VAI Announces Two ERP Customers

Published: March 31, 2009

by Alex Woodie

The economy may be weighing down some software companies. But VAI appears to be cruising right along, continuing to build on the momentum from a solid 2008 sales year. Last week the New York company announced two new customers for its i OS-based ERP suite, including Well-Pict, a berry grower in California and SPRO Corp., a fishing tackle company in Georgia.

Founded in 1997, SPRO Corp. is a manufacturer, importer, and distributor of fishhooks, lures, jigs, snells, rigs, swivels, and other sportfishing products. The Kennesaw, Georgia, company counts several large chain stores, wholesalers, dealers, and consumers like you among its customers.

Like many small businesses, SPRO Corp. outgrew the functionality of its original accounting system. The company looked at VAI's S2K suite of ERP software, and liked what it saw, according to Kentaro Hara, the company's general manager.

"VAI’s S2K Enterprise for Distribution software is perfectly positioned to provide immediate, real-time access to important company information such as inventory levels and financial data, all with a few clicks of a button," Hara says.

VAI also sealed a deal with Well-Pict Berries, which is based in the lush berry growing region the Monterey Bay area and has operations up and down the California coast. The 30-year-old company prides itself on using the latest farming techniques to improve the quality and yield of its strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

Along the same vein, the company looked to information technology to bolster the underpinnings of the business, according to Well-Pict vice president Eric Miyasaka. "Well-Pict distributes its berries to several high profile retailers, including Costco, Sam's Club, Target, Wal-Mart, and Whole Foods," Miyasaka says. "As such, it is imperative that we not only provide a high quality product, but also deliver the right product to the right location in the time promised."

Well-Pict picked VAI's S2K, which runs exclusively on the IBM System i server, as a result of its experience in manufacturing and distribution, its standing as a leading software developer, and its technical foresight, Miyasaka says.

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