Empowering Growth with a Smarter ERP

How Abel Solutions redefined McBride’s Traverse ERP to meet modern demands

Heritage Meets Innovation

McBride Research Laboratories is a second-generation, family-owned business renowned for manufacturing and distributing high-quality ethnic hair care products under their flagship brand, Design Essentials. Their diverse product portfolio includes retail items free from harsh chemicals and professional-grade products exclusively available to licensed distributors. McBride serves both domestic and international markets, including major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon, as well as beauty salons, schools, and individual consumers. Additionally, McBride supports online sales through their Design Essentials website.

Over the years, McBride transitioned from outsourcing production to bringing it in-house through their subsidiary, Advanced America. This move allowed the company to better control product quality and streamline manufacturing processes.

McBride had been using the Traverse ERP system for decades, but as the company’s operations expanded, they required an upgrade to meet new challenges and objectives.

Navigating Growth & Complexity

McBride’s growth and international expansion presented several challenges that required a more robust ERP solution, including:

Comprehensive Inventory & Manufacturing Management: A system capable of handling raw materials and finished goods across multiple production facilities and ensuring smooth workflows.
A system to support the distribution of products to large retailers, beauty salons, schools, and individual customers efficiently.
EDI Integration: A solution that facilitates seamless order management through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) with large retail partners like Walmart and Target.
Global Operations Support: A system that could handle the complexities of international operations and support localized solutions for distributors in different regions.
Web-Based Access: Flexible, web-enabled access to allow distributors and internal teams to access the system remotely from any device.

A Tailored ERP Evolution

To address these evolving needs, McBride turned to Abel Solutions to upgrade their existing Traverse ERP system. Abel Solutions worked closely with McBride to implement an upgraded solution that would meet their growing and complex operational requirements.

1. Manufacturing & Production (Advanced America): With the upgraded Traverse ERP, Advanced America was able to optimize production workflows, including recipe management, raw material depletion, and scheduling. The system ensured that production schedules aligned with demand forecasts provided by McBride’s distribution team, which enhanced the efficiency of their operations.
2. Inventory & Distribution (McBride Research Laboratories): The ERP upgrade enabled McBride to improve real-time inventory management, allowing them to monitor stock levels, plan purchases, and meet order deadlines more effectively. Enhanced EDI integration streamlined order processing from large retailers like Walmart and Target, while distributor orders were managed directly through the upgraded system. This solution helped McBride fulfill both large-scale retail orders and smaller distributor requests with greater ease.
3. International Expansion: As McBride expanded its operations globally, Abel Solutions helped customize the Traverse ERP system to accommodate international operations. For example, McBride’s distributors in France were able to access the system’s localized features, enabling smoother collaboration and communication across borders, while eliminating language barriers.
4. Web-Based Access: One of the key upgrades was the introduction of advanced web portal products. These upgrades allowed users to access the system from any device with an internet connection, providing distributors and internal teams with the flexibility to manage operations remotely. This improvement was especially valuable for teams working in different regions and time zones.
5. Customization & Upgrades: In partnership with Abel Solutions, McBride benefited from several customizations designed to optimize workflows across the business. Key improvements included enhanced warehouse management, more robust reporting capabilities through Power BI, and the migration to Traverse Global. The latter introduced advanced features like mobile compatibility and broader portal integrations, positioning McBride to leverage future technological advancements.

Driving Excellence, Efficiency & Expansion

The upgrade of McBride’s Traverse ERP system, facilitated by Abel Solutions, brought about significant improvements across the company’s operations:

- Streamlined Operations: The upgraded ERP system enabled McBride to centralize inventory management and production planning, ensuring timely and efficient fulfillment of both domestic and international orders.
- Increased Agility: With the enhanced EDI and portal capabilities, McBride was able to respond quickly to changing market demands and seamlessly collaborate with retail and distributor partners across the globe.
- Enhanced Decision-Making: The integration of Power BI allowed McBride to gain deeper insights into key metrics like demand planning, sales forecasting, and financial reporting, supporting more informed, data-driven decision-making.
- Future-Ready Infrastructure: The transition to Traverse Global ensured McBride had a modern, flexible ERP system in place, ready to support future growth and adopt emerging technologies as the company expanded further.

By partnering with Abel Solutions for this important upgrade, McBride Research Laboratories has positioned itself for continued success, improving operational efficiency, scalability, and agility while maintaining its commitment to delivering high-quality products to a global market.

Take the First Step Toward Operational Excellence

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Empowering Growth with a Smarter ERP

Heritage Meets Innovation

Navigating Growth & Complexity

A Tailored ERP Evolution

Driving Excellence, Efficiency & Expansion

Take the First Step Toward Operational Excellence

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