09/07/2012
Members in Motion: September 2012
News from FPDA Members
Randall A. Gross, CEO of RG Group, headquartered in York, PA, announced the acquisition of Allegheny Fluid Power located in Sewickley, Pennsylvania on August 10, 2012.
Allegheny Fluid Power is an established full service pneumatic and automation distributor that provides Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia customers with technical knowledge and product expertise as well as a commitment to excellent customer service. Allegheny Fluid Power provides technical distribution services for GAST Manufacturing and will continue to operate from their Sewickley location as a division of RG Group. “We believe this acquisition is a strategic fit, because it consolidates our Vendor relation with GAST . We remain committed to our long term acquisition strategy. The distribution industry continues to consolidate affording us great opportunities to aggressively grow our business” says Randy Gross, CEO.
Rich Freeh, President and COO of RG Group, commented, “We are excited and proud to add the Allegheny Fluid Power te
am to the RG Group. GAST is a premier global pneumatic product line and a strategic vendor for us. This acquisition gives us technical distribution rights to the GAST product line through the entire state of Pennsylvania and into West Virginia. We believe this adds value for our customers, vendor partners and ultimately, for our associates.” Greg Lytle, President of Allegheny Fluid Power said, “We believe RG Group was the right choice for us. The focus on the GAST product line was a strength for both companies. RG provides excellent customer service with a commitment to maintain the value of the existing Allegheny Fluid Power customer relationships. Our current customer base will now have access to a larger inventory and improved value added capabilities. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
RG Group, a group of distribution and manufacturing companies has been providing leadership in the design and delivery of innovative motion control and fluid handling products and solutions for over 50 years. RG Group operates under a very simple core concept: “We Keep Business in Motion”. The company goal is to provide its customers with a sustainable competitive advantage through the creative application of technology.
RG Group is also a Parker tri-technology distributor representing Parker’s industrial product offering. RG Group currently operates eight ParkerStore™ locations that supply OEM and MRO customers with direct access to the Parker products along with complementary product offerings and factory-trained pe
rsonnel.
For more information on RG Group, please visit: www.rg-group.com
Epicor Software Corporation, a global leader in business software solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail and services organizations, announced a strengthened alliance to deliver enhanced customer relationship management (CRM) and sales force automation (SFA) capabilities to wholesale distributors through a strategic alliance with Tour de Force CRM Inc. The Tour de Force CRM application integrates with industry-lead
ing Epicor Prophet 21, Epicor Eclipse and Epicor Prelude enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions for wholesale distribution.
Epicor has long provided embedded CRM capabilities for its wholesale distribution ERP systems. The SFA and business intelligence features provided by Tour de Force CRM are very complementary to the Epicor offerings.
“Prophet 21 CRM is a great fit for the majority of distribution organizations and includes a wide range of functionality to better manage contacts, marketing activities, and sales force automation," said Kevin Roach, executive vice president and general manager, ERP Americas for Epicor. "Through our alliance with Tour de Force CRM, we now will also bring to market a best-in-class solution for distribution organizations with more advanced needs, such as appointment and expense tracking, event marketing, and project management."
"What really differentiates Tour de Force CRM from generic CRM solutions is that it was designed specifically for distributors," said Matt Hartman, president and CEO of Tour de Force CRM. "In fact, 80 percent of the Tour de Force CRM user base is in distribution. So the solution works the way distributors need it to work."
Strengths of the Tour de Force CRM solution include complete mobile access to sales force automation tools and information, and the ability for distributors to configure the system to their specific processes.
“This strategic alliance with Epicor to deliver e
nhanced sales force automation to the wholesale distribution market has been long awaited,” said Hartman. “We have a long history of integration with Epicor Prophet 21, Epicor Eclipse and Epicor Prelude, as well as a strong customer base among users of all three systems. To be recognized as a recommended provider allows us to further expand the CRM integration points with all three ERP offerings.”
The Parker Industrial Hose Division has established a special category of distributors—Select Hose Assembly Fabricators (SHAFs)—to service the Aircraft Fueling, Anhydrous Ammonia and Composite Hose markets. These applications require specific Parker components and particular fabrication equipment and expertise. These select distributors are a valuable resource for servicing these distinct markets. Visit www.Safehose.com (How to Order/Where to Buy) for contact information for Select Hose Assembly Fabricators.