Tieing EDP into your accounting system

D)ROOF that there are computer r systems specifically adaptable to the needs of the Iumber industry is demonstrated by the experience of Branson-Cross Lumber Co., San Leandro, Calif., which has converted the bulk of its accountins to electronic data processing.

Branson-Cross use.s a Qantel V, a new, relatively low-cost computer system. This system includes an input/output typewriter, a business data processor, and two magnetic tape transports.

Branson-Cross ships about 30 million board feet of lumber each vear with a total sales volume for all iumber items, including plywood, of about $4 million annually. Most of the firm's business is wholesale to builders of apartments, commercial structures, and custom houses.

Story qt o Glonce

Use of a computer can be of great benefit to certain firms . two part story tells how system works more details next month.

Partners Don Branson and Irvin Cross comment that "the lumber industry has been slow to improve on manual systems. Even today we see companies larger than ours continuing to operate without any data processing equipment whatsoever.

They have three to four additional employees in the front offce. Frankly, we can't understand how they do it and stay competitive."

Branson-Cross has something like 600 active customer accounts. The system handles this business with a minimum number of operator entries because the magnetic tape files store a vast quantity of information. Up to 20 complete customer records are stored on a foot of tape and the machine can search throueh these records in about " ,""onJ. Wh"r, the desired record is located, its contents can be transferred into the computer memory for reference or updating in l000th of a second.

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