Kevin Pollack Catherine Graham would make sense that how one gets to that result should not necessarily be binary. It is possible to invest financially into the development of a unique system without creating a full proprietary ERP. For the past 20 years, HALO has used a combination of customand configured off-the-shelf technology solutions. “We find this approach provides the best balance of unique features and capabilities while using available technologies and tools to support more standard features and functions,” says Kevin Pollack, HALO’s chief operating officer and executive vice president. Even for a distributorship the size of HALO – the industry’s largest in 2021 – this approach works. It still allows for e-commerce solutions that provide the customization of artwork, kitting, buying group allocation andmulti-ship options. That customization isn’t just about avoiding a headache. It’s how they aim to get a step up. “We see best-in-class technology tools, including ERP, as a requirement when recruiting sales leaders and customers,” Pollack says. “Unique features and capabilities, along with the ability to support multiple services, turns a requirement into a competitive advantage.” Don’t Underestimate PPAI Business Service Provider Members It’s important to remember that PPAI-aligned business service providers succeed based on their ability to help promotional products companies solve and avoid problems. They focus on our industry and exist to address the complexity of workflow, which meets the needs of thousands of industry participants. A company like commonsku, for example, can provide the majority of what a traditional ERP provides, with the exception of accounting. Catherine Graham, commonsku’s CEO, understands the chaos and complexity that go into a promotional products company’s logistical operations once they reach a certain scale. There are so many moving parts. “That is where software is obviously such a game-changer in terms of how it can enable the distributor,” Graham says. “But it’s also where implementing a complex ERP that you’re having to build all of those kind of workflows and complexity from scratch is extremely difficult.” Likewise, Facilisgroup offers a workflow solution for companies that have run into a logistical ceiling that perhaps they were not expecting. “That’s more for someone who’s maybe a little mature of a company that’s still looking to potentially grow, but maybe they’ve maxed out their bandwidth with their current processes, and by using our software, it gives their teams FEATURE | Digital Transformation 48 | NOVEMBER 2022 |
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