Triade

Wholesaler Triade grows with Jeeves ERP

 
Triade is a leading European one-stop distributor specializing in consumer electronics, mobility products, and information technology. With the implementation of Jeeves ERP, Triade has established a platform for growth and efficient operations.
 
With operations in several European countries, Triade, a Techdata company, provides retailers with products from more than 120 vendors, serving more than 5,000 sales outlets daily. Triade’s objective is to become a significant Pan-European player by buying or investing in distribution companies across Europe, in addition to growing organically. To integrate acquisitions into operations and to achieve scalable growth, the choice of a common ERP system and its efficient utilization was crucial to the company’s success.
 
After having acquired several companies, all with their own ERP systems, Triade began looking to create synergies by establishing a common ERP platform for the whole group. The company performed a comprehensive evaluation to find a system that would fit its requirements. It was important that the system was flexible and highly efficient at managing internal transactions. Two well-known ERP systems had already been shortlisted.
 
“Then we acquired the company ECA, a wholesaler of IT products”, said Wim Pols, CFO of Triade Netherlands. “ECA had successfully been running its operations with Jeeves ERP for many years. We saw a good fit between the ECA processes and our own requirements, and decided to add Jeeves ERP to our shortlist.” After another evaluation round, all the companies involved agreed that Jeeves ERP was the system they were looking for.”
 
 “We were especially impressed by the functionality and flexibility of Jeeves ERP system,” continued Pols. ”It allows us to adapt quickly to the changing demands of our fast-moving industry, all at a very low cost of ownership.”
 

Easy to work with and to maintain

 
Triade started the rollout of Jeeves ERP together with JIS Netherlands, Jeeves’ Dutch solution partner. Jeeves was implemented as a wholesale solution, including financial, sales, and purchasing functionality that integrated with Triade’s warehouse solution.
 
Triade has a high level of IT competence, and the company manages most of its day-to-day IT operations in-house. Triade’s IT staff was intensely involved in the implementation. “With Jeeves ERP, we are able to do much more in-house,” said Pols. ”But we also maintained a close dialogue with JIS Netherlands for support on more complicated matters.”
 

Strong tool for growth

 
Today, 250 users in two of Triade’s three companies are using Jeeves ERP and, in the future, all of its Dutch companies will have a joint ERP platform. According to Pols, Jeeves ERP provides the tools needed to manage a great number of different transactions, inluding EDI invoicing and logistics information. Also, the system is open, which enables smooth interaction with suppliers and retailers, as well as with Triade’s IT systems. “As a wholesale organization, we should be a perfect link between our manufacturers and retailers in terms of service, speed, reliability, creativity, and competence,” said Pols. ”But most of all in terms of quality. This means that customers can always contact us with questions.”