Distributor and Servicer Reveals Its Motivations for Switching from Macola to NetSuite

Source: netsuiteblogs.com

NetSuite’s Ranga Bodla recently sat down with Jeffrey Gradek, President of Filter Services, a leading distributor and servicer of commercial and industrial filtration products, to discuss the company’s decision to move off Macola to a true cloud ERP system. Filter Services went through a rigorous analysis and evaluation of solutions from Prophet21, Microsoft Dynamics, IBS, and NetSuite, and ultimately chose to go with NetSuite. Below are highlights from the conversation.

Ranga Bodla: What motivated Filter Services to look for a new system?

Jeff Gradek: We had the nightmare situation of coming to work on a Monday morning to find out that our file server was corrupted. This had happened before, but this time, all the files, including backups, were corrupted; the company was gone. We wanted to be a successful filter company, not an unsuccessful technology company.

Bodla: Why did Filter Services decide on a cloud-based system?

Gradek: Initially, I investigated both on-premise and cloud systems. The decision to go cloud was two-fold. I decided I didn’t want to have a file server on the premise that would take my sights off what we’re good at with filters. Beyond that, catering to a changing workforce was essential. Today’s workforce wants to work with the cloud, and the cloud and its browser environment align with the skillset people already have.

Bodla: Besides the cloud, what were your other evaluation criteria?

Gradek: Macola’s system was clunky and relatively slow. The environment wasn’t intuitive, and it was hard to train people. Our new system needed to be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and easy to learn. The system needed to be fast and agile and able to address both sides of our business. Many vendors had separate services and distribution solutions, unable to accommodate both in one platform. We needed our services and distribution businesses on the same system. Finally, I knew that selecting a CRM would be a project of mine soon. NetSuite’s CRM being part of the platform was a huge selling point for me.

Bodla: What kinds of process improvements have you seen since running on NetSuite?

Gradek: The effects on our financial statement and cash flow were immediate. Financial statements are constantly up-to-date, and we can now close a month within just a few days. Having accurate, real-time data allows me to better budget and plan for the future. But what’s most exciting? We’re expanding and opening a new office in Indianapolis. The ability to have employees in other offices see the same dashboards as headquarters and be able to manage them from a distance is a game changer.

Bodla: Do you have any advice for current Macola or other legacy system customers looking to make a switch?

Gradek: Choose the company that will put you in the best place to win ten years from now. I wanted to partner with a company that’s investing in its technology, who’s growing, who’s listening to the market, who’s forward-thinking, and that will have the best product for the next ten years. That’s a large reason I chose NetSuite. If I were to choose a platform again today, my experience would dictate that NetSuite is still the right company to help us see success for the next ten years.

This post was originally published by CTR. CTR was acquired by AST in January 2023.