When choosing operational software like an ERP it is crucial to find a system that will flex and change with you over the years.
Cedar Crest Equipment, a leading provider of dairy farm equipment in Pennsylvania and surrounding states, has been steadily growing since its founding in 1989. As they expanded their operations to multiple locations and increased their product offerings, they realized they needed a robust and scalable business management solution.
In their early days, Cedar Crest used a fairly simple business management system but they struggled to manage their growing inventory, especially when it came to tracking serial numbers for specific equipment.
“Before, tracking serialized items was pretty time consuming and there was no good way of looking back at the history of a piece of equipment. Between that and the volume of parts inventory we had, we needed to look for something to help manage it all better.”
In 2009 they made the switch to Koble’s ERP tool, EBMS.
As Gardell Good of Cedar Crest explained, "We’ve got 3 locations spread out across the state. But even with all the parts, equipment, and employees, EBMS allows us to have a pretty good handle on what's going on, whether it be through reporting or tracking a piece of equipment as it moves around."
Cedar Crest looks a lot different now than they did back then. Now, not only do they sell new and pre-owned equipment, but they’re servicing equipment, selling individual parts and components, and going on-site to their customer’s farms for installation jobs. And as they have grown they’ve been able to expand their usage of EBMS to ensure their system supports their team and their goals.
”We’ve grown into a lot at this point, and Koble has come out with a lot of what we need from an ERP system, as well as customized some things for our particular situation.”
Gardell and his team stay actively engaged with their Account Manager at Koble so that they can proactively make system and software adjustments to suit their needs.
“We had them come out to look at how we’re using EBMS and give their recommendations, as well as ask them about a few things we’d like to try and some ideas we have. There’s still some features that EBMS has that we’re not yet using, so we have room to make some improvements just with what’s available.”
Cedar Crest, like many businesses, faced the challenges of rapid growth and complex inventory management. They needed a system that could not only keep up, but be a catalyst for that continued growth. Through their partnership with Koble they were able to streamline their processes and improve decision-making, allowing them to focus on what matters most: serving their customers with excellence.
Haley is part of the marketing team at Koble Systems, where she enjoys sharing the stories of the many amazing businesses Koble works with. From trade show floors to podcast studios, she helps highlight how better systems really do lead to better business, more productive teams, and stronger communities. When she’s not producing content, Haley is found pouring mediocre latte art, trying to convince her husband of the validity of something she learned from an instagram reel, and being harassed by her 2 kittens.
