Lyons Electrical Upgrades to DDI System,  Gaining a 2% increase in Gross Margin

For any business owner, there are light-bulb moments when decisions need to be made in order to move the business ahead, states Tom Lyons, President of Lyons Electrical Supply. The companyin Dayton, Ohio, a third generation electrical supply and lighting showroom.

Finding a Match
Finding the right fit in computer software is the hardest yet most important factor in a successful conversion. According to Lyons, the company looked at several options, including Eclipse and Activant, before choosing DDI System. DDI supports Trade Service’s eDataFlex pricing and content files, then provides an easy to use, flexible price matrix and rebate management system. This enables companies to easily manage complex costing and selling prices. Additionally, the system simplifies deviated costs and reporting for multiple vendors, including OSRAM Sylvania and Thomas & Betts. “We felt DDI really understood our needs and really cared about us. A lot of the big guys didn’t have that.”

A Brighter World
Immediately after the conversion, the office saw things in a whole new light. “DDI changed my life!” exclaims Lisa Triplett, purchasing agent for Lyons Electrical. Controller Connie Barnhart has also experienced brighter days following the DDI System conversion. “The shear time savings is incredible. Just with the monthly financial statements, It used to take 15 days to get everything finalized and now it is instantaneous.” Barnhart adds she now has the flexibility to retrieve financial information in many different ways, including comparing month-to-month, end-of-year to previous end-of-year, and month-to-day.

Lyons agrees DDI System has streamlined all areas of the company. “All our operations are running more efficiently and more accurately,” Lyons adds. “We can track anything. Everything is archived and can be retrieved instantaneously. Our pricing is consistent and automatically updated. With the integration between Trade Service and DDI System, we can plan ahead for price increases. Purchasing and inventory guidance is calculated within seconds.”

Furthermore, all departments share the same information: With a few clicks of the mouse, a customer’s complete history appears on the screen, and within seconds, customer service can tell the customer who signed for an order or why their credit is on hold.

The Two Percentage Point Difference
The bottom line for many small businesses is weighing the cost of a software package with the returns it will generate. Lyons estimates that the company has increased its gross margins by approximately two percentage points since converting to the DDI System—and has only used 40% to 50% of the system’s capabilities. “We used to spend so much time shuffling paper. It’s so easy now to follow the full order

No DDI System client has ever switched to another system.