Key Takeaways

Automates the order processing workflow end-to-end to save time, reduce errors, and simplify ad hoc, manual tasks for business users
Reduces order processing time to support faster shipping
Rapid and ongoing ROI

About the Customer

Innovators in the Ňgreen energyÓ industry since 2003, QC Manufacturing, Inc. is committed to building the quietest and most energy_efficient whole_house fans on the market today. They manufacture their industry_leading QuietCool products at a 50,000 sq ft. facility in Temecula, California for shipment to major retailers, wholesale distributors, and independent home_improvement stores nationwide. QC Manufacturing also sells its products online via Amazon.com and a wide range of eCommerce sites. For the past four years, QC Manufacturing has been an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company and has experienced over 1,000% growth. Their business is largely seasonal, with orders ramping up more than ten_fold during the busy warmer months.

The Challenge

Manual sorting and entry of orders from email, spreadsheets and web portals increased error risk and slowed turnaround. Peak-season volumes (100-150 orders/day) strained staffing and delayed fulfillment. Retailer mandates (e.g., drop-ship orders for Lowe’s and Home Depot) required EDI compliance which manual processes couldn’t support.

The Solution

QC Manufacturing selected TrueCommerce for its compatibility with SAP Business One and total cost criteria. The implementation in Q4 2016 went live a few months later. With the TrueCommerce Scheduler and EDI integration, the company automated order imports every hour, enabled warehouse staff to view orders via handheld scanners, and in drop_ship cases automatically created ASNs including tracking data. Accounting used the delivery document in SAP to generate invoices, then TrueCommerce sent them out automatically — exceptions (like missing tracking numbers) produced EDI inbox alerts or email notifications. The fully automated, hands_off EDI workflow enabled QC Manufacturing to scale without adding staff.

Detailed Results & Business Impact

QC Manufacturing’s new order processing workflow saves business users up to five minutes per order. With 100 to 150 orders per day coming in at peak times, that’s a lot of minutes. With order turnaround time frames now easy to meet, vendor scorecards have also improved significantly. So has the bottom line. Since order processing became hands-off, we haven’t had to hire any extra help for order entry in peak season. Mr. Reyes calculates that QC Manufacturing’s EDI investment paid for itself within about eighteen months through reduced time and staff costs, even as sales continued to grow at their greatest rate in the past two years.