Beverage Distributor Relies on Sage Fixed Assets Software

CLIENT SUCCESS STORY

Del Papa Distributing maximizes its technology investment with Paragon and Sage Fixed Assets Tracking and Depreciation software for better control of its fixed assets, and quck recovery after a hurricane.

Background

Del Papa Distributing celebrated 100 years distributing fine beer and beverages across 17 counties in Texas. The company sells more than 10 million cases each year from three distribution centers and employs more than 340 people.

Challenge

The company sought to better control its assets through a barcode system, and contacted Paragon, a Sage business partner specializing in the implementation of asset management and asset inventory applications.

“We have a large number of assets throughout the company and tracking them by barcode makes good business sense,” says Crystal Bryan, director of accounting services for Del Papa Distributing.

Solution

To ensure its numerous assets are efficiently tracked and accurately accounted for, Del Papa Distributing selected Sage Fixed Assets solutions and Paragon’s fixed asset management services.

“Barcoding speeds the count of assets and the simple presence of an asset tag on a piece of equipment lets people know an asset is being tracked,” Bryan explains. “We looked at several other asset tracking systems, but selected FAS Asset Inventory (now Sage Fixed Assets – Tracking) for its capabilities and also because it integrates with our existing asset accounting software. The integration helps us to maximize our overall investment in technology.

Paragon conducted a thorough initial needs analysis, followed by in-depth on-site training in FAS Asset Inventory (Sage Fixed Assets – Tracking), a companion product to FAS Asset Accounting (now Sage Fixed Assets – Depreciation). Paragon showed Bryan and her staff how it could help the company achieve the level of control and accountability it was seeking. Bryan was then able to take what she’d learned and turn it into a written asset-management procedure guide that fully integrates Sage Fixed Assets into the staffs’ daily routine.

“Paragon worked with us to develop a plan and procedures for determining which assets we would label, how and where we would label them, where we should start, and how we would manage the process in the future,” explains Bryan. “They were very knowledgeable about the software, the bar-coding equipment, and are experts on subject of asset tracking.”

Once metal asset tags were produced and affixed to items from computers, to wall art, to forklifts, and every item had been scanned and entered into the Sage Fixed Assets – Tracking database, it was time for a trial reconciliation.

“We needed to reconcile our newly tagged individual assets against our group assets already in the asset database, clear out lost or disposed of assets, and ensure we were in balance,” explains Bryan. During this reconciliation process, however, disaster struck. “We took a direct hit from Hurricane Ike in 2008, and our offices and warehouse flooded. Accounting staff could not even get on the island for several weeks to assess the damage. We had to move our headquarters temporarily.”

A bright spot in the ensuing chaos was the fact that because Del Papa Distributing had recorded each of its assets in the software, it now had a complete list of those assets, their location, and their value to provide to the insurance company.

“Sage FAS (now Sage Fixed Assets) paid for itself immediately, although not in the way we had planned,” Bryan says. “Incidents such as this are the reason why companies need a comprehensive system to account for assets. Because we had this, we were able to save time, money, and get back in operation more quickly.”

Del Papa counts Sage Fixed Assets and the Paragon team among its assets. Bryan says that Sage Fixed Assets has helped the company reduce its personal property tax burden by removing assets from its system that the company has retired. “We now have a complete handle on what we own, its location, and its worth.”

Results

“With help from Paragon, we were able to develop an effective and efficient process for handling our assets. Now, we are in maintenance mode and it is easy to manage,” Bryan adds. “The rugged handheld scanning devices survived the hurricane unscathed.”

As new equipment is purchased, the company tags it and enters the asset information into SFA Tracking and Depreciation, ensuring new assets are accounted for. The tags provide a common way for associates in different departments to identify and process disposals. The software calculates annual depreciation based on the assigned schedule and posts the depreciation to Sage ERP MAS 90.

“Our implementation of Sage FAS (Sage Fixed Assets) is a huge success,” concludes Bryan. “The software gives us a better way to manage our assets, and it has already proven its value to us.”