Markets change. Prices shift. Customer needs evolve. A modern building materials ERP helps you handle it all with confidence. Whether you're managing special orders, dealing with increasing costs, or serving customers across multiple locations, the right system makes your job easier.
Like many building materials businesses, your system might have been perfect when you first installed it but now struggles to keep up. If you're spending more time working around its limitations than growing your business, it's time to explore what newer technology can offer.
Breaking Free from Legacy Systems
Many businesses find their legacy systems becoming a barrier to growth. These older systems often:
- Lack flexibility to adapt to new business processes
- Require workarounds that waste time and create errors
- Can't support modern technologies needed for growth
- Make it difficult to customize without expensive developer help
Modern ERP systems made for your industry fix many common issues found in older software.
They're built on the latest technology with your business needs in mind, so your processes don't have to change to fit the system. You can make changes yourself without needing to write code or contact your vendor. And as open systems, they make it easier to connect your other business tools with your core system.
Let's look at what a modern ERP system should deliver for your business.
What Your Building Materials ERP Should Do For You
A modern ERP system should simplify your operations while giving you the tools to adapt and grow. Here's what to look for:
Take Control of Your Pricing and Margins
- Modern systems streamline automatic price updates, saving you time while efficiently distributing increased costs across your business operations
- Give your team instant access to accurate information—ensuring real-time, reliable data availability anytime, anywhere
- Easily create customized pricing models for different customers while protecting your margins
- Advanced controls empower you to maintain healthy margins across all product lines, ensuring you don't lose profitability
Real Benefits: When material prices change, your system handles updates efficiently, eliminating hours of manual work.
"We can quickly adjust product prices or job volumes with just a few clicks. This responsiveness allows us to manage product shortages or price increases efficiently.” - Tim Payne, Managing Director at South Coast Building Supplies
"We completed a full pricing reboot for several thousand products in just two weeks, a task that would have taken three months or more before." - Louis Jenkins, Management Accountant at South Coast Building Supplies
Make Inventory Management Simple
- With the latest ERP system, you'll always know exactly what you have in stock—whether you're in the warehouse, on-site, or off-site
- Order smarter with smart reordering tools that help maintain optimal stock levels
- Manage inventory across locations with easy branch transfers and flexible delivery options
- Handle special orders smoothly
Real benefit: No more calling the yard to check stock levels. No more emergency orders because someone forgot to reorder.
"Dealing efficiently in hardwood is a key element for us. Before, I wouldn’t have been able to tell if we had 12ft of mahogany in stock, all I could tell you is that we had mahogany. Now I can tell you what lengths we have it in and what widths etc across both premises." - Michael Dowling, Strahan Timber
Help Your Team Work Better
- Work from anywhere with access to your ERP system via desktop, cloud or mobile
- Give your team instant access to the information they need when they need it, including dashboards tailored to suit their role.
- Speed up customer service with real-time stock, order, and delivery updates
- Speed up order processing with integrated trade counter software that puts all the information you need right at the point of sale.
Daily impact: Your yard manager sees what they need in the yard. Your sales team has answers for customers on the spot. Your delivery drivers have all delivery details at hand.
"The product search on the point of sale system is 10 times faster than what we had. Everything about the POS is making it easier to get orders out quicker." - Michael Dowling, General Manager, Strahan Timber
Make Better Business Decisions
- Monitor business performance in real-time on-screen or on your cell phone with customizable dashboards
- Transform raw data into actionable insights with real-time analytics and reporting
- Make confident decisions with complete visibility across all business operations
- Stay ahead of issues with scheduled reports and automatic alerts for exceptions
- Track profitability easily with a single end-to-end system
- Keep an eye on all departments through personalized on-screen displays
Bottom line: Make decisions based on real numbers, not guesswork.
"We have greatly enhanced our understanding of what’s selling and what’s not... This information is so easy to find and helps us make more informed decisions" - Adam Baker, Managing Director at Herne Bay Plumbing,
“We now have accurate, up to date customer history, linked supplier data, pricing detail and more, all at our finger-tips." - Mat Crispin, General Manager, GC Johnson
A Smooth Path to Implementation
Making the switch to a new system might seem daunting, but with the right approach, it's a manageable process that pays dividends quickly. Here's how to ensure success:
- Clean up your data first - avoid bringing old duplicates and errors into your new system
- Adopt a phased approach to your ERP project, starting with the foundation—focus on getting core processes like inventory, sales, and purchasing up and running first.
- As your team becomes more confident, gradually add new features or modules, such as mobile access and ecommerce, to enhance functionality.
- Ensure all users engage in training throughout the implementation and continue with post-go-live sessions, helping your team feel confident and comfortable with their new system
Why Modern Building Materials ERP Matters
A good system helps you:
- Serve customers better
- Control costs effectively
- Stay ahead of the competition
- Run operations smoothly
- Adapt to market changes quickly
"There isn’t a single process that hasn’t been positively impacted by upgrading our system. Every feature was an upgrade of what we had previously and as a result we have become more efficient and productive, and significantly reduced our costs”- Tom Skevington, Company Accountant, Clarkes of Walsham
"Our system has played a crucial role in our business expansion, enabling us to launch a new off-site showroom recently.- Adam Baker, Managing Director, Herne Bay Plumbing
Beyond these general benefits, building materials businesses face unique challenges that require specialized solutions.
Meeting Industry-Specific Challenges
The building materials industry faces unique challenges that generic ERP systems often can't handle:
Supply Chain Management
- Track lumber and materials from multiple suppliers
- Handle different units of measure (board feet, linear feet, squares)
- Manage special orders and custom millwork
- Monitor lead times and delivery schedules
Price and Cost Control
- Update prices quickly when material costs change
- Maintain margins despite market volatility
- Track cost changes across product lines
- Apply different pricing for contract vs. retail customers
Inventory Optimization
- Manage stock across multiple yards and locations
- Track dimensional lumber in various lengths and grades
- Handle both stocking and special order items
- Optimize branch transfers to meet local demand
Modern building materials ERP systems are specifically designed to address these challenges, giving you the tools you need to succeed in today's competitive market. To learn more about essential features for your industry, read our guide to the best ERP software features for lumber and building materials suppliers.
These capabilities aren't just theoretical—they're delivering real value to businesses like yours.
Real Results from Real Businesses
Lumber and building materials companies like yours are already seeing the benefits of modern solutions. These solutions are made to fit your unique needs. Here are some of the key benefits they’re seeing:
South Coast Building Supplies handled a big pricing update. This task would have taken three months before. They finished it in just two weeks. They have reduced their monthly report preparation time from 4-5 days to just one day. This change gives them quicker insights into their business performance.
At Clondalkin Builders Providers, stock takes that were once a three-day ordeal now take just nine or ten hours. Their team is also saving up to two days per person each month on admin tasks - time they can spend serving customers instead.
Herne Bay Plumbing eliminated "hundreds, if not thousands" of hours previously spent searching through old paper files. Their digital transformation has streamlined operations and improved customer service.
These aren't just efficiency improvements - they represent real businesses finding better ways to work. When routine tasks take minutes instead of hours, your team can focus on what matters most. This means serving customers and growing your business.
Success with ERP isn't just about the software—it's about choosing the right partner for your journey.
Choosing a Future-Ready Technology Partner
Your ERP provider should be more than just a software vendor – they should be a technology partner invested in your long-term success. Here's what to look for:
Continuous Innovation
- Regular platform updates that incorporate emerging technologies
- Proactive development of new features based on industry trends and customer needs
- Investment in mobile technologies and cloud capabilities
- Integration capabilities with new and emerging building materials technologies
Customer-Driven Development
The best ERP providers actively engage with their customers to drive product development:
- Regular customer feedback sessions and user groups
- Feature development based on real customer needs
- Transparent product roadmap that reflects industry requirements
- Quick response to customer enhancement requests
Industry Expertise
Your technology partner should understand the unique challenges of the building materials industry:
- Deep knowledge of lumber and building materials processes
- Understanding of industry-specific challenges like special orders and margin management
- Experience with multi-location inventory management
- Proven track record in the building materials sector
Support for Growth
As your business evolves, your ERP system should evolve with you:
- Scalable architecture that grows with your business
- Easy addition of new locations or business units
- Flexible configuration tools that adapt to changing needs
- Regular platform updates to support new business models
Choose a provider that focuses on innovation and customer success. This way, your ERP investment will continue to provide value in the future.
Is It Time to Upgrade Your System?
Ask yourself:
- Are manual tasks slowing you down when technology could speed things up?
- Are workarounds becoming your normal way of working?
- Is your system struggling to keep up with new technology needs?
- Could one complete system replace multiple separate ones?
- Does your system understand building materials processes?
- Can your team access the information they need, when they need it?
- Is your technology helping or hindering daily work?
The right building materials ERP makes your business stronger and more flexible. It helps you take care of business today while being ready for whatever comes next.
Take the Next Step: Ready to modernize your building materials business? Let's explore how our industry-specific ERP solution can help you. Schedule a discovery call today