2010 Buying Software Guide_DWM

Volume 11, Issue 2 - March 2010

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2010 Buying Software Guide

Jana Goodrich, president of Seaway Manufacturing, says her company searched for several years before it ultimately chose one industry supplier for its software needs (see plant tour on page 38). We know many in the industry spend a great deal of time and effort researching software suppliers as this is an integral part of their manufacturing operations and often times a significant expense. That’s why DWM/Shelter is once again publishing its Software Buying Guide.

If you’re looking for a software supplier, this is the issue for you. Keep this as a reference throughout the year in case you find yourself in the market for industry-specific software.

Caliburn Inc.
118 Brandywine Ave., Unit A
Downingtown, PA 19335
www.caliburn-inc.com
Business segments served: Door and window industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: 2009 was a flat year–many companies put all purchasing on hold. 2010 promises to be better. Companies that survived and profited over the past year once again are prepared to invest in new technology to improve efficiencies in sales and production.

DQ Technologies Inc
715 Discovery Blvd., Suite 512
Cedar Park, TX 78717
www.dqtech.com
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Mid-sized manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: Our Order Delivery Tracking (ODT) software sales have stayed steady and even risen a bit during the economic down turn. One of the largest reasons for this is many businesses have decided to take advantage of the downtime to implement our software because it helps position them ahead of their competition.

Edgenet Inc.
8 Cadillac Dr., Suite 300
Brentwood, TN 37067
www.edgenet.com
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Mid-sized manufacturers, large-sized manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: Many of our customers increased their usage of our software and increased spending for our solutions instead of scaling back in 2009. They saw 2009 as an opportunity to leverage the cost savings and increased efficiencies that our solutions provide to them.

ELCIA
256, Avenue Marcel Mérieux
69530 BRIGNAIS FRANCE
www.elcia.com
Business segments served: Door and window industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How has software business fared in 2009: The financial crisis, which has spread across all global markets, did not produce a big impact on our company. ELCIA has had an important economic growth (35 percent), despite the global recession. Some of our customers felt the effects of the economic downturn, but they were still interested in improving their performance by enhancing their business management, using modern tools and training their staffs.

FeneTech Inc.
1455 Danner Dr.
Aurora, OH 44202
www.fenetech.com
Business segments served: Door and window industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: FeneTech has doubled its business in 2009 by entering new market segments and geographical locations within the fenestration industry. We have found that our clients and prospects are
continuing to invest to become even more efficient within their operations.

Friedman Corp.
One Parkway North Suite 400S
Deerfield, IL 60015
www.friedmancorp.com
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: There is really a combination of factors at play. Some companies have cut back and are not investing in new technology, while other companies have taken advantage of the slower times to deploy more of our advanced technology.
Editor’s Note: In 2009, Friedman Corp. acquired two software companies, PMC Software in Flemington, N.J., and Windflite, provider of the WinSys system, based in Peoria, Ill.

GED Integrated Solutions Inc.
9280 Dutton Dr.
Twinsburg, OH 44087
www.gedusa.com
Business segments served: Door and window industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: We are experiencing an increase in software purchases/needs in 2010.

Glaston North America Inc.
4523 Green Point Drive, Suite 109
Greensboro, NC 27410
www.glaston.net
Business segments served: Door and window industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: We are glad that despite the down marketplace, we have been able to launch some promising projects with a couple of our most forward-thinking customers.

Majure Data Inc.
12540 Broadwell Rd., Suite 1202
Milton, GA 30004
www.majure.com
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Mid-sized manufacturers, large-sized manufacturers, mid-sized dealers/distributors and large-sized dealers/distributors
How software business fared in 2009: We have seen an increase in interest and customers moving forward with our warehouse management system since around May of 2009. In fact, we have signed up six new customers since the middle of 2009.

Ponderosa Building Materials Software
36 Thurber Blvd.
Smithfield, RI 02917
www.caisoft.com/ponderosa
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: Millwork manufacturers and dealers are looking for productivity improvements as their revenues sag and they cut costs to remain profitable. They want to use their staffs to the best of their abilities and create enhancements. Ponderosa software can help these businesses create efficiencies in their operations that will last long after the market completes its turnaround.

Preference North America
36 York Mills Rd., Suite 504
P.O. Box 600
Toronto, ON M2P 2E9
www.prefsuite.com
Business segments served: Door and window industry
Size of companies that best suit your products. Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: 2009 saw an increased level of interest in software as customers and potential customers increased their interest in productivity solutions.

Technology Group International
6800 West Central Ave., Building I
Toledo, OH 43617
www.tgiltd.com
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: Despite a troubled 2009 economy, we have seen tremendous business growth in the last 18 months. Manufacturing in the United States is still strong, and we are seeing a number of companies in the door and window ndustry turning to technology as a means to streamline operations and reduce operating costs.

TDCI Inc.
8760 Orion Place
Columbus, OH 43240
www.tdci.com
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Mid- and large-sized manufacturers
How software business fared in 2009: Companies were still looking at software but purchases definitely were put on hold for awhile—even if the money already was budgeted.

Windowmaker Software Ltd.
115 Wolseley St., Unit A
Toronto, ON M6J 1K1
www.windowmaker.com
Business segments served: Door and window industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: Sales in Canada have remained strong. New company start-ups and company mergers have helped boost the increase in business. Windowmaker has seen a 30 percent increase in sales over the previous year.

WoodWare Systems
8304 Macon Terrace Rd.
Cordova, TN 38018
www.woodwaresystems.com
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Small-sized manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: We found that in the beginning of 2009 most companies were very cautious and taking a wait-and-see position (much like 2008). We saw a dramatic shift starting in the fourth quarter of 2009. Companies that had put technology on the back burner were starting to look at upgrading to get prepared for the turnaround. That trend has continued into the first quarter of 2010.

WTS Paradigm
1600 Aspen Commons, Suite 500
Middleton, WI 53562
www.wtsparadigm.com
Business segments served: Both door and window and mouldings and millwork industry
Size of companies that best suit your products: Manufacturers and dealers of any size
How software business fared in 2009: We had a successful 2009 and look forward to continued growth in 2010.