McMahon restarts IT roll-out despite recession

Originally founded in the 1830s in Limerick, James McMahon had become the largest timber supplier in Ireland by the early part of the 20th Century.

Today the company is recognised as the largest and most successful independent builders' merchant across the island of lreland.

In 2006, the two drivers behind a change in computer system at McMahon's were a desire for improved functionality as the company went forward, and the need for a common platform after the acquisition programme meant a total of three platforms were now in use throughout the group.

"The decision to go with bisTrack was based on the relationship we were developing with the Progressive team, a confidence in deliverability and its aggressive approach to the overall cost of the new group platform."

An initial shortlist of five systems was eventually narrowed down to a choice between bisTrack and one other and, according to financial director, Stephen Mulhall, when it came to functionality, either system would have performed.

Mr Mulhall explains: "The decision to go with bisTrack was based on the relationship we were developing with the Progressive Solutions' team, a confidence in deliverability and its aggressive approach to the overall cost of the new group platform."

Specific requirements from the new system, according to Mr Mulhall, were good margin management and stricter controls over user access to information. bisTrack delivered on both of these and also impressed the McMahon team with its ease of use.

The rollout programme started during the summer of 2007 when all four Northern Irish branches went live on bisTrack at the same time.

But the implementation programme for the remaining branches south of the border was suspended when the economic climate changed.

However, during the second half of 2009, in spite of the continuing recession, Mr Mulhall decided to restart the rollout programme.

He said: "The group was still in an untenable position caused by the presence of three platforms, but we also believed the immediate benefits from using bisTrack, which we were seeing in our Northern branches, outweighed the savings we were making by not implementing the system in the remaining branch network.

"The most significant and immediate of these benefits was an improved visibility of information. In particular we were able to analyse and control sales margins more quickly and accurately and have a far greater control over user access throughout the system."

The implementation programme is now well under way in McMahon's Southern Irish branch network with Letterkenny and Dublin already live on bisTrack.

McMahon has benefited from the improved visibility of information that bisTrack offers.

_{© 2010, reproduced courtesy of Builders' Merchants News.}