About BES
For over 50 years, BES has been a trusted merchant in the plumbing, heating and gas supplies industry. Operating from a 77,000 sq. ft. warehouse near Birmingham, the business stocks more than 15,000 products and processes approximately 1,500 customer orders every day for trade professionals and consumers alike.
Following a period of sustained growth, the company now employs 130 people and has an annual turnover of approximately £50 million.
The Challenge
Although BES had invested in modernising parts of the business, including implementing a Körber voice-picking system to improve warehouse productivity, its core ERP system had remained unchanged for more than two decades.
While the legacy system had served the business well, it had become increasingly clear that it could no longer support the company’s future ambitions or the way a modern wholesale business needs to operate.
Over the years, BES had developed numerous workarounds and relied on several third-party systems to bridge gaps in functionality. Credit should go to the internal IT team for keeping everything running, but the overall solution had become fragmented, increasingly complex and more difficult to maintain. Ageing integrations introduced unnecessary risk, while many of the capabilities the business wanted simply weren’t possible.
Key frustrations included limited automation, poor integration and inefficient communication with customers. Processes such as sending automated emails, working with PDF documents, integrating with the eCommerce platform and carriers, and providing shipment notifications either required manual intervention or could not be achieved at all. The business found itself spending more time working around the ERP system than benefiting from it.
Choosing the Right ERP
Recognising that selecting a replacement ERP would be one of the most significant technology decisions the business had made, BES wanted confidence that it was choosing the solution that best matched its operational requirements—not simply the most recognised software vendor.
With limited in-house knowledge of the ERP marketplace, BES engaged AHC to provide independent guidance throughout the evaluation, selection and implementation process.
How AHC Supported the Project
AHC worked alongside BES through every stage of the project.
Discovery
Working closely with stakeholders across the business, AHC reviewed existing processes, identified pain points and helped define the future operating model together with the functional requirements for a new ERP solution.
Selection
Using a structured, vendor-independent methodology, AHC helped BES evaluate the marketplace, prepare detailed requirements, manage supplier responses, coordinate tailored demonstrations and support the final selection and contract negotiations.
Because vendors had a clear understanding of BES’s requirements from the outset, demonstrations were more relevant and proposals more accurate, allowing the business to make an informed decision with confidence.
Implementation
AHC continued to support BES throughout implementation by participating in project steering meetings, mentoring the internal project team and acting as an independent advisor between BES and the chosen ERP vendor to help identify and resolve issues before they became risks.
The Outcome
BES successfully implemented Epicor Prophet 21, integrating it with both its customer-facing eCommerce platform and the existing Körber warehouse management solution.
The benefits were realised across the business:
- Streamlined sales processes with improved order processing, reporting and operational visibility.
- More consistent customer service through the replacement of paper-based and manual workflows with integrated digital processes.
- A connected technology platform linking ERP, warehouse operations and eCommerce, providing the scalability required to support future growth.
Sarah Ryan
Managing Director, BES Ltd.
When we recognised that our existing ERP system, which had served us well for over 20 years, was no longer meeting the needs of the business, we knew choosing the right replacement would be a critical decision.
AHC guided us through the entire ERP selection process with a structured, independent and highly professional approach. They took the time to understand our business, our processes and our long-term objectives before helping us evaluate the available options. Their knowledge of the ERP marketplace, combined with their complete independence from software vendors, gave us confidence that every recommendation was based solely on what was right for our business.
What could have been an overwhelming exercise became a well-managed and informed decision-making process. Their expertise, independence and structured approach gave us confidence that we had selected the right ERP solution to support BES both today and for many years to come.
