I am not sure whether this is a trait born into man or not, but I am a tool junkie. As I look back, I think this "trait" has existed since I was a young boy. If I am cutting grass, I need a zero-turn mower, and if I am going to make a box I need an air nailer. If I am making wine, I need an automatic bottle capper; when I go for a boat ride, I need a GPS map - the list goes on and on. The one thing I have come to discover is that a zero-turn lawnmower doesn't make me a landscaper and an air nailer doesn't make me a cabinet maker. And, an automatic bottle capper sure as heck doesn't make me a vintner.

My point? While tools are important, they only tell a part the story. It is the skilled craftsmen who make the tool produce great things. This is the way I look at PICS, our staff members and business partners. Each and every person who works with PICS is a skilled craftsman. We also have great tools, but without knowledgeable,senior people behind them, these tools are more of a hindrance than an asset. Our competitors may have toolset's that allow them to occasionally win at a boardroom level, but they rarely surpass our craftsmen in the implementation playing field.

Incredible Working Knowledge

Executive Spotlight on Gail Mazzella, IT Director, LNK International
The laws of business are simple, says Gail Mazzella, IT director at LNK International:
Competition drives down price. To maintain lower price points, companies must
cut costs. And the only way organizations can cut costs without compromising
quality and integrity is through technology.

"You need to automate everything to respond as quickly as possible," Mazzella
says. "We've automated purchasing, transfers, shipping – everything we used to
do manually."

For example, several years ago, LNK dedicated one full-time employee to reporting.
Accounting, end-of-month, purchasing and other reports often took hours – if not
days – to complete.

Now, because of MFG/PRO, these reports are produced in minutes. And LNK
can dedicate its human resources to other, more profitable areas. "We're much
more productive today than we were 10 years ago," she says, as the company has
consistently reduced costs while increasing output. "The need for technology is
almost overwhelming."

Read more about how PICS has helped LNK expand the breadth of their ERP system

Can you tell me a little bit about your background, and the background of your team?

I spent 15 years in the manufacturing industry as an accountant, controller, and corporate IT manager. I also worked to implement MFG/PRO in four manufacturing plants and a corporate/engineering center. During this time, I learned a lot about streamlining business processes.

Industry experience is the common thread in PICS implementation team. Controller, materials manager, master scheduler, materials planner, buyer, and IT manager is just a sampling of positions my team members have held during their time in the manufacturing sector. Everyone brings unique talent to the team.

How does your experience – and the experience of your team – help your customers?

PICS Helps Marine and Diving Equipment Outfitter Build Attractive, Functional Web Portal

While any "bright" high school student can offer someone a Web presence, it is better to trust an expert to create a true e-commerce site, says Howard Cooper, IT consultant at MAR-VEL. "When we began working on our site, we knew we needed creative people, database experts, and programmers," Cooper says. "We wanted one source for everything, and PICS had what we needed."

PICS has a team of professional designers who can offer companies user-friendly Web sites that are fresh, inviting, and easy to read. But they also have system architects and development experts who focus on the "back end" of Web sites—the engines that make them work. These architects and programmers have extensive experience creating a variety of sophisticated Web applications, e-commerce sites, database-driven sites and Web sites that connect to internal applications. This enables businesses to offer dynamic sites that let customers access current price and availability information, effectively creating an entirely new sales channel with minimal costs.

Document Imaging System Enables Pentair to Efficiently and Effectively Manage Millions of Documents Electronically

Managing thousands of documents is no easy task. But 3.8 million of them?

It's a task, but it can be done. Just ask Kevin Smith, manager, business applications
at Pentair Water Pool and Spa, Inc.

Pentair uses PICS' DocLib software, an Integrated Document Management System (IDMS) integrated with MFG/PRO, to manage almost 4 million of its business documents electronically. DocLib enables Pentair staff to store things like Customer Purchase Orders, both faxed copies and EDI transmissions, ship order confirmations, invoices, and pick tickets from multiple sources thereby eliminating the tasks traditionally associated with maintaining stacks of paperwork. The information provides an audit trail for the complete order cycle, streamlining customer service tasks.