Sage Pro Delivers Manufacturing Power and Flexibility

When you’re ready for a Lamborghini on two wheels, Titus Cycles may have just what you’re looking for. This dynamic company designs, manufactures, and distributes high-end, high-tech bicycles for serious riders.

Titus Cycles even offers custom-built bicycles, allowing customers to customize every conceivable aspect of their bike. Utilizing exotic composite metal construction, and with a retail price tag averaging $5,000, Titus Cycles caters to those who demand, and can afford, the very best. Titus Cycles distributes its bicycles nationally through specialty dealers who require the personalized, professional service that Titus Cycles specializes in. Titus Cycles depends on Sage Pro ERP and its business partner Silverware, Inc. to keep its manufacturing and financial operations running smoothly, but this wasn’t always the case.

Spinning Its Wheels
“The company had been using QuickBooks for years—and simply outgrew it,” recalls Paul Witt, controller at Titus Cycles. “It had no provision for manufacturing, so that was handled separately using spreadsheets and other databases and documents.” The company knew tighter control over its manufacturing operations would allow it to better control costs. As the company researched manufacturing and accounting solutions, one product rose to the top: Sage Pro. “One of our key vendors uses Sage Pro,” says Witt, “and they provided a great reference as to what the product can do.” A demonstration by local Sage Software Business Partner, Silverware, sealed the deal. “Silverware is very knowledgeable and experienced with Sage Pro,” says Witt, “and having local support is very important to us.”

Implementing A Custom Solution
With full source code availability, Sage Pro lends itself readily to customizing. Silverware worked with Titus Cycles to identify its requirements for the system, and then implemented an end-to-end manufacturing and accounting solution that addresses those requirements, and delivers much more. “We needed better information to run our manufacturing operations,” says Witt. “We make purchasing and manufacturing decisions based on that information, and with Sage Pro we have it.”

Accurate Forecasting
Faced with long lead times for many components, and lacking an accurate forecasting tool, Witt says the company often over-ordered critical parts, rather than risk running low. “The information we’re now getting from Sage Pro gives us the confidence we need to place orders for timely arrival. It’s more efficient and it saves money.” As sales and purchase history is accumulated in Sage Pro, Witt says the quality of information just keeps getting better. “We’re in a seasonal industry, so the ability to analyze sales from last year’s summer season, for example, helps us schedule our resources and ensure we’ve got the right components in stock to meet demand.”

Customer Service Riding High
While the company keeps many models and sizes in stock, it also manufactures-to-order to meet the specific demands of its customers. Silverware empowered Titus Cycle’s sales staff with tools they use when handling these special orders. Drawing on lead times for components and manufacturing throughput, the software calculates an anticipated delivery date for an order, which the sales staff then relays to the customer. The result is improved customer service, a top priority at Titus Cycles. “Our sales staff is quite savvy—they know
bikes. With Sage Pro, they’re now able to answer questions about product availability more quickly and accurately than ever before.”

Keeping Costs Under Control
With dozens of models, it’s vital for Titus Cycles to understand which are selling, and which are generating the most profit. Through informative reports, management now has the metrics it needs to make better business decisions. “Now we have the ability to evaluate each model and determine which ones are profitable enough to keep as part of our offering,” says Witt. Silverware helped Titus Cycles minimize its shipping costs by creating a seamless interface between Sage Pro and the UPS WorldShip manifest application. As the sales order number is entered into WorldShip, the program transfers the customers’
shipping address automatically, eliminating manual data entry. The tracking number and
actual freight charge are written back to the order in Sage Pro, ensuring that information is available for inquiries and reporting.

Working In Tandem
Witt says that he and the rest of the management staff at Titus Cycles is well pleased with Sage Pro and with its partnership with Silverware. “Silverware understands manufacturing—and very few really do,” he concludes. “They’ve educated us, showing us precisely what we can do with the software. It’s a very beneficial relationship.”