INTRODUCTION

George T. Sanders Company (GTS) is Colorado’s largest independent distributor of plumbing and heating supplies. Established in 1950, the company has grown from a single location to 17 locations throughout Colorado and Wyoming. GTS provides a wide range of plumbing and heating products and focuses on strong leadership, clearly communicated processes and values, and a team-oriented approach to achieve lasting growth and success.

CHALLENGE

For years, GTS had been using data produced through CSD Reports and a 3rd party reporting tool to drive the company forward. However, these tools were not providing the actionable data needed to effectively run the business; the leadership team felt they were left with little more than a high volume of reports full of disconnected data. The company struggled to get complete, accurate and readily available data for critical KPIs such as Fill Rate, On-time Delivery, and Order Accuracy. The team found themselves having to export data to MS Excel just to complete the picture, pointing to a reality where existing systems and processes created operational inefficiencies.  

SOLUTION

GTS recognized the importance of having accurate reporting that tracks actual results against established goals. GTS implemented ProAdvisor to overhaul their reporting processes and provide a solution that would deliver the necessary data insights.  

ProAdvisor offered several key capabilities:

  • Problem-solving content  
  • Objectives at all levels of the organization  
  • Immediate access to underlying data  
  • Configurability for diverse organizations  
  • Ability to expose current status and desired future state
  • Identification of opportunities for improvement  
  • Tracking progress over time  
  • Data connections across the entire organization  
  • User-specific data access

Cassie Jonas, Systems and Information Manager at GTS, stated, “Before ProAdvisor, we used CSD Reports, 3rd Party Reporting Tools, and Excel to help manage the business. We are now on our way to having one consistent source of reporting.”  

RESULTS

The implementation of ProAdvisor has enabled GTS to achieve significant improvements in their operations and has empowered their team with actionable data.  

According to Reed White, President and Managing Principal of Operations at GT Sanders, “With our previous reporting tools, we were unable to get the data we really needed. With ProAdvisor, the company culture has changed. Users at different levels have access to the data they need, and it is opening their thoughts about what other information they need to improve themselves.”  

  • Proactive Management: ProAdvisor has enabled GTS to move from reactive to proactive management, particularly in areas like surplus stock. Damian Anyamele, Director of Supply Chain, explained, “With ProAdvisor, we have advanced our management of surplus stock into the 21st century. The Stock Balancing reports don’t just tell us what went wrong. They tell us where to move it and how much to move.” The company is also now actively monitoring on-time delivery, which was not a focus before ProAdvisor.  
  • Actionable Data: ProAdvisor provides drill-downs and drill-throughs within the KPI dashboards, enabling users to see the source of information and export it as needed.  
  • Improved Efficiency: Buyers are heavily involved with ProAdvisor, using it to manage open POs, surplus, and fill rates. The tool provides easy access to necessary information and the ability to set target fill rates. Branch managers start their day using the Branch Manager Homepage, making ProAdvisor an integral part of their daily activities.  
  • Enhanced Reporting: GTS is rebuilding existing month-end reports within ProAdvisor, demonstrating the tool’s effectiveness and the team’s rapid adoption. The E&A team has been instrumental in adding fields to the data model for custom reports.  
  • Alignment: ProAdvisor has facilitated the alignment of employee goals with overall company goals. Reed White noted, “With ProAdvisor, we are now able to make sure that the goals of our employees align with our overall company goals. We have been able to align our objectives like never before. How we evaluate our employees is now the same way they can evaluate themselves as they use the ProAdvisor.”  

“Our experience with the E&A team was awesome.” said Anyamele, adding that in working with other software vendors on previous implementations, “it was not always a good experience, our users would be disappointed based on how the software was demonstrated, and the effort to get what we really wanted was large. With ProAdvisor, there were no surprises and no disappointments.” 

GTS is continuing its ProAdvisor rollout, expanding its use to the sales team, adding more users, and building additional custom reports and dashboards.