Customer Success Story

LASON, Inc.

At a Glance
Company	LASON, Inc.
Industry	Integrated data and document management services
Headquarters	Troy, MI
Employees	2,600
Logistics	Over 5,000 active customers
Business Challenge	Cumbersome inventory databases created quality issues and production inefficiency
Solution	Epicor Enterprise
Business Benefits	Eliminated the need for an offsite warehouse due to more streamlined inventory management Ability to control and manage inventory items down to bin level Enables monitoring of critical inventory levels on a real time basis Improved customer communications through on-line portal and automated reporting capabilities

LASON specializes in enabling organizations to improve their business processes through outsourced services in industries that are data and document-intensive. By providing easy and efficient ways to print, process, and mail a wide variety of documentation, ranging from collection letters and variable printing to print on demand and direct mailers, LASON’s Output Services division develops cost-effective, customizable solutions for creating and processing millions of mail pieces each year.

“Our clients choose LASON to save time and money, and those are key reasons we selected the Epicor Enterprise software solution including their warehouse management package,” explains Tom Denomme, LASON’s Chief Information Officer.

Cutting Inventory
LASON’s Output Services Division has used the Epicor solution for almost two years to manage inventory and purchasing in all of LASON’s primary print facilities. LASON selected Epicor because their solution allowed the organization to control and manage inventory items, such as paper, forms and envelops down to the bin level.

LASON faced another challenge. Monitoring aging of inventory was also critical, as older materials can have an adverse effect on customer quality and production efficiency. After careful consideration, LASON realized they needed a comprehensive warehouse management solution that would alleviate the burden of managing inventory databases and monitoring quality issues. Epicor’s solution enabled LASON to cut its inventory storage requirements in half, eliminating the need for an offsite warehouse.

Improving Tracking and Communication
LASON personnel use handheld radio-frequency (RF) units with built-in scanners to easily manage and track inventory with the warehouse management solution.

From their desktops, LASON employees can quickly and easily access information about project status and inventory levels. In the past, such inquiries often required walking around the plant to hunt down information, or making a time-consuming physical count.

“We now have confidence in our data,” explains Denomme. “We have the ability to monitor critical inventory levels on a real time basis. The software includes an alert system that notifies our purchasing department and customer service employees when re-order points have been reached. This enables us to contact customers on a timely basis to confirm any form type changes. Customer confidence increases when you proactively work with them to prevent inventory waste.”

Tom Denomme says their customers expect superior tracking and accountability of their materials, and assurances that all errors in processing and mailing are eliminated. Using Epicor’s customer portal solution, clients can access certain areas of LASON’s Web site to obtain real-time information on inventory levels or delivery status. The warehouse management solution also improves LASON’s communication with customers through automated reporting capabilities.

Sharing Information and Resources
LASON currently utilizes the full Epicor suite of products, which consist of customer relationship management (CRM), accounting, distribution, and warehouse management functionality.

LASON’s administration, customer service, sales and IT help desk are using the CRM functionality, which Denomme says they customized slightly. “We also tuned the back office features a bit to fit our own unique requirements, in part because of the large amount of printing we do,” he explains.

“Our implementation is not completely by the book, according to Epicor’s recommendations, but we appreciate the flexibility this solution offers,” he says. Denomme says the company owns most of the Epicor modules and is allowing customer requests to prioritize the next implementation steps.

“Based on customer requests, we turn on the necessary features of the solution,” he says. “We have access to all features, but are giving higher priority to our immediate needs. Lower-priority pieces will be added later.”

“Epicor’s distribution and warehouse management solution has helped us tremendously,” concludes Denomme. “It has helped us reduce our costs, reduce our inventory requirements, improve job tracking and customer service and customize as necessary to meet our customers’ requirements.”