Turning a healthy profit: Victus conquers medical and nutritional markets with TRAVERSE

Every successful business has logistical challenges. Victus, a Miami-based manufacturer and distributor, just happens to have more challenges than most. Victus manufactures and distributes medical supplies and nutritional supplements, supplying medical establishments and big box retailers in 33 countries spread across North and South America. With 105 employees working in offices in 5 countries, Victus is thriving where many are struggling. With $42 million in annual sales, as well as exponential growth in the last few years, Victus deals with problems that many businesses would love to have.

Not your average business

“We use a distributed manufacturing model where we make 60% of our goods, and provide distribution facilities for the material we don’t produce,” said Carlos Fernandez, Chief Financial Officer of Victus. “There aren’t a lot of companies that do what we do.”

In 2004, Victus’ realized their aging accounting software platform installed in the previous decade was no longer able to keep up with their demands. “Our system was failing badly,” said Fernandez. “We started looking around for a replacement.”

With shipping and inventory concerns that cross multiple international borders, Victus needed a software system that would meet the needs of their fast-growing company. But to fulfill Victus’ very specific requirements, however, not just any replacement would do.

Victus had relied upon a heavily modified version of OSAS, from Open Systems Inc., to handle their business needs, and before going to market to find a replacement, their old system needed to be temporarily resuscitated.

OSAS to TRAVERSE

While Victus had only contracted Ed Bender of Bender Consulting Group to bolster their software until it could be replaced, Bender introduced them to the advantages of TRAVERSE, Open Systems’ newest business software system. “It was a seamless transition,” said Fernandez, “at roughly half the price for what we would have paid for SAP.”

Armed with up-to-date software and a programming team that understood the challenges of international business, Victus was able to implement a new TRAVERSE system that grew to handle many of their most persistent challenges.

Reporting requirements

Shipping products all over the world requires robust logistical support, but shipping pharmaceutical products adds another layer of necessity. “For our shipping, we use landed cost, multicurrency, all those things,” said Fernandez. “We also have stringent paperwork requirements due to our status as a registered drug wholesaler with the state of Florida.” To meet those reporting requirements, a TRAVERSE inventory report was modified to print the proper documentation, with each line item parsed into its own page.

“Now, we can also email reports right from the screen, which makes communicating information really easy,” added Fernandez.

Mobile Warehouse

With the unique combination of a full distribution operation as well as the capacity to manufacture goods from raw materials, Victus experiences every possible challenge in managing inventory, warehousing, and shipping. To help solve those issues, Victus takes advantage of the mobile warehousing capabilities of TRAVERSE to coordinate inventory across different warehouses and international boundaries.

“From here in Miami,” said Fernandez, “we can know exactly what’s going on in our warehouse in Venezuela.”

Info-Alert

Victus also relies upon Info-Alert, an application that works with TRAVERSE to deliver timely information, reporting, and warnings to key individuals and groups.

“Ah, we love Info-Alert,” said Fernandez. Apart from using Info-Alert to warn of shortages and other potential problems, Victus also uses it to email periodic reports. “We’ve got different reports set up to send updates to the executives at different times of the day. It’s a great tool to help us stay on top of things.”

Ultimately, it’s about the relationship

There were additional reasons Victus chose another product from the Open Systems product line. “One of the big reasons we chose TRAVERSE was to continue working with Ed and to stay in the Open Systems family,” said Fernandez. “We’re lucky to receive the support we’ve gotten, and whatever problem arises, these guys find a way to solve it.”