FISHBOWL® GENERATES POWERFUL, USER-FRIENDLY INVENTORY CONTROL SOLUTION FOR INDUSTRIAL ENGINE REMANUFACTURER, INDUSTRIAL ENGINE SERVICE®
Industrial Engine Service (IES) has been working with oil and gas drilling companies for close to 30 years. IES builds, rebuilds, modifies, and restores industrial-sized engines and generators. In this area, they competedirectly against well-positioned competitors including Stewart & Stevenson, Compressor Systems Inc., and Hanover Compressor Company. Not long after acquiring IES, co-owner Susan Brusaw assessed operations and recognized the need to upgrade business processes in order to compete at a higher level.
Business Challenges & Needs
Working out of a legacy inventory system with countless errors and work-a-rounds was burdensome and time consuming for IES. Management found that parts were frequently being lost and mismanaged, and employees struggled to keep track of all of the separate parts going into each project.
Although some long-time employees were used to the old DOS system, many employees were confused and processes weren’t under su cient control; the need for change was apparent. IES knew that to compete at the level they wanted; they would need more control over their inventory and manufacturing processes. They also knew that their complex processes couldn’t be handled by a simple inventory system.
The Solution
When looking for a complete inventory, sales, and purchasing solution to help them compete at a higher level, IES decided to explore various options. They rst considered upgrading their existing INDUSTRIAL ENGINES system but ruled that out after discovering the expensive price-tag and lack of essential features. Upgrading the existing system would require them to continue entering data twice, as the software wouldn’t integrate with QuickBooks®.
Next they looked into using QuickBooks as their inventory solution. While QuickBooks had been a great asset in performing company accounting operations, a QuickBooks inventory system was dismissed as a viable solution because it wasn’t enough to cover IES’ growing demands. “When we got large transactions for an engine overhaul, we would have to deal with the mess of 10 or more invoices,” said co-owner Susan Brusaw.
After searching around for a feasible solution, IES happened upon Fishbowl. Intrigued by the low price and advanced features, manage- ment downloaded the free trial version of the website to ensure it did everything they needed. After carefully exploring the software and experiencing the user-friendly interface, IES decided to make the switch. Management was pleasantly surprised to pay less than expected for a solution with such a robust integrated with QuickBooks.
The Results
“It is quicker and easier; we can actually read the lines, and it is simpler to use overall.”– Susan Brusaw
Co-Owner, Industrial Engine Service
IES immediately realized many benefits from switching to Fishbowl. They were able to effortlessly implement and learned to use Fishbowl for their specific needs. “It is quicker and easier; we can actually read the lines, and it is simpler to use overall,” said Susan. “And when anybody needs to look up a part without knowing the exact number, it can be easily done. It really is user friendly.”
After using the software for just a few months, Susan was pleasantly surprised at how, at the end of the year, IES’ Profit and Loss Statements were a snap. Because of the advanced QuickBooks and Fishbowl integration, she no longer had to use two different programs.
IES has continued to enjoy their experience with Fishbowl as business needs have increased and new challenged arrived. Commenting on technical support, Susan said, “Tech support has been wonderful; they always have answers for our questions. We’re really pleased. This is much better than calling someone who doesn’t know enough to help and can’t answer our questions. They even use remote desktop to help us do a few things. They’ve been very helpful.”
