Customer: Fusion Trade
Website: http://fusionww.com/
Former System: Daly Commerce
Location: Andover, MA
Industry: Wholesale Distribution

Customer Profile

Fusion Trade is a wholesale broker of electronic and computer components. They run lean, with a small but active team that generates over $2.5 million in revenue per employee.

Download High Tech Distributor Eliminates Disconnect with Microsoft Dynamics® GP Integration to Custom Inventory Trading System– Fusion Trade

“Every 4 hours data is automatically pulled from the internal system and builds GL, AP and AR transactions in Dynamics GP. And it keeps our large database of customers and vendors in sync.”
Brian Ronan, Controller

The Challenge

Fusion Trade was using an old legacy “green screen” accounting software for their financials plus a separate proprietary trading and procurement system developed internally for inventory control.  Although these separate systems required manual double entry and had not been upgraded in many years, it was difficult to consider making a change.  ““The old technology was not getting any better, we were just band-aiding it.  But everybody was comfortable with the system, so we just kept saying we could go one more year, then another year. We rode it as long as we could,” recalls Brian Ronan, Controller, Fusion Trade.  After the software was no longer supported by the vendor, Fusion Trade relied on a single consultant as their only form of support and they knew it was putting their business in a precarious situation. So Fusion Trade made the decision to find a new solution.

The new system would need to be easy for their staff to learn and use.  However, they did not want to purchase a basic package like QuickBooks, and then quickly outgrow its capabilities. It also had to be an open system that could integrate with their internal inventory system.

The Solution

Fusion Trade was using an old legacy “green screen” accounting software for their financials plus a separate proprietary trading and procurement system developed internally for inventory control.  Although these separate systems required manual double entry and had not been upgraded in many years, it was difficult to consider making a change.  ““The old technology was not getting any better, we were just band-aiding it.  But everybody was comfortable with the system, so we just kept saying we could go one more year, then another year. We rode it as long as we could,” recalls Brian Ronan, Controller, Fusion Trade.  After the software was no longer supported by the vendor, Fusion Trade relied on a single consultant as their only form of support and they knew it was putting their business in a precarious situation. So Fusion Trade made the decision to find a new solution.

The new system would need to be easy for their staff to learn and use.  However, they did not want to purchase a basic package like Quickbooks, and then quickly outgrow its capabilities. It also had to be an open system that could integrate with their internal inventory system.

The Solution

Fusion Trade decided they wanted to run on Microsoft technology. Based on an online search the company found Connecticut based CAL Business Solutions.  They felt comfortable choosing Microsoft Dynamics GP because of its open architecture and solid reputation as a strong core financials system.  They chose to work with CAL Business Solutions because of their proven experience with system integration.

The Benefits

“Every 4 Hours the Data is Synced With No Manual Entry”

The development team at CAL Business Solutions worked with the Fusion Trade IT team to create a direct link between Microsoft Dynamics GP and the internal sales and inventory system using Visual Studio .NET and eConnect.  “Every 4 hours data is automatically pulled from the internal system and builds GL, AP and AR transactions in Dynamics GP. And it keeps our large database of customers and vendors in sync,” Says Brian Ronan.  The integration does all of the needed data validation and sends an email alert to notify the Fusion Trade team to review and post the entries. No more double entry, no more missing information. And data is synced 7 days a week to keep up with international sales.

“We Reconcile Every Month Down to the Dollar”

In the past when the systems were not connected it was difficult for the company to do reconciliation. “When we had to reconcile, if I got close it was good enough and we moved on. Now that there is a direct link we reconcile every month down to the dollar,” Says Brian Ronan. “It also helps us to clean up our General Ledger and streamline accounts.” Now that the integration project is complete, Fusion Trade is looking forward to working with the CAL team to expand their use of the deep financial reporting features available in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

“The Support Aspect Has Been Great”

Fusion Trade is now current with the latest technology and is no longer in danger of being left without support for one of their key business applications. “We feel more confident now that we know we have a solid system from a big company like Microsoft,” says Brian Ronan. “Anytime we have questions we know we can call CAL and get the answer.”

Fusion Trade now has a solid core financials application connected to their business critical industry system. They have technology and support they can rely on, allowing Fusion Trade to confidently grow their business.

“Anytime we have questions we know we can call CAL and get the answer.” -Brian Ronan, Controller, Fusion Trade

If you are a wholesale distribution company that is looking for a new ERP system, contact CAL Business Solutions.