Based in Bridport, Dorset, Fowler Hire & Sales Ltd started in the mid-1970s as a simple tool hire operation employing a manual paper-based management system. The company subsequently expanded into the sale of a wide range of tools and equipment. It now offers an extensive inventory of machinery, excavators, power tools, hand tools, saw blades, router cutters, garden and forestry equipment for both professional and DIY use.

The Challenge

With growth comes change, so over the years Fowler’s paper-based management system evolved to a character-based software package. This served the company well until continued growth and the advent of Windows® brought pressure on the company to upgrade further.

Not only were we keen to adopt Windows technology but we also wanted a solutions provider who could offer an integrated financials package and give us comprehensive support for both,” claimed Fowler's Accounts Manager, Ken Harbron.

The Solution

The result was a review of the market and the implementation of MCS-rm from hire solutions specialist, MCS. MCS-rm is one of the most comprehensive yet easy-to-operate Windows-based hire management solutions available today.

“We were impressed by the MCS solution and the integrated financial package,” Ken said. “While we are only a single-depot operation, it nevertheless offered all the features we were looking for with the potential to handle any future growth and expansion.”

“We have nine users operating the hire system throughout the company and around six using the financials,” Ken added. “ It was a relatively easy process as the methodology of MCS-rm wasn’t that much different from our old system. Just a few keystroke changes and a different interface, obviously, but we adapted very quickly and were up and running in no time.”

The Benefits

Ken said: “When a customer hires a piece of kit, a contract is raised in MCS-rm. When this item is returned, the system raises an off-hire ticket and ultimately the invoice - all from one data input. The system also ensures that a piece of equipment is recorded as off-hire until it is returned to the depot and available for hire again”.

Ken also explained that customers typically hire an item and purchase the associated disposables, such as a floor sander and the sanding belts. The hired equipment is itemised on the contract so the amount finally charged can remain flexible.

Fowler Hire and Sales“Often a hire customer will return some of the disposable items unused,” Ken said. “For instance if he has taken away ten sanding belts and has used only six, we can alter that item on the invoice and charge him accordingly.”

However Fowler’s biggest requirement for the new system was its ability to offer a comprehensive, fully-integrated financial package.

“The functionality offered by MCS-fin was everything we expected with the added advantage that we had one source of support for the whole system,” Ken continued.

What Fowler’s got was an integrated financial software suite that was scaleable across the company. Shortly after implementation, Ken and his colleagues were enjoying automatic alerts that enabled a more proactive service as well as an up-to-date source of financial information that aided the decision-making process.

“We have found that the ability to view all customer and financial information in one, unified package makes a big difference to the accuracy and efficiency of our operation,” Ken elaborated. “This was a major factor in our choice of a hire management solution.”

The Future

With MCS-fin and the hire functionality delivering benefits, Ken is looking to implement the Workshop & Maintenance capability to help organise and manage Fowler’s entire servicing and repair operation.

“We are authorised repair agents for a number of leading DIY brands such as Black & Decker, Stihl, Makita and Bosch, so the workshop service is an important part of our operation,” Ken said.

While Fowler's have been using the bar code reading capability on its sales counter from day one, moving forward, Ken and his colleagues want a wireless capability so they can scan bar code labels on the shop shelves to enable a continuous stock-taking process. This, Ken explained, will eliminate the headache of hugely disruptive and time-consuming annual stock-takes.

“So far we have had no complaints from any of the users of MCS-rm and that, to me, is a big endorsement of the system,” Ken concluded.

To find out how MCS-rm could help your business, call us on +27 (0)11 083 7530 or use our enquiry form.

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