyard. Today, it employs approximately 250 people and has several yard locations plus manufacturing and retail facilities spanning all the needs of home construction. From windows to cabinets, lumber to engineered trusses, one-of-a-kind custom millwork to wood-specialty products, Scherer Bros. strives to provide the highest quality products and services possible while delivering exceptional customer service to professional contractors in the residential construction industry.

Solution

Scherer Bros. decided to use business intelligence (BI) technology from Information Builders, specifically WebFOCUS, Active Technologies, and JD Edwards Adapter. The WebFOCUS BI platform enabled the company to scrutinize its activities at a more minute level, providing visibility into the future. The company used WebFOCUS to determine customer purchase patterns, maximize sales opportunities, and improve product offerings. It also helped improve customer service and minimize human error in information entries. The company developed a BI application that uses Google Maps with WebFOCUS Active Technology reports to show deliveries for a given day, including whether any given item is a first-round delivery, return, or vendor pickup. The application then pulls up each truck’s GPS information and shows where the truck is making the delivery. This allowed the company to balance delivery loads and minimize the need to send out a truck with a small or remote order.

Impact #1	Scherer Bros. is now able to predict sales and profitability more accurately, allowing them to always have the right level of staff, equipment, and inventory on hand to meet customer demand.
Impact #2	The company is now able to balance delivery loads, saving money and time.
Impact #3	The company has improved its customer service by being able to track deliveries and provide customers with accurate delivery times.

Impact #1

Scherer Bros. is now able to predict sales and profitability more accurately, allowing them to always have the right level of staff, equipment, and inventory on hand to meet customer demand.

Impact #2

The company is now able to balance delivery loads, saving money and time.

Impact #3

The company has improved its customer service by being able to track deliveries and provide customers with accurate delivery times.

Benefit #1	The company is now 96.2 percent on time and complete with its deliveries.
Benefit #2	The company can predict sales within a 5 percent margin three months in advance.

Benefit #1

The company is now 96.2 percent on time and complete with its deliveries.

Benefit #2

The company can predict sales within a 5 percent margin three months in advance.

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Overview

Scherer Bros. Lumber Builds Its Operation With WebFOCUS

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit