Phantom Fireworks Gets ERP Upgrade from VAI
October 13, 2009 Alex Woodie
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Phantom Fireworks will be better able to track its inventory and financial data as the result of an upgrade to S2K 5.0, the latest release of VAI‘s ERP software for i OS. The implementation was completed earlier this year at B.J. Alan Company, Phantom’s parent company, with additional point-of-sale functionality expected to be rolled out in 2010. From its headquarters in Youngstown, Ohio, Phantom Fireworks has grown into one of the largest distributors and retailers of consumer fireworks in the United States. The privately held company operates more than 50 stores, while its products can be found at more than 1,200 retail outlets, depending on the season. The seasonality of the fireworks business makes it a little more difficult than other businesses. That’s one of the benefits of upgrading to S2K 5.0, which allows Phantom to run the stores as separate entities, according to Michael Koocher, Phantom’s CIO. “With over 50 separate retail stores across the United States, some operating on a seasonal timeframe, we required a flexible system with the ability to provide timely inventory and financial data, both for our individual store locations and for our company as a whole,” he says. “VAI helped us meet this challenge head on.” B.J. Alan Company went live with S2K for Distribution earlier this year. By 2010, the company is also expected to go live on S2K for Retail, which delivers point-of-sale functionality as an integrated component of its ERP Suite. The implementation of S2K for Retail will complete the S2K roll-out and deliver the extra flexibility demanded by the company. The company has been a VAI customer since 2002, when it first implemented the RPG-based S2K suite. Benefits of upgrading to S2K 5.0 include improved cash flow, better decision-making, and enhance overall productivity. RELATED STORIES ERP Application Functionality Prompts Migration to IBM System i VAI Says ‘No Thanks’ to the Quick Buck
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