Corporate Profile
Headquarters
Massillon, OH 

Type of Business
Equipment and supplies wholesaler for tree service operators 

Territory
United States and Canada 

Number of Locations
One 

Number of Employees
23 

System Profile
Computer System
Compaq and Hewlett-Packard Pentiums 

Operating System
Microsoft Windows^® 95 (workstations) 

Networking System
Windows NT with 10BaseT hookups 

BusinessWorks Modules in Use
General Ledger 
Accounts Payable 
Accounts Receivable 
Inventory Control and Purchasing 
Order Entry 
Mailing Labels 
Job Cost 

Application
General accounting, estimating, sales orders, invoicing, receivables, purchase orders, payables, and inventory control 

More Success Stories

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“BusinessWorks brought the full breadth of our fiscal operations sharply into focus. And we discovered that the work that formerly required nine persons in our accounting department could be handled by four people.”

Robert Rankl, Vice President, Karl Kuemmerling Inc.

Although the business did have a couple of computers, their application was limited. An older Macintosh was used to maintain a mailing list, while a 386 PC provided by United Parcel Service tracked shipping data. All other office and management functions, including correspondence, bookkeeping and job costing, were performed manually using typewriters, calculators and hand entry. Robert Rankl, vice president of Kuemmerling, knew the company needed to modernize methods. But he also recognized the importance of a solution that would be easy for the company’s employees to learn and operate.

“Three results became very clear at the outset,” said Rankl. “BusinessWorks brought the full breadth of our fiscal operations sharply into focus. We were able to be more responsive in all functions. And we discovered that the work that formerly required nine persons in our accounting department could be handled by four.” No one lost a job, however. Two employees left the area, two requested conversion to part time, and another was reassigned to other duties.

Since the company’s remaining bookkeeping personnel were largely unaccustomed to working with computers, the training program offered by the BusinessWorks consultant coached users on basic computer skills as well as use of BusinessWorks. They found BusinessWorks surprisingly easy to learn and operate, thanks to its logical screen presentations and its consistency throughout all modules.

Company managers were delighted by the dramatic improvement in efficiency after BusinessWorks began handling accounting functions previously performed by hand. Kuemmerling uses BusinessWorks to manage its full revenue stream, including quotes, sales orders, purchase orders and invoices. Sales orders trigger commitment of inventory, and once an invoice is created BusinessWorks reduces the inventory tabulation accordingly. The BusinessWorks inventory module greatly assists in finding errors in the physical inventory and easily accommodates adjustments.

To accommodate additional features, two computers were added to the network for the purchasing and shipping departments. Rankl calculates that BusinessWorks immediately paid for itself and all equipment through the $75,000 annual savings the tree-trimming supply company has achieved in operational efficiencies. Now that BusinessWorks has helped Karl Kuemmerling regain control of its fiscal, purchasing, inventory, sales order, invoicing and collection operations, Bob Rankl knows this: never again will a job estimate put the company out on a limb.

The capabilities, system requirements and compatibility with third-party products described herein are subject to change without notice. Contact STATE OF THE ART® for current information. BusinessWorks® and the BusinessWorks® logo are trademarks of STATE OF THE ART®. The STATE OF THE ART® name and logo are registered trademarks of STATE OF THE ART, INC. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their manufacturers. ©1996 STATE OF THE ART, INC. All rights reserved.