Fortiline

About Fortiline

Fortiline is one of the fastest-growing waterworks distributors in the US, and its momentum shows no signs of slowing down. In 2016, they opened eight new locations, and as of March 2017, they have averaged opening one new branch a month. They also recently partnered with a sister company to open two branches together. Those new facilities in Mesa and Peoria, AZ, mean that Concord, NC-based Fortiline now has expanded its footprint across the U.S.

Challenge

A number of factors have been instrumental in the company’s tremendous growth; namely, the hard work and dedication of the Fortiline team, an improving national economy and the building and repair of infrastructure. As a water and sewer pipe distributor, Fortiline tapped into markets where they saw the most growth potential and capitalized on those opportunities.

It is also worth noting that the onset of this significant expansion coincided with the company’s implementation of a new distribution management software system. Since 2006, Fortiline has been driving its business with KCS solutions.

I have been hands-on with the system since the beginning. I relied on it for literally every area of the branch’s operations. Using the KCS software solution made it so much more efficient for everyone to do their jobs. I saw the system at work firsthand, the difference it made for each user and the overall difference it made for the branch’s performance.
Andy Johnson, Director of Branch Operations Support

Measurable benefits

Three years ago, Johnson was promoted to manage Fortiline’s support system, where he has taken a very active role in training staff to use the KCS solution even more effectively and exploring ways to leverage it further. The system is essential for every area of their operations, including inventory, financials and even sales commissions.

“Probably the most obvious benefit we see is in inventory management,” Johnson described. “It gives us a much better way to measure and track our inventory and to make smarter decisions for future purchasing. It provides us with detailed historical data, recommended order reports, line buys to replenish and forecasting the right inventory quantities to maintain. It provides us with measurements for individual branches to ensure they’re in line with sales and products coming in. It’s a great tool for making quicker, more accurate purchasing choices and really is the key to our inventory management.”

Gains and benefits

• Doubled inventory turns from three to more than six
• Improved tracking of how people purchase
• Improved stock control
• Ensures the right product is in the right locations
• Improved financial forecasting

Our solutions can be customized to meet any distributor’s needs — a significant advantage compared to other software providers. It is relatively easy to make modifications, and there are almost no limitations to what can be done with our solutions.