VAI Signs 3 Northeast Distributors to ERP Deals

May 15, 2012 Alex Woodie

VAI recently announced the signing of three distributors in the Northeast to license contracts for its ERP software, called S2K Enterprise. The companies–J. Polep Distribution Services, Hillcrest Foods, and Reiss Wholesale Hardware–are midsize businesses right in VAI’s industry sweet spot.

J. Polep Distribution Services is a Massachusetts-based distributor to convenience stores in New England. The 110-year-old company serves more than 4,000 chain and independent convenience stores from four distribution centers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

The company selected VAI’s IBM i-based package for food distributors and manufacturers, called S2K for Food Enterprise Management, to drive its growth strategy, according to VAI. “We selected VAI because of their reputation for outstanding customer support, aggressive product development, and experience in the food manufacturing and distribution industries,” Lori Polep, the vice president and chief information officer of J. Polep Distribution Services said in a press release.

Hillcrest Foods distributes bakery ingredients, dairy products, specialty items, gourmet food products, and disposables to bakeries, restaurants, pizzerias, co-ops, and industrial food processors through eight Northeastern states. The company plans to use S2K Enterprise Management to help improve overall operation efficiency and increase sales with the use of ecommerce, VAI says.

Reiss Wholesale Hardware will implement VAI’s software to help it drive efficiencies into key aspects of its business, which is distributing 10,000 SKUs from 120 vendors and manufacturers (including its own Tuff Stuff line) to hardware stories in New York City, Long Island, and Philadelphia. The S2K roll-out is expected to help the company in the areas of expediting orders, achieving inventory accuracy, and increasing customer service and overall satisfaction.

The Ronkonkoma, New York-based software company has been a bright spot for the IBM i server and the marketplace for IBM i software. As the ERP industry consolidation continues, smaller software houses have struggled to compete against the big ERP makers and their midmarket offerings and ambitions. But VAI has bucked the trend, and continued find success in its market sweet spot, which is developing ERP software for small and midsize manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.

VAI sales director Dan Bivona said: “VAI’s long-standing success with companies like Hillcrest and Reiss shows how S2K is truly a cross-industry solution for the mid-market,” he stated in a press release. “These customers sought an ERP software package robust and scalable enough to provide the critical features and functions they need to help significantly grow their business, so we are proud they selected VAI to help them achieve that goal.”