Summit Electric Supply Company

Founded in 1977, Summit Electric Supply Company Inc. is an independent, privately held, wholesale distributor of industrial electrical equipment and supplies. Focused on serving the electrical contractor market, Summit has made its name on providing top-rate customer service, offering the latest in cutting-edge electrical technology for projects in small construction settings to large sophisticated industrial jobs. In fact, Modern Distribution Management Magazine recently ranked the company among the top electrical distributors in the country.
Summit operates in 21 U.S. markets, with an international sales division and an EP&C division based in Houston. In addition, the company has a marine division based in New Orleans and a service center in Dubai.

About the Project

Summit knew that an SAP-qualified Rapid Deployment Solution could be the key to streamlining their workflow and customer service. Once Summit knew they needed an SAP consultant with extensive experience in SAP-certified Rapid Deployment Solutions to implement their new system, the choice became clear: NTT DATA Business Solutions.

“The team was made up of a CRM specialist, a full-time SAP consultant, and an experienced manager to keep the project on time, so we felt we were in good hands. The whole process was very predictable with fixed timelines and costs” David Wascom,  Chief Information Officer and Vice President of IT at Summit Electric Supply Company Inc. said.

NTT DATA Business Solutions was able to design an SAP-certified Rapid Deployment Solution for Summit that integrated a standard-based CRM system with their existing SAP ERP solution. The new system linked their front and back offices, and integrated their legacy ERP solution with sales and finance business processes. In addition, financial data could now be posted live, allowing stakeholders to see real-time profit margins. Most importantly, the solution provided Summit with the flexibility and scalability they needed to future-proof their business, measurably reducing costs and positioning the company for future success.

After the relatively short 12-week implementation period, a hallmark of an SAP-certified Rapid Deployment Solution approach, Summit went live in late December 2012. While the solution will be rolled out to the rest of the company’s locations in the first quarter of 2013, the Summit team is already seeing benefits to the installed solution.

“The whole process was remarkably pain free,” Wascom said. “The NTT DATA Business Solutions team knew their stuff and knew exactly what we needed — they understood our business and provided solutions to situations as they arose. Now that our systems are up and running, we can take advantage of opportunities on the fly. Even better, we are flexible and scalable and ready for future growth.”