Progressive Solutions Inc - strong 3rd quarter growth on sales of bisTrack and lumberTrack business management software to lumber and LBM industries

Okay, this IS the company that I work for. In that regard it IS a shameless plug. Let's face it...it's not like I'm on the Tonight Show...

Press Release

Progressive Solutions Inc. sees strong 3rd quarter growth on sales of bisTrack and lumberTrack business management software to lumber and LBM industries

VANCOUVER, BC (Jan. 27, 2009) – Progressive Solutions Inc. (PSI), the fastest growing supplier of software systems for the forestry and lumber and building materials (LBM) industries, has recorded strong sales and growth during its fiscal 3rd quarter (ending Dec. 30, 2008) as an increasing number of forestry and LBM companies turned to the company’s flagship programs, bisTrack™ and lumberTrack™, to reduce costs and improve efficiencies.

bisTrack manages purchasing, pricing, quotes/orders, inventory control, accounting, costing and reporting, with providing advanced tools for AR, CRM, instant messaging, and dispatch/delivery, while lumberTrack is the world’s leading sales, inventory and logistics management software for softwood and hardwood manufacturers.

Among the companies that chose this period of economic downturn to invest in technology solutions supplied by the Richmond, British Columbia-based company are Weyerhaeuser (Federal Way, Washington), Sanford & Hawley (Unionville, Connecticut), Forge Lumber (Cincinnati, Ohio), Crenshaw Lumber (Gardena, California) and Kapstone Lumber (Summerville, South Carolina).

PSI president Len Williams said that while investing in technology is always important, for cyclical industries like forestry, and lumber and building materials, investing in software is even more important during tough economic times.

“Today companies need every advantage they can get,” said Williams. “We’re thriving because our programs provide tighter margin and financial control, improve inventory management, increase sales margins and make staff more efficient and productive, all keys to the survival and growth of any business.”

One company that has taken advantage of Progressive Solutions’ business management tools is Construction Supply of New Mexico, a 38-employee, three-unit, $8.5 million operation that implemented bisTrack in 1998. Thanks to its boost in gross margin and gross margin per payroll dollar along with improved staff and customer satisfaction, Construction Supply just won ProSales Magazine’s 2008 Excellence Award in the Technology category.

“We chose PSI’s bisTrack because we needed an integrated package that included point of sale, inventory management, document imaging, dispatch and delivery, and customer relationship management,” said King. “It paid for itself in the first three months.”

For more information visit www.progressive-solutions.com

For more information, contact Progressive Solutions Inc.:
Paul Williams – 604.214.8752 – paulw@progressive-solutions.com

About bisTrack
bisTrack is business software for lumber and building materials (LBM) distributors and dealers, addressing the needs of both wholesale, pro-dealer and retail operations. Built on Microsoft® technology, bisTrack is feature-rich software to help LBM companies manage their day-to-day buying, selling, inventory, dispatch & delivery activities with real-time information, as well as provide insight and business intelligence to better manage customer relationships and improve profitability.

About lumberTrack
lumberTrack™ is the world’s top selling ERP software for integrated inventory, sales order and logistics management for lumber and wood products manufacturers: sawmills, panel mills, remanufacturers. It also integrates procurement, production planning, costing and transportation management functions in its unified Microsoft environment. The software automates work flow and paperwork, eliminating redundant data entry. Rich with reporting tools and on-screen information, lumberTrack helps provides real-time access to the information needed to improve customer service, boost sales, trim costs, and improve the bottom line. Complementary products include fiberTrack log yard management system, tagTrack tag printing system and webTrack online sales portal. Progressive Solutions is also a certified reseller for Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains), which integrates with lumberTrack to provide complete accounting and financial management. www.lumberTrack.com

About Progressive Solutions
Progressive Solutions Inc. is the international leader in business software solutions for the forest products industry. Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Richmond, BC, with sales offices across the US, UK and Canada. Its main products, lumberTrack™ and bisTrack™, address the business intelligence as well as operational, procurement, sales, inventory and logistics management needs of sawmills, panel mills, remanufacturers, wholesale/ distributors and building materials distributors/dealers with domestic and export markets. www.Progressive-Solutions.com

Activant - Dimensions is charging WAY too much for support of a dead software package.

I'm hearing some feedback around certain user groups that Activant has raised their support fee's by 28% for Dimensions customers. Apparently, if you don't sell a product anymore you can still make more money on it just by charging more for support. Not a bad way to weather our current financial storm (if you can find customers gullible enough to put up with it!)

If I were faced with this decision I think I would be looking to completely new software rather than spending over $25K for support. There are many different offerings in today's market-place to choose from and this economy has affected everyone; most companies are motivated to close a sale.

Just don't be suckered in to writing that check every month or agreeing to support increases just because, "You always have before." Shop the market-place for good deals, it may be a painful experience implementing new core software but with the slow economy you may be spending your time well. By the time the economy rebounds all the growing pains of learning new software will be long gone and you'll be poised for large profits with new, dynamic software.