American Wick Drain partners with Accounting Systems, Inc. to integrate BarTender and ScanForce to automate real-time labeling, reducing overall shipping errors.

American Wick Drain (AWD) is a leading provider of comprehensive drainage solutions, specializing in engineered products designed for durability and high collection capacity. With over 40 years of industry leadership, AWD offers a wide range of geocomposite drainage products. These products include sheet drains, strip drains, chimney drains, and combination drains, catering to various applications such as civil site and structure, transportation, landscape, soil consolidation, athletic fields, and residential projects. American Wick Drain has manufacturing facilities on both the East and West Coasts of the US ensuring shorter lead times and reduced freight costs for customers nationwide.

Challenge

Manual processes meant more room for errors

AWD was facing a significant operational hurdle when it came to creating and managing the labels for their products. Their labeling processes relied on outdated, manual methods like handwritten labels, ink stamps, and preprinted stickers.

This approach often led to delays, errors, and inefficiencies. Tracking raw materials, work-in-progress (WIP), and finished goods required time-consuming manual record-keeping, making it difficult to maintain accurate inventory or resolve customer concerns. Shipping errors, stemming from miscounts and mislabeled products, further strained operations, resulting in unnecessary costs and customer frustration. AWD sought to find a solution that would streamline its processes, improve accuracy, and help scale their business for growth.

Solution

Automated integrated solutions for reliable real-time item traceability

To address these challenges, AWD partnered with BarTender, ScanForce, and ASI (Accounting Systems Inc.) to implement a modern, integrated labeling and inventory management system. This collaboration was key to reshaping how the company operated. By working closely with AWD, the ASI team customized workflows, designed data input systems, and tailored automation to fit AWD’s unique needs. ASI recommended integrating ScanForce with BarTender into Sage 100, transitioning AWD’s process from manual labeling to automated real-time label printing. This eliminated errors, reduced delays, and ensured that every label was accurate and traceable. Barcodes replaced manual tracking methods, allowing the team to monitor raw materials, WIP, and finished goods quickly and efficiently. The result was an immense improvement in inventory visibility and control, along with faster, more accurate shipping processes. This collaborative approach not only addressed AWD’s immediate challenges but also set the stage for scalable growth and improved customer satisfaction. “We see our future with BarTender to be allowing customizable labels for customers for their future requirements, not just for today, but what they may come up with for tomorrow. It really sets us up for a strong future,” says Cooper Black, a consultant at ASI.

“BarTender has worked well for us. It’s given us the flexibility we need to print all the various types of labels we need to track the manufacturing process from start to finish through its multiple phases and it also has given us the flexibility to encode the information we need for ourselves and our customers of the finished goods who have their own demands in terms of tracking those products.”
— Scott Morris, President, American Wick Drain

Through this seamless integration, AWD has successfully modernized its operations, creating a foundation for long-term success and stronger customer relationships. This transformation shows how the right partnerships and innovative solutions can overcome even the most complex challenges.