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Johnstone Supply – Fresno

Distributor Uses White Cup BI to Better Manage Their Store Group

Johnstone Supply Fresno Customer Story
“The information aggregated on the Scorecards and Dashboards is truly invaluable. Not only can we quickly evaluate our sales, our customers, or our product line, White Cup BI has eliminated the extra time and effort it took to retrieve this data manually. It frees up time to do other things, like grow our business.”
Bill Kidd Controller, Johnstone Supply, The Orion Group

Valuable Data to Grow a Company

Company Background

While they now produce the famous ‘Johnstone Catalog’ of over 50,000 parts and supplies for the HVACR market, Johnstone Supply began humbly in 1953 with just a single store. Over the years, they have grown to over 425 independently-owned locations that generate over a billion dollars in annual sales and are one of the largest HVACR distributors in the US.

One branch, in particular, Johnstone – Fresno has 12 employees and is one of six locations that make up Johnstone Supply, The Orion Group. The ownership of stores is very much a family affair, with the second generation stepping into senior management roles following the retirement of the original owners. The Orion Group’s Controller, Bill Kidd, manages the financials for the six branches and is responsible for bringing White Cup BI (Business Intelligence) to the Fresno location.

Searching for a Solution

For years, the Fresno Branch was merely downloading ERP data into Excel spreadsheets then spending upwards of 3 hours manipulating data each time they needed to update their records. While a necessary endeavor to improve the business, it was simply too difficult, too time-consuming, and too inefficient to dedicate so much effort to manual data analysis. Worst of all, they felt that this method ultimately lacked the depth and detail they needed.

An integrated business intelligence platform was clearly needed for this distribution business. Johnstone – Fresno needed three things out of their ideal data tool: customized dashboards for anything from high-level insights to granular data deep-dives; seamless, an easy-to-use experience for their team to adopt; and a demonstrated value for themselves and their customers.

  • Customized dashboards
  • Seamless, easy to use
  • Demonstrated value

Adding Value in Both Dollars and Time

Using White Cup BI drastically changed the way Johnstone Supply – Fresno operated their business for revenue growth. With as reliable of a system as it has been, White Cup BI inventory is now checked against physical inventory rather than the other way around. This small but essential distinction demonstrates the precision and confidence that the software brings to a business.

Kidd puts it plainly: “I would recommend the White Cup BI solution for a number of reasons. Number one, White Cup BI is reliable. That is extremely important – to make sure things balance. I can rely 100% on the information that comes out of White Cup BI to be accurate and useful. White Cup BI makes information available at a moment’s notice – and for a business like Johnstone, this is essential to make informed decisions, especially in such a competitive market as HVACR. And, finally, the time savings are so significant that for that reason alone, I would recommend the White Cup BI product.” He concludes: “As a relatively new user in a very busy market, we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what we are capable of doing with White Cup BI. But what we’ve been able to accomplish so far is pretty significant.”

About White Cup

White Cup offers revenue intelligence solutions specifically designed for the distribution industry. Our software connects data across critical business systems, reveals industry-specific analysis, and provides the tools needed to take action for revenue improvement. With decades of industry experience, White Cup is trusted by more than 1,000 customers globally. To learn more, visit whitecupsolutions.com.