{"id":47719,"date":"2026-01-09T18:23:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blueridgeglobal.com\/uncategorized\/how-southwest-traders-cut-inventory-days-by-10-and-reached-99-95-service-levels\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T20:24:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T01:24:18","slug":"jackson-systems-cuts-buying-time-and-inventory-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blueridgeglobal.com\/case-studies\/jackson-systems-cuts-buying-time-and-inventory-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Jackson Systems Cuts Review Time From 3 Days to Hours and Frees $1M in Inventory"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_custom_heading text=”A Purchasing Process That Couldn\u2019t Keep Up” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]When Thelma Chavez, Director of Operations,\u00a0joined Jackson Systems, the company\u00a0had grown\u00a0from a garage startup into a six-division HVAC distributor with\u00a0nearly $40M in revenue and a rapidly expanding eCommerce business.\u00a0The growth was\u00a0fast\u00a0which presented opportunities and challenges in their purchasing processes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two buyers\u00a0reviewed\u00a0more than 9,000 SKUs each week using spreadsheets,\u00a0formulas,\u00a0and tribal knowledge.\u00a0It took two to three days to work through the list,\u00a0and\u00a0as soon as\u00a0they\u00a0finished, the\u00a0cycle\u00a0started\u00a0over.\u00a0\u201cWe were reviewing every SKU, every week,\u201d Thelma says. \u201cAnd by the time we finished, it was time to start over.\u201d<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]There was little visibility into\u00a0service\u00a0levels, turns, dormant and dying inventory or ABC\u00a0velocity code\u00a0classifications. Supplier deals often\u00a0guided\u00a0decisions without clear financial logic.\u00a0\u201cWe had too much inventory on things that weren\u2019t moving and not enough on things that were,\u201d she says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As eCommerce volume grew and fill-rate expectations tightened, leadership faced a choice: hire another full-time purchasing admin or find a system that could automate the basics and let the team manage by exception. They chose the latter.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Choosing and Implementing a New Way Forward” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Jackson Systems evaluated three solutions before\u00a0narrowing\u00a0to two finalists. Vendors were asked to simulate a \u201cday in\u00a0the life\u201d using Jackson\u2019s data.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0where Blue Ridge stood out.\u00a0\u201cBlue Ridge\u00a0had\u00a0the best interface and analytics you would need as a professional purchasing buyer,\u201d\u00a0Thelma says. \u201cOther solutions had pieces, but not the whole package.\u201d\u00a0The Blue Ridge platform\u00a0fit\u00a0their size and complexity\u00a0while providing\u00a0the visibility they lacked and came in at a price point leadership felt would pay for itself in both time and inventory.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Implementation took about six months, driven\u00a0largely by\u00a0data cleanup. The Blue Ridge technical guidebook outlined exactly what needed to be sent from their boutique ERP, and Thelma still uses it when something looks off. The transition from implementation to\u00a0LifeLine\u00a0support was smooth.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe call our\u00a0LifeLine\u00a0coach, from time to time,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s always something unique that comes up, and he always has a good solution.\u201d\u00a0Within months, the workload eased, the manual noise\u00a0faded\u00a0and the team finally had the visibility\u00a0they\u2019d\u00a0been missing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”What Changed: Time Saved, Inventory Freed, Confidence Gained” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The most immediate change was time.\u00a0<\/span>What once<\/span>\u00a0took two to three days each week shrank to a few focused hours managing exceptions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cInstead of reviewing every SKU, we were just reviewing the exceptions,<\/span>\u201d Thelma says. \u201cIt was such a relief.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>With time freed up, buyers could finally understand why items were trending up or down,\u00a0<\/span>prepare for<\/span>\u00a0seasonal shifts and spend energy on forward-looking work instead of chasing lists.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What once took days each week, shrank to a few focused hours managing exceptions. \u201cI can do this in like three hours,\u201d she says. \u201cOnce we were comfortable managing by exception, what used to take us days turned into a focused, high-confidence review”. Visibility shifted how the business operated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Blue Ridge, leadership tracked little beyond total inventory dollars. Now they review\u00a0service\u00a0levels, dormant and dying inventory, classification-based\u00a0targets\u00a0and forward-buy savings.<\/span> \u201cWe weren\u2019t looking at any of that before,\u201d Thelma says. \u201cNow we have visibility we never had.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color=”#ffe7b7″ background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”medium_depth” column_border_radius=”15px” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][image_with_animation image_url=”47731″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][divider line_type=”No Line”][vc_custom_heading text=”Overview” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center|color:%23202945″ use_theme_fonts=”yes”][nectar_responsive_text text_color=”#202945″]\n