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DISCUSSION FORUMS : Forkliftaction.communicate
Forum: Business management
Discussion:  NDS (Quipware) vs Minitrac
Number of messages: 15
START MESSAGE:
stargate823
Maryland, United States 		(Moved here by Admin).  Our company is about to decide on a new business system.  We currently use Softbase.  Suffice it to say that the limitations of Softbase are hindering our operation.  I have experience with NDS from a parts and inventory control aspect and found it very easy to use as well as easily manipulated.  I asked for an NDS demo from DIS and they decided instead to show us Quipware.  I'm not sure if I am sold on Quipware.  I haven't spoken with anyone with experience with that system.  I have heard many good things about Minitrac as well.  Would anyone care to share their experiences and pros/cons with each?  It would be much appreciated!


Modified 14 Sep 2008 10:33 AM
by administrator. 		Reply  Report this message
REPLIES: Sort replies by
Delta07
Massachusetts, United States

 		I don't have a comparison for you, but I can tell you about our experience in choosing a business system.

In 1998 when we were looking for a new system we reviewed both of these systems, and choose neither. At the time neither company offered an open database like SQL server which was a key element in our requirements at the time. Now, that being said we choose a system that fit about 80% of our business model. We are a diversified company that does the traditional lift truck business of sales, service , parts, rental etc... We also handle the other side of material handling like conveyor, rack, shelving and such. What we did was got out of the vertical solutions like Minitrac and NDS and went with Great Plains (now called Microsoft Dynamics GP).

At this time both NDS and Edgerton (Minitrac) offer SQL based products. My suggestion would be to review these as the data is very easy to access and use to your advantage. Also don't be afraid to look at other "off the shelf " solutions like the Dynamics line of products from Microsoft. The GP option may not be the right one for you, however there are two or three others available. I took us around 18 months to find exactly what we wanted.

One last thought. Keep an open mind when reviewing the demos. Be willing to change business processes to fit the software where it makes sense. Some will not fit and then you can talk custom code. Keeping customs to a minimum will allow for smoother upgrading down the line.

Good Luck
Scott

Posted 16 Sep 2008 02:49 AM Reply  Report this message
JDBurton
Virginia, United States 		I was in a dealership with nds for years and moved to quipware..not as satisfied there. Now I deal with great plains and wenn-soft which works vey well.

Posted 7 Oct 2008 06:16 AM Reply  Report this message
james_b
New York, United States 		I have been on Quipware for 3 years, you may want to call me on this 631-582-7240

Modified 18 Nov 2009 07:14 AM
by poster. 		Reply  Report this message
ron_r
Texas, United States 		Have you looked at EBS Next for Windows? [url/email removed]-next.com

-------------------------
Best regards,
Ron

Posted 13 Feb 2009 09:16 AM Reply  Report this message
michele_b
Massachusetts, United States 		We currently have Minitrac (7 years) and I hate the accounting package that comes with it. It is the most difficult program to make any corrections as it requires a programer knowledge to make additions,changes etc. and it lacks basic things like a alert if you are posting to the wrong year etc. Support is required at a cost of $500.00 per month. The inventory & rental system is great but the accounting is their drawback. Note they are changing their software to Irum and Minitrac will not longer be avail for both a software pkg & support. I am currently looking for a better software package to change to. Setup cost also was $25,000.00 for a small company.
Posted 18 Mar 2009 10:30 PM Reply  Report this message
JDBurton
Virginia, United States 		I am purchased wennsoft (dynamics gp) to add to great plainsfor workorder management and so far it is a nightmare to get working without spending another 20k for setup. Already 30k into this project. Scott if you are using dynamics please shoot me an email or give me a call jason at designstorage dot com

Posted 1 Apr 2009 00:53 AM Reply  Report this message
ron_r
Texas, United States 		You should look at EBS' Next for Windows
ebs-next dot com

-------------------------
Best regards,
Ron

Posted 1 Apr 2009 01:25 AM Reply  Report this message
myra_wright
Connecticut, United States 		My opinion is biased as I work for a competitor of NDS/ Minitrac, however this forum caught my eye. I noticed a mention of weakness in the accounting area of your current systems, high implementation fees, as well as Minitrac ceasing support. My company is quite strong in all of these areas, as we offer pricing guarantees, full time support staff, and we have already converted Minitrac users to our Advantage Software, so we can provide easy data conversion and industry specific setups (that are in use by other material handling companies you will know!). We also have some great specials going for those who convert to Advantage, and I would be happy to help your business through this process.

-------------------------
Myra Wright
RMI Corporation
mwright@rmiusa.com
800-252-5011 ext. 653
www.rmiusa.com

Posted 7 Oct 2009 01:37 AM Reply  Report this message
ron_r
Texas, United States 		Minitrac is an old legacy system. Have you looked at EBS Next for Windows?

Posted 7 Oct 2009 01:49 AM Reply  Report this message
Admin
Australia 		Moved here by Admin (this is a submission by an unknown person to the discussion) - I have luckily seen software outside of this industry and have spent the majority of my career outside also. With that said the forklift industry software as a whole is light years behind the automotive world with no real reason that I can see. Both deal with parts and service. Some of the forklift companies have the added work of manufacturing, but so does the auto world. With that said, Quipware is 100% awful. From the few that I have talked with, the software is better that what they had before, but that is not saying much. Without getting into specifics you are 100% better off getting a system built for what you need. Simple functions take way longer than they should or just don’t work, too many separate programs within the program, and support is behind. Do yourself and your company a favor and have your system built for you. Either you will be paying too much for a system that will do way more than you need or pay too little for a system that you will have to invest a lot more time and money to get it where you need it (time being the biggest factor in most cases). I would recommend to higher specialists outside of the forklift industry (automotive) with specific backgrounds to aid in your design. Check out the systems that Advanced, O’Reilly’s, and/or others have. Amazing parts management systems with pictures and related selling techniques that help improve sales. They have the ability to see different qualities of the same parts with the quantities on 1 screen that is easy to use. Check out some of these companies web sites. Anyone can find a part and order it vs needing months of training with quipware. Their inventory management is flawless with cycle counts, overstock reports, scanning outs, planogram tracking, auto label printing, random counts, pricing verification, great reporting, and the list goes on. Goodyear and Firestone have great systems that specialize more on the service end with the ability to recommend work to be sold on future visits. When is the last time you walked out of any automotive place without a list of what should be done with a huge bill attached? Coolant flush, alignment, fuel system tune up and this is just the preventative maintenance with the majority being service heavy. Easy, quick work, low return rates with huge profit margins. The bottom line, you need to sit down and really figure out what your company needs and the value associated to the program that you will need. Parts and IT are a cost of doing business (if you stock parts), what are you willing to invest to make the big bucks on service? Or what are you willing to lose by not having the correct system? To have to choose between the 2 programs is like choosing between riding a big wheel or a tricycle to work everyday. It will get you there, but I would continue to look for a better choice. The shy and your imagination are the limits in software, look elsewhere and do some extensive research before deciding. Hiring a consultant(s) to help that has no bias may be in your best interest.

-------------------------
Contact me about any forum administration issues.

Modified 20 Oct 2009 01:28 AM
by poster. 		Reply  Report this message
michele_b
Massachusetts, United States 		Anyone have any experience with Softbase?? I've talked to them and they seem much more user friendly in their accounting package which mirrors somewhat Quickbooks. Their cost is better than most also.  I am literally dying to get out of Minitrac and  their so lack of support so any feedback is welcomed.

Posted 19 Feb 2010 02:26 AM Reply  Report this message
STARGATE
Maryland, United States 		I have 4 words for you.

STAY AWAY FROM SOFTBASE.

There is a reason that the cost is attractive.  You get what you pay for.  Going from Minitrac to Softbase would be a serious downgrade.  Your money would be better spent investing in getting Minitrac set up properly if you are having issues.

Luckily I have made a move from the company that was using Siotbase and am back with NDS again.  Suffice it to say my frustrations have all but disappeared.  I can rest easy with the pleasure of knowing I will never have to do anything in dreaded slow and clunky Softbase ever again.

Modified 24 Mar 2010 02:28 AM
by poster. 		Reply  Report this message
BLR1
North Carolina, United States 		EBS has a newer software (NEXT) as opposed to their older (legacy application)  - find it interesting that ron_r is pushing this - is this the same Ron_r that works for EBS?

Minitrac is too dated and inflexible (another legacy application).

Look at the Dynamics NAV solutions (RMI, Dysel, Equip-Soft) but be wary of Microsoft Licensing Costs.

A good lesson I have learned - the software features are import - but the SUPPORT is key.   You want your software company to be knowledgeable of the industry and have good credible, committed people - that will get you a long way.
Posted 4 Dec 2010 06:24 AM Reply  Report this message
MicrosoftPartnr
California, United States 		The last 30 years of evolution in the software industry provide an important lesson: the older technology rental software packages will eventually be replaced by rental software with better underlying technology.  Moreover, these older packages can only go so far by patching on features like emailing.  It's like repairing an old bridge: eventually it becomes unsafe and you have to tear it down and start over.

Even more compelling is the consolidation of the mainstream software markets starting about 10 years ago.  The rental software market will consolidate as well but this hasn't happened yet.  When it does, it will consolidate around the large software companies who have an offering in the rental software marketplace.


-------------------------
Doug Potter

DynaRent

Santa Ana, CA

714-662-1111

www.dynarent.net

Posted 17 Jun 2011 01:56 AM Reply  Report this message


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