

November 2008 Company News \| From the Desk of \| Industry News Special Offer Meet Darnell Lester We've been profiling the Zerion team all year long and will soon be using this section to introduce a new segment of our newsletter. But before we do, we have a few more people for you to meet. This month, you can learn more about Darnell Lester. Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada Hometown: Yemassee, South Carolina Position with Zerion: Consultant What did you do before joining Zerion? I was an IT Business Analyst in the banking industry. What is your specialty at Zerion? I like to focus on process improvement and warehouse operations. What is the best location you’ve traveled to for your job at Zerion? Seattle, Washington during the summer was my favorite; you really get to see the majesty of God’s work up close. If there was one place you could visit in the world, where would it be? Tahiti. I absolutely love water and Tahiti seems to have some of the best in the world. What do you like best about your job? I like the fact that I never have the same day twice. Even though I install and consult on the same system at all of the locations I visit, the experience itself is always different. What is your favorite “customer success” story? I spent a day visiting a company in western Florida to discuss RF capabilities at their warehouse. But we ended up tackling everything from shipping and receiving, replenishments, purchasing best practices, order management, returns and many others. At the end of the day, the business manager said that he and his team were so glad and thankful that I came because I had answered questions and given solutions that a consultant from another company didn’t bother to mention or take the time to explain. Those kinds of compliments are why I do what I do. How do you spend most of your time when you’re not working? Since I live in Vegas, there is always something to do. You have to narrow it down the best you can. I love going to listen to live music (blues, jazz, house), wine tasting, finding new “off the beaten path” restaurants, hiking and of course, the gym. What is a little known, interesting fact about you? I have written a book that I’m hoping to have published by the end of this year or early 2009. Favorite book or movie and why: One of my favorite movies is Braveheart. No matter what happened, even in death, they could not break Wallace’s spirit. In one sentence, describe your philosophy on life and work: I would rather fail after trying than fail to try. Back to Top I think it’s safe to say that we’re all tired of hearing and talking about the economy. So this month I want to talk about something more positive: finishing strong to start fresh. It’s that time of year when people are gathering with family and thinking about turkey hangovers, holiday shopping and of course, college bowl games. But it’s also the time when most distributors are thinking about year-end procedures and wall-to-wall physical inventories. Even if your fiscal year isn’t the calendar year, I challenge you to use this end-of-the-year time to think about how you can have your own season peak in the distribution bowl game, and position your business to prosper in the New Year. One thing you can do right now is to focus on dead stock. The end of the year is a good opportunity to rid your warehouse of items that have lost value, just like a coach will bench players for the big game if they aren't performing well. For those items that simply aren’t selling, a deeply discounted promotion, a one-day blow-out sale, or a donation to a local charity are three options for moving the inventory faster. Regardless, it is always best to write-off this dead stock and free up your warehouse for more profitable items than to carry it into the New Year. Similarly, we’ve seen remnants present an issue for some of our clients. If you cut wire or conduct any kind of fabrication in your facility, Eclipse tracks the pieces that are leftover in the process very well by using lot tracking. If you're not using this function, letting it go un-sold and un-tracked is like throwing money out the dock door; so 2009 should include a plan to turn on lot tracking. Before the end of the year, you can also do a remnant sale on a Saturday or offer it at a great deal in conjunction with a dead stock sale. You can also consider long-term adjustments to impact the bottom line. Just like a team already is wooing its recruits for next year's lineup, what changes can you make in your operation or the system to be more efficient in ’09? I believe that change stimulates business, so now isn’t the time to hunker down. Even just one step forward is better than standing still. A change that can make a difference not only throughout the year, but as you close the books next year, is cycle counting. Initiating a scheduled cycle count, whether random, location or rank-based, can help you reduce errors, give you more accurate inventory and shipping, and even eliminate your annual physical inventory. When you turn on cycle count, you set it up to trigger the system to count a certain number of products every day throughout the year, automatically. You can also try a mini-cycle every three months or quarterly if you don’t want to set it for every day. Either way, you’ll have more accurate inventory and always know what’s on hand. Replenishment is another way to create efficiency going forward and something that can help you start the year off right. It’s only an option if you’re in an RF environment, but not every RF warehouse takes advantage of this helpful Eclipse tool. With replenishment, you can go on the offensive by automatically triggering the system to tell you when to refill product in certain locations in the warehouse. You do this by setting up an appropriate min and max for each of your products. For example, if you have a counter location or showroom, and you set the min as 3 on a Kohler faucet, and your max as 8, whenever Eclipse sees that you only have 3 left, it will tell you to replenish from the primary location with exactly 6 faucets from the primary location. Now is also the time for the head coach of your company to start forecasting and planning for next year's season. With such an involved ERP solution like Eclipse, it’s rare that a distributor is using all of the functionality available. Maybe there are players that are in the wrong position, a great play that never got used, or undiscovered talent sitting on the sidelines. Whether you need help implementing one of the above suggestions, or are considering a more involved implementation like routing software or RF, we recommend you initiate at least one project per year. And it’s important to plan ahead, both with your time and finances. You can consider some consulting, such as a branch audit, to determine where you may have opportunities for improvement. Or maybe you'd prefer something as simple as additional on-site or web-based training for your team. Next month and throughout 2009, Zerion will be offering cost-effective options for training, including in-person regional training classes as well as shorter web-based sessions. No matter the task, Zerion is available to help give your year the celebratory close it deserves while helping you look ahead to a title-worthy season next year. Happy Thanksgiving! Tony King, Vice President 321.229.1089 Back to Top What’s happening with distribution, software and business? Zerion is committed to being a resource for our clients and friends. In the newsroom on our Web site, we have an RSS feed supplying new articles all the time. We also have some links to industry news. Here are some of the recent articles we found most interesting: Supply Chain Technology: ERP is gaining momentum HD Supply CEO: Slowing Infrastructure Sector Won't Fall Far Logistics technology: Global RFID market to reach $5.3 billion this year Inventory, tech support and communication top buyers' wish lists for distributors Want more news? Visit us at: www.zeriongroup.com/newsroom/industrynews.html Back to Top Get 5% off your first equipment purchase ... Ever need a good resource for equipment, like RF guns, PCs and printers? Ever wish you could get it from a vendor you already have a relationship with? Zerion is a licensed Dell re-seller and a knowledgeable resource for all distribution-related technology supplies. If you've never purchased equipment from us before, you can get a 5% discount off your entire order. Restrictions apply. Contact Tony King (321.229.1089) by December 30 to receive the discount. Back to Top	Report Scheduling Running reports during the day can slow down your system and make your team less efficient. To avoid this, we suggest scheduling your reports to run during the night and/or during off-peak hours. This will keep Eclipse, and your business, working at its optimum speed. Warehouse and Sales Training Next Week! Now you can get quick training to improve your Eclipse skills right from your own desk. Zerion is offering an ongoing schedule of webinar classes, and next week you can attend Warehouse Training or Inside/Outside Sales. All you have to do to sign up is email Kathy Williams. To see the complete schedule of classes for December, visit the webinar page of our web site. Do Your Own Blocking and Tackling This Football Season Zerion is developing a regional training class for the Houston area in mid-December. The day-long session will cover Eclipse strategies and tactics that you can use to defend your business and come out of 2008 on top, such as those covered in Tony's "From the Desk Of" article this month. If you're interested in attending, or would like more information, contact Lauren Giles.

November 2008

Company News | From the Desk of | Industry News

Special Offer

Meet Darnell Lester
We've been profiling the Zerion team all year long and will soon be using this section to introduce a new segment of our newsletter. But before we do, we have a few more people for you to meet. This month, you can learn more about Darnell Lester.

Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada
Hometown: Yemassee, South Carolina
Position with Zerion: Consultant

What did you do before joining Zerion?
I was an IT Business Analyst in the banking industry.

What is your specialty at Zerion?
I like to focus on process improvement and warehouse operations.

What is the best location you’ve traveled to for your job at Zerion?
Seattle, Washington during the summer was my favorite; you really get to see the majesty of God’s work up close.

If there was one place you could visit in the world, where would it be?
Tahiti. I absolutely love water and Tahiti seems to have some of the best in the world.

What do you like best about your job?
I like the fact that I never have the same day twice. Even though I install and consult on the same system at all of the locations I visit, the experience itself is always different.

What is your favorite “customer success” story?
I spent a day visiting a company in western Florida to discuss RF capabilities at their warehouse. But we ended up tackling everything from shipping and receiving, replenishments, purchasing best practices, order management, returns and many others. At the end of the day, the business manager said that he and his team were so glad and thankful that I came because I had answered questions and given solutions that a consultant from another company didn’t bother to mention or take the time to explain. Those kinds of compliments are why I do what I do.

How do you spend most of your time when you’re not working?
Since I live in Vegas, there is always something to do. You have to narrow it down the best you can. I love going to listen to live music (blues, jazz, house), wine tasting, finding new “off the beaten path” restaurants, hiking and of course, the gym.

What is a little known, interesting fact about you?
I have written a book that I’m hoping to have published by the end of this year or early 2009.

Favorite book or movie and why:
One of my favorite movies is Braveheart. No matter what happened, even in death, they could not break Wallace’s spirit.

In one sentence, describe your philosophy on life and work:
I would rather fail after trying than fail to try.

From the desk of Tony King I think it’s safe to say that we’re all tired of hearing and talking about the economy. So this month I want to talk about something more positive: finishing strong to start fresh.

It’s that time of year when people are gathering with family and thinking about turkey hangovers, holiday shopping and of course, college bowl games. But it’s also the time when most distributors are thinking about year-end procedures and wall-to-wall physical inventories. Even if your fiscal year isn’t the calendar year, I challenge you to use this end-of-the-year time to think about how you can have your own season peak in the distribution bowl game, and position your business to prosper in the New Year.

One thing you can do right now is to focus on dead stock. The end of the year is a good opportunity to rid your warehouse of items that have lost value, just like a coach will bench players for the big game if they aren't performing well. For those items that simply aren’t selling, a deeply discounted promotion, a one-day blow-out sale, or a donation to a local charity are three options for moving the inventory faster. Regardless, it is always best to write-off this dead stock and free up your warehouse for more profitable items than to carry it into the New Year.

Similarly, we’ve seen remnants present an issue for some of our clients. If you cut wire or conduct any kind of fabrication in your facility, Eclipse tracks the pieces that are leftover in the process very well by using lot tracking. If you're not using this function, letting it go un-sold and un-tracked is like throwing money out the dock door; so 2009 should include a plan to turn on lot tracking. Before the end of the year, you can also do a remnant sale on a Saturday or offer it at a great deal in conjunction with a dead stock sale.

You can also consider long-term adjustments to impact the bottom line. Just like a team already is wooing its recruits for next year's lineup, what changes can you make in your operation or the system to be more efficient in ’09? I believe that change stimulates business, so now isn’t the time to hunker down. Even just one step forward is better than standing still. A change that can make a difference not only throughout the year, but as you close the books next year, is cycle counting. Initiating a scheduled cycle count, whether random, location or rank-based, can help you reduce errors, give you more accurate inventory and shipping, and even eliminate your annual physical inventory. When you turn on cycle count, you set it up to trigger the system to count a certain number of products every day throughout the year, automatically. You can also try a mini-cycle every three months or quarterly if you don’t want to set it for every day. Either way, you’ll have more accurate inventory and always know what’s on hand.

Replenishment is another way to create efficiency going forward and something that can help you start the year off right. It’s only an option if you’re in an RF environment, but not every RF warehouse takes advantage of this helpful Eclipse tool. With replenishment, you can go on the offensive by automatically triggering the system to tell you when to refill product in certain locations in the warehouse. You do this by setting up an appropriate min and max for each of your products. For example, if you have a counter location or showroom, and you set the min as 3 on a Kohler faucet, and your max as 8, whenever Eclipse sees that you only have 3 left, it will tell you to replenish from the primary location with exactly 6 faucets from the primary location.

Now is also the time for the head coach of your company to start forecasting and planning for next year's season. With such an involved ERP solution like Eclipse, it’s rare that a distributor is using all of the functionality available. Maybe there are players that are in the wrong position, a great play that never got used, or undiscovered talent sitting on the sidelines. Whether you need help implementing one of the above suggestions, or are considering a more involved implementation like routing software or RF, we recommend you initiate at least one project per year. And it’s important to plan ahead, both with your time and finances. You can consider some consulting, such as a branch audit, to determine where you may have opportunities for improvement. Or maybe you'd prefer something as simple as additional on-site or web-based training for your team. Next month and throughout 2009, Zerion will be offering cost-effective options for training, including in-person regional training classes as well as shorter web-based sessions.

No matter the task, Zerion is available to help give your year the celebratory close it deserves while helping you look ahead to a title-worthy season next year. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tony King, Vice President
321.229.1089

What’s happening with distribution, software and business?
Zerion is committed to being a resource for our clients and friends. In the newsroom on our Web site, we have an RSS feed supplying new articles all the time. We also have some links to industry news. Here are some of the recent articles we found most interesting:

Supply Chain Technology: ERP is gaining momentum

HD Supply CEO: Slowing Infrastructure Sector Won't Fall Far

Logistics technology: Global RFID market to reach $5.3 billion this year

Inventory, tech support and communication top buyers' wish lists for distributors

Want more news? Visit us at: www.zeriongroup.com/newsroom/industrynews.html

Get 5% off your first equipment purchase ...
Ever need a good resource for equipment, like RF guns, PCs and printers? Ever wish you could get it from a vendor you already have a relationship with? Zerion is a licensed Dell re-seller and a knowledgeable resource for all distribution-related technology supplies. If you've never purchased equipment from us before, you can get a 5% discount off your entire order. Restrictions apply.

Contact Tony King (321.229.1089) by December 30 to receive the discount.

Report Scheduling
Running reports during the day can slow down your system and make your team less efficient. To avoid this, we suggest scheduling your reports to run during the night and/or during off-peak hours. This will keep Eclipse, and your business, working at its optimum speed.

Warehouse and Sales Training Next Week!
Now you can get quick training to improve your Eclipse skills right from your own desk. Zerion is offering an ongoing schedule of webinar classes, and next week you can attend Warehouse Training or Inside/Outside Sales. All you have to do to sign up is email Kathy Williams. To see the complete schedule of classes for December, visit the webinar page of our web site.

Do Your Own Blocking and Tackling This Football Season
Zerion is developing a regional training class for the Houston area in mid-December. The day-long session will cover Eclipse strategies and tactics that you can use to defend your business and come out of 2008 on top, such as those covered in Tony's "From the Desk Of" article this month.

If you're interested in attending, or would like more information, contact Lauren Giles.