George A Kint Inc : t/a Kint Beverage Concepts, t/a Kint Fire Protection
"WennSoft customers come from a lot of different industries,but we all create calls, close calls, push for efficiency and streamline data."
Mike Kint
Chief Financial Officier George A. Kint, Inc.
Most every business is in the eastern two-thirds of Pennsylvania has heard of – if not also done business with – KINT’s and are familiar with the service they provide in the area of fire equipment products, extinguishers, emergency lighting and more. Formed nearly 55 years ago, KINT’s is now a third generation, family owned and operated business based in Harrisburg, PA., with two locations and 70 employees.
The business also includes servicing 5,000 bars and restaurants each year for beverage dispensing needs, and servicing 50,000 pieces of fire equipment that are serviced throughout the year and all work is scheduled through WennSoft Service Management Series.
At the start of the 21st century, KINT’s was utilizing a custom written DOS package for its business software. The company was going through a change in leadership, as one set of parents (second generation owners) looked to pass the business to their two sons.
“My parents had selected the last software a decade earlier, and they saw it was becoming obsolete in relation to the advances Microsoft was making,” said company Chief Financial Officer Michael Kint. “In 2001, my brother and I introduced people to a better way to do things. That included WennSoft.”
Business doubles in size after implementing WennSoft
Since the implementation of WennSoft Service Management Series, KINT’s has doubled in size. Kint reports that dramatic growth has occurred without substantially adding to staff.
“The sales and customer base has grown impressively, but we have added very few support staff in the office,” he said. “And we still run the same amount of dispatchers despite increase in service calls for trucks. This was possible because we had used the efficiencies we received from WennSoft Service Management and Microsoft Dynamics GP.
“After the initial implementation we had comments from our staff saying, ‘Wow, we might lose our jobs because all of this is being automated,’” Kint continued. “After some time, they saw their talents were simply being put to use elsewhere in the company.”
Next up, MobileTEC
With an eye on the future, Kint is excited by the prospects offered to the company by WennSoft MobileTEC.
“We plan to roll out MobileTEC to the technicians who provide bar coding inventory in the field,” Kint said. “We service hospitals and other businesses where it is even more critical than the average user to make sure not only do they have the fire equipment, extinguishers and emergency lighting working properly, but that they also track the history of the service performed.
Kint’s continued target of improved efficiencies is another reason for his MobileTEC optimism. “I am always looking to improve efficiencies in dispatching,” he said. “MobileTEC will help us streamline our efforts even more and cut back on work done by dispatchers. Then I will better utilize those two or three staff members.”
These steps are taken to help meet Kint’s aggressive business goal of again doubling in size over the next five-to-seven years.
Knowledge gained at Synergy
Another step for Kint was his attendance at Synergy 2008, his first visit to the annual WennSoft customer conference.
“I learned a lot,” he said. “WennSoft customers come from a lot of different industries, but we all create calls, close calls, push for efficiency and streamline data.”
“I was in a fixed asset management discussion with people from Australia who sell forklifts. We both have equipment we need to maintain. Synergy is all about interesting conversations like that and I leaned some new things.”