Doing The Business On eBay!
“The Bluebay module, developed by Blue Rock seamlessly imports orders, new customers and email addresses into our back office system. Dispatching customer orders in our back office system and also updates Ebay. We download roughly 500 orders a day. Prior to Bluebay this job would have taken hours, if not days, and curtailed our net profit considerably – it also led to a great deal of confusion and missed orders. Now the job takes 10-15 minutes and we have gained complete control on this side of the business”. Read more
Lightsave Fuller Read
Since 1992 Independent Electrical wholesaler Lightsave have provided Lighting solutions and Electrical Products from their Reading base. Acquiring Fuller Read in 2002 their business has gone from strength to strength and now boasts an extensive range of Electrical and Lighting products sold across the Thames Valley and beyond. Read more
Savings across the business
The Client:
Founded in 1975 and working closely with associate Chinese company Sunnex, the Zodiac Stainless Products Company is established as one of Europe´s leading importers and distributors of catering and domestic houseware products. Zodiac boasts an extensive and comprehensive portfolio that includes cookware, cutlery, tableware, glassware and food service products, and pride itself on supplying both catering and domestic markets with quality products at competitive prices. Read more
A solution fit for purpose
The Client:
Founded in 1977, Rifina has grown from a small single branch in Cheltenham to become Gloucestershire’s leading Independent Electrical Distributor. In over 30 of years servicing electrical contractors and the local industry, Rifina has built up a justified reputation with its customers and partners for competitive pricing, comprehensive stocks, rapid delivery and outstanding technical ability. Read more
It’s all about confidence
The Client:
C&S Builders Merchants (Stamford Hill) Ltd is probably East and North London’s largest independent timber, building materials and plumbing supplier.
A family owned business founded in 1986, C&S Builders Merchants employs 40 staff and has grown from a single branch to a three branch operation including a central distribution depot. The firm has a long history of success based on customer satisfaction, reliable delivery services and huge stocks. Read more
New partnership to keep DTW Ceramics top of their industry
We may be in the midst of difficult economic times but Andrew Rutter, Director of DTW Ceramics Ltd, hasn’t let it get in the way of future growth. Whatever the economic conditions, he still wants the best for his business, staff and customers. His winning strategy is to develop a long-term relationship with Blue Rock Systems using Intact software to work smarter, make life easier and innovate through technology.
On the day we chose to interview Andrew Rutter he had already taken his constitutional 2 hour run -this time up a snow laden Butser Hill in West Sussex. In addition when he arrived at the office he spent an hour with the lads from the showroom to shovel off the snow and ice from DTW’s forecourt. Read more
Blue Rock makes Sense of expansion!
Software solutions provider & distributor Blue Rock Systems Ltd has purchased the Nottingham based IT software company Sense Computers Systems from the Sense Group for £670,000.
The Southampton based Blue Rock sees the addition of Sense as a logical expansion that increases its geographic spread and gives it access to experienced staff, a wide customer base and new software. Read more
Blue Rock Become First Reseller Of Sales-i
Sales-i’s Reseller Channel Gets Underway with the Appointment of Blue Rock Systems
- Blue Rock adds sales-i to its product portfolio to plug the gap for portable sales intelligence and CRM solutions -
Sales-i, the sales intelligence service for front line sales people today announced that it has signed a reseller agreement with IT Solutions provider, Blue Rock Systems. Read more
3 Golds for Blue Rock
“We are aware that prospective customers and existing customers are always trying to differentiate software providers – and sometimes it can really be difficult. At Blue Rock, although we are successful and growing by some 30-40% year on year, Microsoft Gold Accredited but will remain a people to people business – which we feel sets us apart from the many”. Read more
Alright me old china!
20 years ago, to the month, junior salesman Glen Jewell started working for George Troullis who had just taken the reins at a Southampton based business Software Company. The company, Gresham Business Computers, was in a dreadful state but with a combination of youthful ambition and hard work the business prospered.
Two decades on and the duo are managing the affairs of Blue Rock Systems, a relatively young but rapidly growing software house offering software solutions to the Building Supply Chain – from buying groups, through to manufacturers, merchants and retailers. Read more
The Ideal Client!
Question: How do you crack down on costs, improve efficiency, increase sales and improve your customers’ experience, without spending a fortune in these tough times?
Answer: Well, you could do worse than follow the example set by the UK’s leading bathroom distributor and long-time Blue Rock client, Ideal Bathrooms.
Ideal have worked with the staff of Blue Rock for more than 10 years, and have a 64 user computer system that operates from four different sites strategically located across the length of the UK. Read more
Dynamics NAV Customer Open Day – March 19th
We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting a open day on March 19th to present the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, CRM and other facilities.
This is customer focused day (with a few potential clients attending). Invites will be sent out shortly via post and email.
Rifina refines I.T. options and chooses Blue Rock
Richard Bartlam, the forward looking electrical wholesaler’s managing director explains why Rifina trusted Blue Rock & Intact software to ‘run the business’
Rifina is an independent Gloucestershire-based Electrical Wholesaler and has just celebrated 30 years in business. Being very much a private and somewhat conservative company, we have always looked hard at any purchase to ensure that it will give us the best possible return on our investment. Read more
5 Blue Rock Boys Did Good
Its Sunday night and 5 lads from Blue Rock are recovering from their 10 mile run around a very wet Portsmouth today after completing the Great South Run.
Noel Creighton, Simon Barber, Simon Coombes, Glen Jewell and Andy price all took part in the race to raise money for their chosen charities. Thanks to the suppliers, customers, friends and families who helped to raise around £1500 for the Piam Brown ward (Children’s Cancer Ward at Southampton) and other organisations – we really appreciate the donations and we know that the money will go to the best of causes. Read more
Product Announcement – Automatic POD Scanning
After months of fruitlessly scouring the Internet for a competent document scanning solution Blue Rock gave up – and wrote their own. Blue Rock have been able to provide our customers with the facility to barcode their delivery notes which, when signed and returned, can be scanned en mass and stored against transactions in their back office systems – enabling the customer to retrieve POD’s instantly, save paperwork and improve the effectiveness of debt collection and cash flow. However the generic scanning software never allowed for subsequent delivery notes to be scanned along side the originals (appending the files). In addition the scanning software was relatively expensive and complicated to use. Read more
County Building Supplies
“We ordered from Blue Rock because we liked the people…”
This is not the first time we had heard this from our customers and most recently Martyn Rees, one of the Directors of County Building Supplies in Malvern, echoed this sentiment after they placed their order for a 45 user installation of Intact from Blue Rock Systems in Southampton. Read more
4 Go Mad for Piam Brown Children’s Ward
In a moment of madness 4 of the Blue Rock team have decided to enter this years Great South Run – a 10 mile jog around Portsmouth. To give the run a honourable purpose, rather than proving that we are not getting old we’ve decided to raise some money for the Piam Brown Children’s Ward at the Southampton General Hospital. Read more
Blue Rock wins major UK Software Contest
Earlier this year a member of our team entered a UK competition to write an on-line application that would demonstrate the power of the Qlikview Application (the product behind the Blue Rock Console). Read more
W Hurst & Son – Embrace New Technology
Competition has never been tougher in W Hurst & Son (IW) Ltd’s 148 year long history and the company realised to continue to compete and beat competition as the Isle of Wight’s leading houseware and hardware group it had to embrace technology.
Managing director David Bowley has looked for five years to find an integrated software package and supplier he would trust to “run” his head office, central warehouse, five branches and internet shop.
He came close to buying a software system once before but is glad he didn’t. “The system was good but was bespoke and the company who made it has now gone bust. Had we gone with them we would have had a real problem,” David said. Read more
Phoenix Mecano – Manufacturing and Distribution
Phoenix Mecano Ltd is part of the Phoenix Mecano AG Group of companies. It comprises Rose & Bopla, Dewert and Rose & Krieger in the UK. Rose & Bopla manufactures enclosure products in a variety of shapes, materials and sizes, which are supplied to the industrial injuries industry in the UK. Read more
PVC Building Supplies – Plumbers Merchants and Bathrooms
PVC Building Supplies have traded successfully in the Southampton area for 29 years. They have enjoyed an enviable reputation as a supplier of bathroom products and plumbing parts to the trade and a growing retail customer base.
The family run business was started in 1976 by Barry and Christine Wright who retired in 2002 following a take over of the company by Spencer Wright. Read more
Barron McCann
“Blue Rock was the only company that I could find that I had confidence in to do the job that we required, which was to provide a very complex and feature rich support/maintenance NAV system. I was not disappointed. The result is a first class, highly configurable product.” – Gerry Pozzani, Barron McCann Projects Manager
Barron McCann’s broad experience is channelled through three specialist business units dealing with IT Services, Information Security and Electronic Payment Systems. The company has an annual turnover of approximately £20M and employs 350+ people spread across a nationwide network of offices and service
centres. Read more
Universal Plumbing Supplies
Managing Director and owner James Brady knew that he had become a victim of his own success and that continued growth had resulted in his business having too much stock and not enough management control.
Formed in 2001 Universal Plumbing Supplies had grown to three branches in the Southampton area of Hampshire with a turn over approaching two million pounds. However, each day simply no longer had enough hours in it to allow James to manage his business as well as he had. Read more
National Buying Group – forward thinking
One billion pounds a year turnover by 2012 is the ambitious target the Executive Chairman of the National Buying Group (NBG) has set for his organisation.
Just seven months into the job running the NBG, Allan Durning is starting to put the infrastructure into place with a six-figure investment in a new computer system for the organisation and its 69 members trading from more than 200 outlets in the UK.
This is the Group’s biggest ever investment and it will see its computer systems revolutionised and the information flows to both members and suppliers change beyond recognition. Read more
Blue Rock – Growing Fast
Even though the company is only 3 years old it has been very gratifying to discover that Bluerock have been ranked amongst the top 20% of UK Microsoft Dynamics-NAV resellers (based on volume of new clients).
Commenting on the news, George Troullis, Managing Director stated ” We have achieved enviable growth levels since the incorporation of Blue Rock and Microsoft’s confirmation of our status comes at a time when we have ramped up the Dynamics NAV installation and sales team to accommodate our plans for the next three years “.
Blue Rock have been a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for the past 2 years.
C&S Builders (Stamford Hill) install Intact
C & S Builders Merchants, based in the east of London are an exceptionally successful 3 branch builders merchants. This family run business has grown at an extraordinary rate thanks to the long hours and hard work of the Directors and staff but this £11 million business has been operating without any point of sale or stock control systems since the business was established.
So what drives a successful business like C & S to buy their first trading system from Blue Rock Systems in Southampton? “We have been considering computerisation for the past 5 years but to be honest we have always been very nervous of implementing a point of sale system in our very busy shops.” Stated Rav Sumal, Director at C & S. “However our growth has meant that we are reaching a point whereby the only way to carry on would have been to employ extra staff because the manual administration is far too heavy. In addition, with the current financial climate we felt that now would be the right time to put in the tools which will help us to win a greater market share .” continued Rav. Read more
Flagship Training Invest in Winmess
We are pleased to announced that VT Flagship, based in Portsmouth, has recently placed an order for a 9 mess, 33 user installation of Blue Rock’s Win Mess solution for the management of accommodation booking, accounts and EPOS activities.
The installation takes place in the 3rd quarter of 2008 with a predicted live date of November 3rd. This exciting project includes all the modular features of WinMess (which is based on world class Microsoft Dynamics-Nav) and the project incorporates some new features for the system.
Phase 2 of the project, due to go live in January 2009 will include 3 additional messes in the South West.
New Support Systems Implemented
Blue Rock Systems have recently introduced Microsoft’s CRM solution to control the logging and distribution of customer support calls.
The support team urgently required a system that was easier to use, follow history , update and trace cases with the sole purpose that they could improve response times and increase the level of communication to customers. Read more
Forget software, it’s people that make the best computer systems
17 years ago we met Dave Baker at CJS for an initial demonstration of the software we supplied. His opening statement was “Right, what have you come to show me, because it can’t be better than the system I’ve already got!”
Well as it turned out, it was. And 17 years on and several software upgrades later CJS are still driving forward and wherever possible using software and technology to improve the efficiency of the business and improve customer service.
“Whenever we have come against an operational problem within the company I have always considered software and systems as part of the solution. Other firms may throw man power at the problem but we didn’t see the logic in that”, stated Dave. Read more
Vectawarm – One year on with Blue Rock
Chris Dennett, like most small business owners, has seen his fair share of smooth salesmen promising software and systems that deliver the earth: transform his business; save him money; grow his bottom line and even improve his golf swing!
So Chris was understandably sceptical when he installed a new “cradle to the grave” software and hardware system at Vectawarm, his family heating and plumbing merchants.
He had carried out comprehensive research before ordering the Intact system from Blue Rock, who would supply and install the software, point of sale terminals and computers and train his staff. In fact Chris even visited other merchant’s who Blue Rock had supplied systems to and were supporting. Read more