IBC Worldwide, which provides marketing and custom manufacturing services to Fortune 100 companies, has selected the software as a service version of the TradeStone Suite to improve its global buying process and to gain a better audit trail of ongoing projects.
"As margins on domestically produced goods continue to decline, the ability to effectively source globally is critical to the success of companies like IBC Worldwide," says TradeStone Software CEO Sue Welch.
With the suite, IBC Worldwide reportedly expects to see an increase in projects handled by each project manager. The 10-person staff at the product development company currently has as many as 50 request for quotes in process at any given time, each with varying complexity. IBC Worldwide CEO Pam Howard plans to double that number by the fall.
In the past information has been sent via e-mails, calls and faxes, then entered manually into spreadsheets. TradeStone should be able to allow customers and vendors to view the same information and operate from the same core base of knowledge. Once everyone is on the same page it is possible to get better products to market faster, says Howard.
"We typically send product requests to several manufacturers in China, then work with them on designs. This includes going back and forth on such cost variables as materials, manufacturing and shipping. We then go through testing and revisions, all coordinated with our customers," says Howard. "The software as a service version of the TradeStone Suite enables us to gain the power of enterprise-class software at a much better price point. We now have the tools to make our production faster and our lives easier."
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