Wilson Case keeps on shipping with OSAS and Process Shipper

Wilson Case is responsible for protecting the world’s most sensitive, expensive, and mission-critical equipment. Whether it is heading to the office space or to outer space, to medical operating theaters or to the theaters of war, Wilson Case’s specialized shipping cases keep the contents safe and sound. Their website says “We can design custom shipping cases to protect anything during transit,” and it’s no empty boast. Wilson Case recently helped to ship $30 million mirror segments for the James Webb Space Telescope, which is heading for orbit in 2018.

“The lens was shipped in two cases,” recalls Jeff Lavene, Production Manager at Wilson Case. “We had 15 inches of foam in one case, and 15 inches in the other, to make sure it travelled safely between Colorado and Arizona.” When other shipping companies back away, Wilson Case steps in and gets the job done.

A history of successful journeys

Started in 1976, Wilson Case holds a reputation as the go-to manufacturer of reusable shipping cases for items that are expensive, difficult to ship, or require fast deployment. This expertise has won them business from operations as diverse as the U.S. military and medical device manufacturers. “When you have an $800,000 heart/lung transplant machine that needs transport,” says Lavene, “a cardboard box just does not do the job.” Wilson Case also supplies emergency agencies such as FEMA. “They have to ship compressors, portable showers... you name it,” says Lavene. “It needs to be packed up, ready to go within 24 hours, and functional when it gets there.”

Wilson Case manufactures all of their cases on-site with a staff of 26 at their headquarters in Hastings, Nebraska, and keeps a stock of inventory on hand to respond to customer needs quickly. In 1994, to help with their inventory and accounting needs, Wilson Case turned to Jerry Clinch, president of Business Computer Consultants, Inc. in Lincoln Nebraska. The solution they installed was OPEN SYSTEMS Accounting Software (OSAS) from Open Systems, Inc.

OSAS helps keep the books and the warehouse in order

In his 24-year history with Wilson Case, Lavene has come to depend upon OSAS to automate countless transactions between vendors, their inventory, and the general ledger. “We’ve got our inventory all set up with vendor part numbers,” says Lavene of the setup. “It’s really seamless. You make your order in Purchase Order, email it to your vendor right out of OSAS, and when the order comes in you receive it. It’s automatically in inventory.” Wilson Case’s OSAS implementation also has a big fan in someone that Lavene wants to keep happy: their CPA. “The OSAS General Ledger, according to our CPA, is second to none,” says Lavene. “It has been a wonderful tool for us.”

Process Shipper ties into OSAS to save even more time

Wilson Case recently implemented Process Shipper by SmartLinc, a web-based, scalable shipping solution add-on to OSAS that automates many functions for businesses who depend upon enhanced shipping capabilities. “When we enter an order, Process Shipper automatically calculates all the freight to the penny, and pushes all of that information back into OSAS,” says Lavene. “The system produces the bill of lading, the packing slips, and international documents if needed, for ground or air. It’s directly tied to UPS and FedEx, and we can configure LTL shippers as well.”

The automation provided by Process Shipper and OSAS pays big dividends for Wilson Case in time savings and customer confidence. “It’s a better presentation for our customer, and the 2-3 hours a day time savings for us is phenomenal,” says Lavene.

Long-time service provider Jerry Clinch was on hand to make sure the process went smoothly, and spoke highly of Wilson Case’s flexibility. “Don, Jeff, and Customer Service Manager Sheila Horton have been great to work with over the many years that they have been a client,” says Clinch. “During the implementation and integrations of SmartLinc’s Process Shipper, they helped work through some changes and modifications that helped their particular situation.”

Wilson Case grows on

The last few years, though tough on many businesses, have been good for Wilson Case. “We’ve had phenomenal growth in the last four years,” says Lavene. “Our industry has changed; shipping used to be accomplished with a simple two-inch foam lined box. The equipment that companies want to ship is so much more complex, and the design changes with it.”

Fortunately Open Systems has stayed around as long as Wilson Case has, providing timely updates to help the case manufacturer keep pace with their industry. Jerry Clinch and Business Consulter Consultants stand ready to further assist Wilson Case as they continue to grow. SmartLinc’s Process Shipper integration has also helped Wilson Case improve their processes and keep their customers satisfied. “We’re completely pleased with OSAS, and the integration with Process Shipper has been a wonderful add-on that complements OSAS,” says Lavene.