Select A Provider
How Do You Select the Right Company?
Selecting the Right Application Supplier
I guess you are looking for the right company to buy a handheld or a PC application from, am I right? If not, you are in the wrong place. Most people want to make sure they are going to make the right decision, and they want to buy the best product that fits their needs from the most reputable supplier at the best price. They also want it to run on the best handheld unit. Hopefully, the supplier you choose fits all five of these criteria. Let’s take a look at all of these criteria and help you make the right decision.
1) The company behind the system or the handheld unit.
a) How long have they been doing business? 5 years or more should be a good place to start.
b) Are they close by? If not, are they equipped to help you remotely? This is less important than it used to be, but I like to see who I am dealing with occasionally. The internet is a good tool; but it has changed our lives, and not always for the better. I kind of like the personal touch occasionally. The more offices and the closer by they are the better.
c) How many of the products that I am interested in do they have? I hate going to several places. Make sure that they have the core products, at least for your business.
d) How many systems, computer, or packages have they sold? I don’t have a firm number on what would be a good starting number to use, but I hate to be the first user (or maybe the first dozen) of a system, computer, or package. I like it to be tested, and I don’t want to be their guinea pig unless I get it for free, or at least deeply discounted compared to what other suppliers are selling.
e) How much repeat business do they get? I like companies who have customers that buy continuously from them. If you are looking just to buy a handheld unit or accessories, you probably shouldn’t be reading this article. Research and buy for the lowest price from a reputable supplier, end of story. If you are buying a package, make sure that they update their products continuously and that they get their customers to upgrade, but not yearly please? I want more life out of what I buy than having a company make me buy something new each season. This isn’t the fashion industry.
f) What percentage of their customers come back year after year to buy more? This says a lot about a company. If they only have one-time customers, there has to be an underlying reason.
g) How easy is it to buy from them? Do they offer terms, or make you pay up front; and do they give your money back if you aren’t satisfied with what you bought - and if so, for how long? Do they have an on-line store or an eCommerce store? I tend to get home late and want to buy after hours. Can you do this with them?
h) Do they provide you with support after the sale, or is it a one-time shot deal? Support is not a warranty. None of the suppliers that I am aware of, at least in the forest products industry, warranty the equipment that they sell or even repair it. Manufacturers of the equipment are the ones that provide the warranty. Almost all manufacturer’s warranty their products for 1, 2, or 3 years. Support is different. You may not get any at all (maybe 5 - 10 minutes), or you may get 30 days, 90 days, or a year. Longer is better. You might also want to know if you have to have a support contract in place before you get support. Most likely you will have to have one, unless out of the goodness of their heart they might have pity on you and help you anyway.
2) What equipment do they sell?
a) Find out the brands that they sell and see if any other suppliers also sell the same unit. I like to see other companies selling the same brands; it makes me seem to think that more than one company likes that handheld unit. I don’t like buying a unit only sold by one company. That means I have to stick with them as long as I keep that unit. Have you ever had personality issues with a company you have dealt with? You see where I am going with this. I have learned with the 2T (Two Technologies) company that you cannot put another company’s software on a machine bought from another company. I am not very high on this; a computer is just a computer after all. My office computer has software from dozens of companies.
b) Do they sell the same application or possibly a stripped-down version on other handheld units? I like choices. I understand that other handheld units may not be as user friendly or have as many features, but I am on a budget myself.
c) What do other companies think of these brands? Do you know of any of your competitors using the same unit? If they like it, chances are you will like it too. Now don’t take this to mean that when newer handheld models that come out that they shouldn’t be considered. You don’t get market penetration overnight. Suppliers come and go and new models are added all of the time. Every 3 years a manufacturer should, or at least better, come out with a newer model. Technology changes that fast. PC manufacturers work on a two-year life, and software developers have newer versions at least yearly.
3) What applications do they have?
There are three major applications that are used in our industry. The first is to mark and/or buy standing timber, and this application is normally referred to as timber-cruising software. The second is used to buy or sell logs, and this is referred to as log-scaling software. The third area is for the lumber side, and the applications are for grading lumber or determining the volume of lumber in a given bundle. There are several types of grading being done; and they are similar, but they are different. There is purchase lumber grading, green chain grading, package tally grading, and there is lumber end tallying. The latter isn’t really a grading package since the lumber is already sorted and packaged and only an export tally is needed. These are the basic three forestry applications. Of course, there are sub applications for logs; and they might be for receiving in outside purchased logs, taking physical inventories, or doing a check scale before a sale occurs, and finally for entering in logs going into the mill, either tagged or untagged. Which of these applications do you need? Does the supplier you are interested in have them all or just one or maybe two?
4) What is their pricing?
Are the products they sell competitively priced? Do they show you prices by component or just a package price? I have found that some suppliers just tell you what the price installed with training is and won’t tell you what the cost of the handheld unit is, what the software component is, or the cost of any needed accessories. It doesn’t make a difference in what you are charged; but some day you will need some replacement parts, and you may want to buy them on eBay, or some other on-line store. Now this isn’t meant for you to nitpick each item and say that component is not needed or over priced in comparison, but get some ideas of what it would cost to replace the handheld unit down the road. Are you going to have to buy new software too, or pay just a loading fee? Be a smart shopper, but pricing is fifth on my list of ways to evaluate from whom to buy (1 is support, 2 is system capabilities/features, 3 is handheld unit, 4 is company and reputation, and 5 is price).
5) What is their reputation?
A company that has been in business a long time has developed a reputation in the industry. They may have good applications and sell good handheld units, but they may be hard to get along with. Are they available 24 hours a day and on weekends, or do they have predefined hours? Do most people speak well of them, or do they find it hard to deal with this company? When you enter into a relationship with a supplier, it is kind of like a marriage. As I have said earlier, it should be a long-lasting relationship. You don’t buy something and expect not to get some support for at least a reasonable period. Some companies offer none, 90 days, or a year with your purchase. Ask and demand more for your money. Your relationship with your supplier is not always going to be harmonious. I fight with my wife and kids, but I don’t let it get out of hand. Generally, when companies call in, they aren’t in a good mood. It may not have anything to do with the supplier’s products. Something has gone wrong, and normally it is at the wrong time. We get 10 - 20 calls a day, sometimes even for the same problems; but we don’t take it personally. We, and they, should talk and answer with a smile. Expect that out of your supplier. Don’t burn bridges no matter how bad things get; for more than 20 years we have seen the whole spectrum. Agree to part ways if necessary, but leave at least a crack in the door.
So who are your choices? I will give you all of the ones that I could find on the internet. Check out their sites, look at what they have to offer, check their pricing, get the questions above answered, and make an informed decision.
Hardwood Systems Providers -
Timber & Transportations Systems (Jim Schwartz / Greg Gauthier) - www.timbersys.com (250-300 current users/650 total); (615) 351-6931. Located near Nashville, TN, and in Camden, TN. Second largest supplier, according to our records. (Allegro, Ranger, Nomad and Nautiz handheld units)
Logical Systems (Bob Jump) - www.sawmillmanager.com (user base unknown - Probably 100 - 200); (207) 846-3660. Located in Yarmouth, ME (my experience is that these are great people to deal with); (Allegro handheld unit). Their web site has recently been enhanced, and their site presents a fair amount of information. You will find the two primary contact personnel great to work with. They know their business and are friendly. After our own systems, I would heartily recommend them as a great second choice.
Simply Computing (Kimberly Haven) - www.simplycomputing.com (user base unknown); (800) 903-4122. Located in Bangon, ME, and Scarborough, ME. Specialize in voice tally systems though they do still sell handheld systems, the Allegro and Ranger hand held units amongst others. Their web site definitely needs modernizing, in my opinion. They are still advertising handheld computers that haven't been sold in 10 years.
eLimbs - www.elimbs.com (user base unknown); (888) 520-1951. Located in Belpre, OH. Specialize in log and lumber systems. One of the newer providers of handheld and PC systems. They have one of the more modern web sites; but other than handheld information, there is little product information. The units they have on their web site are Dolphin handheld units
Primus Partners, Inc. (Danna Riffe) - www.primusweb.com (user base unknown); (423) 870-4722. Located in Chattanooga, TN. Specialize in log systems only. Found them friendly and knowledgeable. May be a better choice if you are in the pine industry (Ranger and Allegro hand held units). Their web site is a single page without a lot of detail. Looks impressive on the surface; but without contacting them by phone or by email, you don't get much information. Our research has shown that their handheld systems won't work alone, you must have their PC system to go along with it. Our systems co-exist with theirs in several locations, and as I said above their people have been found to be knowledgeable and friendly.
Sierra Digitally (no personal contact information) - www.sierrais.com (user base unknown); 888-824-9742. Located in Atlanta, GA. Specialize in lumber systems. No log or forestry applications. Attractive looking site. Sell Motorola 9090G handheld computers.
Progressive Solutions (no personal contact information) - www.progressive-solutions.com Lumber Systems; Located in Vancouver, BC. One of the more high-priced system suppliers. I think they sell Dolphin handheld units.
Fountains Forestry (Scott Reaves) - www.fountainsamerica.com/twodog; (800) 455-2094; Two Dog Software Forestry Software. Located in Oak Ridge, TN. They have timber cruising and other forestry related applications only. This company is not really in the handheld unit or software business, but do offer those services on the side. They are primarily in land management. Scott is known to be a very nice person and easy to deal with.
Forestry Systems (Pat Jenks) - www.forestrysystems.com (900 current users); (800) 868-2559. Located in Summerfield, NC. They have reasonably good products, a reasonably large staff, and are definitely the largest supplier to this industry. They sell the 2T Jett Tally and Hydrus handheld units. To my knowledge, they are the only supplier of these two models of handheld units.
Note: This list is not inclusive of all of the companies out there. I know of a half dozen more that help companies on a local basis (one in Parkersburg, WV, one in Indiana, and one in Nainamo, BC); but on scrolling through sites on the internet, I could not come up with any listing for any of them. Just know that they are there, or maybe were. I also have not listed many companies that are Canadian based unless they have a significant presence in the United States. Please note that this list is not meant to rank, rate, recommend, or berate or injure any other company. I have, to the best of my abilities, searched, copied, and noted important numbers and information, so that you could decide if you want to contact them. We want you to make an educated decision.