The Importance Of Partnerships

The importance of partnerships

Whether or not ERP systems are an absolute necessity for Distributors, Wholesalers, or Merchants, is no longer in question. With digital transformation, tough competition, consumer demands, and supplier integration, it’s more important than ever for businesses to modernise, digitise, and future proof their operations. The Building Company, a leading-edge Distributor, Wholesaler, and Retailer / Merchant is testament to exactly that.

The Building Company was established over 30 years ago and today have over 180 stores across South Africa, with operations in Namibia, Swaziland and Botswana. They have seen many changes over the years and have grown significantly which means they have also learnt some important lessons, including what’s important in business today.

Having the right systems in place is key, but it’s about more than just software.

A few key considerations for the business of today:

The product:

The product, especially something like a business-critical ERP system, absolutely needs to be fit for purpose with the ability to run in an extremely efficient manner, it should be agile and it should cater to your industry’s needs.

Industry-specific solutions:

Each industry will have its own challenges, its own needs, and its own customer expectations. This is especially true for distributors and wholesalers as supply and demand is a fine art and under more pressure than ever. Make sure you choose an industry-specific solution that will cater to your niche requirements.

Future-proofing your business:

It’s one thing to select an industry-specific ERP partner with a good solution, but it’s important to check whether they continuously invest in R&D. Choosing the right software provider is a long-term decision that will have a massive effect on how your business is run and how good a service you are able to provide. Given the changing landscape, it’s as important to assess whether your provider will continue to invest in the product ensuring you are able to stay at the forefront of your industry, which helps in future-proofing your business.

Partnerships:

Last but not least is the importance of partnerships. Choosing the right partners is exceptionally important. This ranges from your software provider to your suppliers and everything in between. The Building Company is a great example of a business that values their partnerships. In fact, they recently hosted an event that was all about partnerships. Kerridge is proud to have been a partner with TBCo for approximately 25 years and has been a key part of growing with TBCo during this time.

Giuseppe Martini, Managing Director of Kerridge Commercial Systems South Africa says “There are many important factors that make a business successful, but three important pillars stand out for me at this point in time and that’s our people, our customers, and our products. It is the people in both our own business and in customer’s businesses that make it all work.

We view our relationships with our customers as partnerships and The Building Company is a great example of one of our valued partners. We were fortunate enough to have been invited to an event recently hosted by The Building Company. The event was focussed around partnerships which is a great example of what they value and an honour to be a part of such a partnership.”

The theme of the event was exponential growth, with a clear focus on technology as a key driver of future sustainability. Digital transformation is an important portfolio in the majority of businesses these days, and TBCo is no exception. We are currently focusing on developing and deploying mobile applications that will increase efficiency and improve customer service, with special consideration for our fast-growing digitally native customer segment. As our ERP partner, KCS has committed to walking this journey with us. At our recent store awards gala dinner, KCS sponsored the #TechStore of the Year with e-POD (electronic Proof of deliveries) licenses to pilot this solution in our business. The functionality will enable our customers to track their deliveries online and digitally sign for goods delivered.