KHS Bicycles Takes Sales Order Management Online

Cycle distributor taps CenterStone for solution to ramp up service to retail customers, provide reps 24/7 information access

Cycle distributor taps CenterStone for solution to ramp up service to retail customers, provide reps 24/7 information access

Denver, CO — April 5, 2005 — Cycle distributor KHS Bicycles is set to use a solution from CenterStone Technologies as the company moves to take its sales order management processes online.

KHS, of Rancho Dominguez, Calif., had been looking for a sales order management solution for some time, but the company had not been convinced that vendors in this space understood the unique challenges and complexities of the cycling industry until they met CenterStone, according to Wayne D. Gray, vice president of KHS Bicycles.

"To remain competitive, we know that we need a sales order management application, and we were impressed by the level of professionalism that CenterStone brought to our discussion," Gray said. "Their sales order management application is going to allow KHS to provide 24/7 access to product information and ordering capabilities for our retailers and sales reps."

CenterStone provides a Web-based sales order management application that gives retail dealers and sales reps the ability to create proposals, view online catalogs and product availability and to place preseason, reorders and retail employee orders with their vendors.

Tom Detmer, president and CEO of CenterStone, said that KHS's decision to adopt CenterStone's solution will allow them to take advantage of the thousands of cycling retailers already using CenterStone's sales order management solution.

"Currently more than 8,000 retailers have access to the online solution, and this extensive dealer base should be a great benefit to [KHS] as [the company] looks to grow the ... business," Detmer said.

CenterStone said it makes vendors more competitive by providing increased inventory turns at retail, reduced customer service costs and greater speed to market, thereby improving relationships with their retail dealer customers.

CenterStone already serves such companies as The North Face, Pearl Izumi, Marmot and Helly Hansen, and Gray suggested that this vertical trade environment offered through CenterStone would make it easier for KHS customers to do business with the bicycle company.

"Ultimately, it will allow KHS to serve cycling enthusiasts more efficiently and effectively by getting our quality products to our retailers in a more timely manner," Gray continued. "With this new sales order management application KHS expects to set a new standard for customer service in the cycling industry."


Additional Articles of Interest

For more information on order/demand capture, see the analyst articles in the April/May 2004 and February/March 2005 issues of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.



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