“We chose Erplain because the platform exceeded its competition with function and ease of use.”
Activity: Home service / Remodel construction
Employees: 14
Tpro Enterprise is a family-run business with 14 employees split between the office, electricians, plumbers and carpenters. Customers are local, mainly homeowners in the residential space remodel space.
>> Interview with Tim Procopio, one of the owners of TPro Enterprise
Tracking inventory – I realized that a good inventory control, and strategically managing waste that a lot of companies in our industry are ignoring could give TPro a competitive advantage in the market. In 2014, I had worked closely as a subcontractor in a consulting team on making improvements in a big factory in Chicago. This experience really opened my eyes to manufacturing principles, that can be easily applied to the construction industry.
Since that experience my eyes were opened in regard to TPro, one of our biggest challenges was knowing what was available in our vans. After all, managing inventory in a warehouse is not different from managing inventory in a van!
“In this industry, you cannot get a raise, inventory management is a part of reducing waste, improving costs and increasing margin"
Profit issue – I grew up in the construction industry. My passion for dealing with people and servicing clients helped grow our business. However, being busy does not mean you are making money. We were not always profitable, and even now there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Reducing waste – I always had an eye for waste and improvements. Until Erplain, I didn't have a tool for a good follow-up and purchasing unnecessary additional materials for a project!
We have tried different solutions before Erplain and we even tried to develop our own excel based inventory system! These solutions were frustrating, confusing and not really working...
We found Erplain via QuickBooks Online App Center, as we depend quite heavily on QBO, and we needed a deep integration.
“Your software has really helped us strategically cut waste, purchase and bill our every day materials”
Cost control – Erplain has allowed a better cost control by holding people accountable in terms of process. We now have set up procedures to get the job done.
Internal Communication – I don’t need to call to check if the materials were ordered for a project. I just have to log to Erplain and check.
Mobile inventory solution – Barcode scanners are in the van (like a POS) and contractors create the sales orders for what they use every day. They can also create purchase orders from their van to order the products they need to continue the project.
“More data at our fingertips”
A better view of the business with great sales reports. This helps us take a step back and leverage our suppliers for competitive volume based pricing.
Improved our Profit & Loss Statement (P&L) – We have a much more accuracy in our material pricing on our proposals, having a better understanding of the profit on the job. We have also increased our purchasing power.
“I would certainly recommend Erplain to other trade partners but selfishly I don’t want my competition to know!”
