Industry:
Agriculture
Country:
Belgium
Website:
guardex.be
inventory locations
acre warehouse and yard
centralized business data
Founded in 1989, Guardex is a leading Belgian distributor of garden gates, fencing systems, and terrace roofing solutions. What began as a small plant nursery and flower shop has grown into a trusted supplier serving landscapers, fencing contractors, businesses, and homeowners throughout the region.
As the company expanded its product portfolio and customer base, managing inventory, orders, and customer information became increasingly complex. With stock spread across multiple storage areas and a growing number of product variations, Guardex needed a more integrated way to manage daily operations while continuing to deliver exceptional customer service.
Before implementing Priority ERP, Guardex managed nearly every aspect of the business using Excel spreadsheets-from inventory tracking to order processing. While this approach worked during the company's early years, it became increasingly difficult to maintain as the business grew. Information was scattered across multiple files, limiting visibility and making day-to-day operations more time-consuming.
Inventory management presented an even greater challenge. Products were distributed across four separate locations covering approximately one acre, making it difficult for employees to locate stock quickly or maintain accurate inventory records. Without standardized product information or centralized data, customer inquiries often required manual verification, slowing response times and increasing the likelihood of misunderstandings.
Recognizing these limitations, Guardex partnered with an independent business process consultant to evaluate ERP solutions and selected Priority ERP to support its next phase of growth.
Key challenges included:
Priority ERP replaced Guardex's spreadsheet-based processes with one integrated platform connecting inventory, sales, purchasing, and customer information. The implementation standardized business data while giving every employee access to accurate, real-time information.
Priority introduced standardized item numbers and detailed inventory mapping using bin locations, allowing employees to quickly locate products regardless of where they were stored across the site.
Customer records, quotations, orders, and inventory now reside within a single database, eliminating duplicate information and ensuring every department works from the same up-to-date data.
Sales staff can instantly verify inventory availability and order status while speaking with customers, reducing uncertainty and improving communication throughout the sales process.
Priority's configurable fields and workflows allowed Guardex to adapt the system to its business processes while minimizing custom development and maintaining an upgrade-friendly environment.
Guardex further expanded its solution by integrating BarTender barcode labeling software with Priority ERP, strengthening inventory identification and warehouse efficiency.
Centralized information across the business
Business data was scattered across multiple spreadsheets, making it difficult for employees to access consistent or up-to-date information. Departments often worked with different versions of the truth, leading to inefficiencies.
All business data is now managed in one centralized ERP system, ensuring every employee works from the same accurate, real-time information. This has reduced inconsistencies and improved overall operational efficiency.
Improved inventory management
Inventory was spread across 4 storage locations and a 1-acre warehouse, making it difficult and time-consuming to locate products. Stock visibility was limited and dependent on manual tracking.
Inventory can now be quickly located using Priority's detailed bin management system. Full visibility across all locations has made stock control more organized, efficient, and reliable.
Better customer experience
Employees had to manually check inventory and order details, slowing down customer interactions and increasing the risk of errors or disputes.
Store employees can instantly access inventory availability and order information while assisting customers, resulting in faster responses, fewer disputes, and greater customer confidence.
Faster employee onboarding
New employees struggled to learn warehouse operations due to unstructured product organization and reliance on experienced staff for guidance.
Standardized product data and structured inventory locations make onboarding easier, allowing new staff to become productive quickly without heavy reliance on others.
Guardex continues to adapt Priority ERP as its business evolves without extensive customization or complex development projects.
“The ability to add fields and adapt the system to specific needs was invaluable. In addition, Priority's team played an important role in finding solutions within the standard process, reducing the need for customization.”
Giel Meertens, Business Manager, Guardex
Today, Guardex manages inventory, customer information, quotations, and orders through one integrated ERP platform that supports both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. By replacing spreadsheets with centralized, real-time information, the company has built a scalable foundation for future growth while continuing to deliver the responsive service its customers expect.
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