www.flue-ducting.co.uk

Flue & Ducting – Direct Heating Group is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of wood burning stoves, electric fires, gas fires, outdoor heating, barbecues and associated installation components. Operating nationwide through multiple brands and websites, the business manages significant stock volumes alongside a complex sales operation.

Executive Summary

After outgrowing its existing software, Direct Heating Group partnered with Innov8 over four years ago to implement Sage 200 Professional and create a business management platform capable of supporting the company’s continued growth.

Today, Sage 200 sits at the heart of the organisation, integrating stock, finance, websites and automation into a single platform that continues to evolve alongside the business.

The Challenge

Before working with Innov8, Direct Heating Group operated two separate Sage systems across the business.

Sage 50 no longer met the needs of a business managing large volumes of stock, while Sage 200 Standard provided a solid ERP platform but lacked the flexibility and bespoke functionality required. Website integrations, automation and customised workflows were either unavailable or difficult to achieve, resulting in manual processes and disconnected systems.

With multiple e-commerce websites, significant inventory and ambitious growth plans, the business needed a single solution that could provide complete stock visibility, automate routine processes and adapt to the way the organisation worked.

After evaluating several providers, Direct Heating Group selected Sage 200 Professional and chose Innov8 to deliver the solution.

The Innov8 Solution

Having implemented Sage 200 Professional across the business and created a single platform that brings together stock management, finance and commercial operations.

Flue & Ducting with Innov8 have tailored the solution to the specific requirements of the business. Bespoke developments included customised views to improve sales allocation, additional reporting functionality and custom buttons within Sage 200 to simplify day-to-day tasks.

Beyond the core implementation, Innov8 introduced a wide range of integrated solutions to extend the capabilities of Sage 200, including:

• Sicon Enhancements
• Eureka Enhancements
• Inter-company modules
• Kitting
• Document Management
• Codeless Platforms – Automation

Together, these solutions transformed Sage 200 from a business management system into a highly automated business platform.

Automation That Saves Time

Automation now plays a significant role across the organisation.

Using Codeless Platforms, sales from all e-commerce websites are imported into Sage 200 in real time, removing manual processing and ensuring information is always up to date. Purchase orders are generated automatically, sales invoices are created and confirmation emailed without intervention, and a variety of routine administrative tasks have been automated throughout the business.

“Pay Now” functionality also existing across invoices, statements and customer communications, making it easier for customers to settle accounts while reducing administration for the finance team.

Meanwhile, Bank Feeds now connect multiple current accounts, merchant accounts and credit cards directly into Sage 200, allowing transactions to be imported and processed daily through automated rules.

Smarter Stock Management

For a business that sells thousands of product combinations, accurate stock management is essential.

Kitting allows Direct Heating Group to sell bundled products online while automatically updating stock for every individual component behind the scenes.

The same functionality supports the company’s manufacturing processes. Products such as flue liners are assembled from multiple component parts, with Sage automatically consuming the relevant stock and maintaining accurate inventory levels throughout production.

This provides confidence that stock figures within Sage 200 can be relied upon at all times.

A Partnership That Continues to Grow

More than four years after the original implementation, Direct Heating Group continues to develop its Sage 200 environment with Innov8.

Regular reviews with their Account Manager help identify new opportunities to improve processes and adopt new technologies. Innov8’s Insight Live events have also become an important source of inspiration, providing ideas that continually feed into the company’s technology roadmap.

Throughout the relationship, Innov8’s technical teams, developers, project managers and support staff have developed a detailed understanding of the business, enabling them to recommend solutions that genuinely fit the way Direct Heating Group operates.

“We’ve got a really good relationship with Innov8. I’m on first-name terms with quite a lot of the team, they fully understand our business and that allows us to get the most out of our system.”

“We’ve got a fantastic Account Manager who’s always working with me on new ideas. Every month we challenge what we’re doing, and the Innov8 Insight Live events are always really good for that. I always come away with a list of things we’re going to do next.” Dan Healey, Group Finance Director

Results

Flue & Ducting / Direct Heating Group now benefits from a highly customised Sage 200 solution that supports every aspect of the business, from stock management and finance to e-commerce integration and automation.

Routine manual processes have been replaced with intelligent workflows, inventory is managed with greater accuracy, and the platform continues to evolve as new opportunities arise.

Rather than simply implementing software, Innov8 has become a long-term technology partner, helping Direct Heating Group maximise the value of Sage 200 and continually improve the way the business operates.