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PROFESSIONAL
BUILDERS MERCHANT ADVERTORIAL SUPPLEMENT
SEPTEMBER 2021
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ADVERTORIAL SUPPLEMENT
Adapting to change is part of our DNA Intact’s rich 29-year heritage with builders’ merchants gives us a deep understanding of what’s important to you and your business. And as committed members of the BMF, NMBS and IPG trade associations, we’re here to listen and learn about your industry so we can shape our feature-rich ERP and business management software solutions to get you operating at your best.
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hat makes us different is our deep sectoral knowledge, agile technology solutions and expert consulting services. Combined, they ensure we can get your people, your customers and your technology connected with your
commercial goals so that you can elevate your business. But like any industry today, recent events have transformed us as a business. 2020 was not what any of us had planned but adapting to change is part of Intact’s DNA. We
Delivering the perfect fit technology matters ■ 95% of Intact customers cite the capability & flexibility of our software solutions
and the industry expertise of the Intact staff as the primary reasons for choosing us. ■ 95% customer satisfaction for our Technical Support Team.
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FACT FILE Key Contacts: Mark Gurney, Sales Director Location & Website: Intact UK HQ, Hemel Hempstead www.intactsoftware.co.uk Product range: Designed for today’s digital economy, Intact iQ is our end-to-end ERP software solution and Intact Xline is our powerful business management software solution. Both are customisable to merchant needs and extend to our online account management, ecommerce and mobile app solutions. Group structure / subsidiary companies: Founded in 1992 Intact is an Ireland and UK based business management and ERP software and services company where all product development, consultancy, ICT and support is carried out locally. Accreditations: Deloitte Technology Fast 50, ERP HeadtoHead Best Vendor Demo, Great Place to Work Trade Associations: Supplier member of BMF, NMBS & IPG No of staff: 170
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With digitalisation, flexibility and efficiency key traits of any business today, we see it as our job to continually develop
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Our software solutions are the technical foundations for the merchants with whom we work. They form the starting point of any robust digital transformation journey. We connect every function in a business, from accounting to sales to stock to logistics and CRM, to create a cohesive platform that enhances all aspects of running your business. But this cohesive platform is also designed to extend outside your business enabling information to be seamlessly pushed out to and received from customers, suppliers, employees, key stakeholders etc., via mobile, eCommerce, email, EDI, APIs etc. It is, therefore, more than an ERP solution; it’s your platform for innovation. Our merchant customers want to push the boundaries and implement solutions that make it easier for their customers to do business with them — for them to do that, technology as an enabler is the obvious answer. Once you have that strong merchant ERP base layer in place, in theory, everything else is just an idea that extends within your ERP, or that can plug into it, and we’re here to help you do that. Working closely with merchants, we also ensure our software solutions can support your unique ways of working and business models. We understand the interconnected, intricate nature of your supply chains, pricing structures and strategies, and how ERP should optimally capture, manage and automate data and processes to enable and support growth. We’ve seen time and time again that the right software solution will add value, cut costs and improve profitability.
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products and services that ensure you are future-ready and agile for whatever challenge comes your way.
Our merchant customers appreciate the value of technology. When they think about ROI in terms of ERP, they look at the cost to the business in wasted time, double work, and stunted growth attributable to legacy systems that do not fit their business goals and ambitions. We know that ‘one-size-fits-all’ software products are too rigid, expensive to own, and risk becoming outdated. Our software grows with your business; it remains central to growth, thanks to the software and to the collaborative working relationships we have and the support we provide to our merchant customers. Justin Lawless, CEO, Intact Software.
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responded quickly by mobilising our staff and customer base, giving away hundreds of temporary free licenses, coordinating 14 FREE training webinars and got customers swiftly trading online with our pop-up ecommerce solution. We also adapted by shifting our business model. We introduced new pricing structures to lower the cost of entry and created new business units to better serve our customers. In addition, we launched our Intact Cloud solution, online learning hub and extended our mobile and online product portfolio significantly. These changes, our in-built flexibility and our innovative merchant roadmap are what led new customers like LBS Builders Merchants and Frank Howard Tools & Fixings to begin their implementation journey with us in 2021 and we’re very much looking forward to partnering with them long into the future.
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ADVERTORIAL SUPPLEMENT
Ready for anything Let technology do the heavy lifting…
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he drive for digitalisation in the merchant sector has been accelerated by Covid. But there are many still slow to engage or unsure how to. And yes, success in a digitalised world requires time, money and resources. Whilst that may seem daunting at first, the rewards are worth it once you find the right solutions and partner to go on this journey with. Here, we touch briefly on some of the technology options that may help you deal with some current merchant challenges. Conquering logistical challenges Technology is your ally in your bid to effectively manage your supply chain with shortages and delays a recurrent theme these days. Your ERP solution should encompass extensive inventory management functionality that aids efficient order purchasing, fulfilment, and smoother logistics; with features such as advanced stock replenishment, forecasting and real time analytics enabling your team to quickly adapt to any supply chain issue that arises. Make your ERP software your best employee With skill shortages already evident in the merchant sector, your technology should be doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Triggered workflows, exception reports and real-time alerts enable you to automate countless
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tasks, processes, and business rules to efficiently manage the day to day running of your business. You reduce human error, free up your team to focus on your customer and drive the highest level of efficiency possible. A better way to manage product data Intact is leading the way in working towards ensuring you can easily access trusted product data sources like NMBS OnePlace or other Product Information Management (PIM) solutions. By leveraging this technology, you can view live product catalogue information from within your ERP system. This can include product specifications, images, links to the manufacturer’s website etc and provides ready access to vast quantities of supplier product data. It is easily searchable, always on and always up to date. In addition, you could easily create a new product for your ERP product file from the data sources you have access to. Standing out from the crowd While consolidation in the merchant sector is still an ongoing
challenge, technology can enable merchants of all sizes to compete digitally with larger merchants. Combined with the ability to be more agile, deeper customer relationships and with staff who have innate sector knowledge, merchants can use technology to fortify their competitive advantage. The Cloud A word much overused and understood. But when you start to think of the Cloud as a way to facilitate modern IT, then you’re in the right place to optimise how you consume your technology. Cloud embraces a different way of doing things — sharing resources, applying automation, access anytime, anywhere, improved scalability & flexibility etc. The Cloud is a set of capabilities you need to investigate to see how it could help you and your team achieve your business goals.
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Enabling agility Adaptability is a valued trait for merchants — now more than ever.
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hen you can’t predict the future, you need a business management software solution that can flex, adapt and grow with you, whatever market changes come your way. One that gives you the power and visibility to view the real-time, accurate information you need to make onthe-spot decisions in your own unique way. Here are just some of the ways Intact iQ enables this level of agility…
Time to drive a digital fleet With Intact iQ’s transport scheduler you can create and effectively manage your delivery schedules within your Intact iQ ERP system. You can provide your entire team with end-to-end visibility and control of your orders from the point of purchase to the point of delivery. Mobilise your workforce with role-based apps Supporting mobile access to Intact solutions (both on and offline), Intact Access is an app that lets you and your team manage and control your business remotely — boosting efficiency and accountability across your operations. It offers remote data capture including PODs, voice to text, integrated satellite navigation, camera functionality, full call/email and more.
integrated e-commerce solutions. From our end-to-end nopCommerce solution to our bespoke web integrations with other ecommerce providers using our REST API, we can help you better serve your online customers. And if you don’t require a full e-commerce site, you can still be online with your B2B customers using our eAccount & e-Trade offerings. Proactive continuous improvement Intact iQ proactively supports change, empowering you with the tools to easily automate countless tasks, processes, and business rules. You don’t have to constantly rely on our consultants or developers to make ongoing changes to your system. We show you how to customise fields, layouts, highlight rules etc, within the system so you can alter them as needed. This lowers your total cost of ownership and truly enables agility.
The smart way to sell online, made simple Through our online platform, Intact Cliqx, we offer a robust, secure range of
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Get your rebates working for you With Intact iQ’s rebate management features you can deal with complex rules or even bring in group results to give a realistic rebate value. With easy tracking of progress, pro-active notification of rebates due and where threshold boundaries are close, the administrative savings here are huge. And with automatic rebate accrual to your General Ledger, the visibility and control you have over your rebates ensures terms are fully adhered to, minimising profit leakage or disputes. Integrate with ease with a third party friendly system Intact iQ is an open system built with integration in mind. Our REST API integration service will allow you to easily integrate any systems you currently use, love or need to keep. And it will integrate with any best of breed systems you may want to add in the future. ■ And all of that’s just for starters. If you’d like to find out more about these or any other feature, please do not hesitate to contact us to arrange a customised demo. Call our sales team on 01442 878879.
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ADVERTORIAL SUPPLEMENT
In conversation with Gary Brookshaw, Intact Product Director.
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How did you get into the industry and to your current position? I have been building software solutions all my working life; including cofounding and developing another merchant software solution. As Intact Product Director, I now spend my time with merchant customers observing how they use our software, listening to their challenges and driving product improvements based on their valued feedback. I also spend a lot of time in a consulting role and enjoy my varied job. Being close to merchants ensures I truly understand the challenges they face.
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How do you feel the industry has changed in recent years? From a software point of view, we’re seeing more and more customers looking for more pertinent information from their ERP system. This is driven by a hugely competitive and fluctuating market which makes it more important than ever to have a ‘finger on the pulse’. But the way customers expect to trade with merchants is also changing. Whether that’s online or via Apps, today’s customers want to trade with you as efficiently as possible and technology can help you here. We know merchants often struggle to get on board with the latest technologies or to fully leverage their software investment as it can be technically challenging for them. We believe it’s our responsibility to develop the systems they need to get ahead and to support them in maximising those technologies.
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What are the current challenges facing the merchant sector? Whilst supply shortages have been well documented, merchants have never
been busier with many customers seeing record months. The challenge for merchants now is ensuring they have the right stock to satisfy demand whilst also keeping an eye on fluctuating prices. As highlighted earlier, this is where visibility of information is key. And agility will be rewarded. At Intact, we talk about flexibility all the time — just ask anyone who’s been in one of our presentations! But that flexibility is what allows businesses to quickly adapt to periods of change while coping with the nuances of their business processes and decisions. And this is where your business software needs to be the best employee you’ve ever had.
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What are the current challenges facing your company? Intact is growing fast. And with that comes its own challenges – finding the right people to join our growing team, ensuring our products continue to meet and pre-empt future merchant requirements and always, always, delighting our customers. Thankfully, our growth strategy anticipated these challenges and over the last year or so we’ve created new customer-focused business units, developed an online learning hub and filled key roles with personnel from the ERP space.
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Which individuals have influenced you most in your career? If I don’t say my wife and family then I’m in trouble! Professionally, I’ve met and worked with some wonderful people. I was first employed by, and then went on to start a business with, Robert Collins — back in the BCT Business Systems days — a blast from the past for some readers, I’m
“If it’s awkward or challenging for me to demonstrate something, then you can bet it’s harder again for the end user. So, I use that as an incentive to do better.” 36 PBM SEPTEMBER 2021
sure! He introduced me to the wonderful world of software for builders’ merchants! More recently the team at Intact are great to work with — so much talent and passion for what we do. It’s good to collectively blend our previous product experiences. And then there are our group of customers (who shall remain nameless, but they know who they are!) who have their own pursuit of excellence that drives us to create better solutions!
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What do you enjoy most about your job? I’ve always viewed software development as a creative process rather than a technical one. Lots of people can code, but there is an art to creating good solutions. If it’s awkward or challenging for me to demonstrate something, then you can bet it’s harder again for the end user. So, I use that as an incentive to do better. My role spans that product input and customer interaction, so I look at solutions from both angles and it makes every day different and a challenge… in a good way!
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Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? With Intact! It’s a great people and product-focused business and we are driven to improve everything we do. We will continue to grow in the merchant sector in the UK, Ireland and beyond. We want our products to be viewed as the aspirational software of choice and I want to be a part of the team that helps drive that as much as I can.
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Trusted by progressive merchants like… TIPPERS BUILDERS MERCHANT “We were looking for a modern, innovative solution that the entire team could have confidence in; one that we were sure would support both our medium and long-term goals. We reviewed a number of systems and Intact iQ is undoubtedly the perfect fit for our business.” Joe Tipper, Director, Tippers Builders Merchant
C & W BERRY “Choosing the right ERP solution is one of the most important decisions we’ve had to make and we’re confident that the Intact iQ system will enable our company to grow. We were particularly impressed in the way that Intact iQ has been written to allow as much customisation as possible, enabling it to develop to our way of working rather than forcing us to change our own processes to suit the new system.” David Berry, MD, C&W Berry
JAMES HARGREAVES PLUMBING DEPOT “We took the decision to move systems because we were unable to gain the level of information and control that we required from our existing system. Intelligent stock replenishment, flexible rebate tracking and real-time, true margin visibility were central to our needs and were limited in our old system. We also wanted to make changes to our system via our in-house team as our needs evolved, rather than working outside of the system or relying on a software vendor. By adopting Intact iQ we believe that we have achieved these goals and more.” Gordon Rothwell, Managing Director, James Hargreaves
ELLIOTTS BUILDERS MERCHANT “Intact iQ offers us a highly flexible and intuitive framework that will allow us to continually improve the way that we operate as a business, taking away the burden caused by drawn-out processes, and freeing up time to focus on providing exceptional customer service. Not only is Intact iQ market leading, but the team behind it gives me the confidence we’ve made the right decision for both now and the future.” Tom Elliott, MD, Elliotts Builders Merchant
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LBS BUILDERS MERCHANTS APPOINTS INTACT AS ITS NEW ERP PARTNERS Recently selected as its new ERP partner, Intact has welcomed LBS Builders Merchants to the growing Intact Merchant Community and is looking forward to working with LBS to support and enhance its commitment to excellence. “The level of administrative effort required to run the business was growing. We have huge ambitions for the company so we knew we needed to invest in a robust, progressive digital core; a merchant ERP solution that would remove paper and spreadsheetbased processes to ensure we could work smarter, save time, reduce errors and deliver an enhanced customer experience. Intact iQ offers this and much more. Its integration capabilities are second to none. The level of agility and automation it will provide will empower us to easily flex to customer needs. And merchant focused features like the POD, sales rep mobile app, transport scheduler, advanced rebate management and integrated CRM function highlighted to our team that Intact iQ isn’t just a better software system, it will enable us to implement a better version of our business.” Ben Davies, Director, LBS Builders Merchants
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