"The decision to change our enterprise
software to Everest has been one of the best
investment decisions I have ever made."
Jarnail S.Sihra
Managing Director
Light Computers.

Company Background
Headquartered in Leeds (United Kingdom), Light Computers Ltd., a leading supplier and distributor of computer components and systems, was established in 1992 as a sole proprietary concern by Jarnail S.Sihra. Light Computers started off as a retail outlet supplying desktop PCs to home users and small businesses. By 1994,the firm found itself well established enough to offer PCs at discounted rates to other retail shops and the trade at large. In 1999, the company moved to a 15,000 sq.ft.office and distribution center. Today, Light Computers is well entrenched as a distributor of both computer systems and components. Annul revenues are projected to touch £13.5 million in 2003, up from £ 7.5 million in 2002.

The Challenge
Light Computers was using QuickBooks 2000 but found it to be inadequate as the company expanded. The inability of QuickBooks to support more than five users and the inability to track serial numbers created problems for Light Computers, and caused much inventory to be tied up in returned merchandise, costing money for the company. In addition, QuickBooks 2000 did not have the facility to close financial year-end accounts, and proved unstable when it came to processing a large number of transactions -over 300 per day. These challenges prompted Light Computers to scout for new software to run the business on. Two packages -from Sage and Pegasus -were considered, but were rejected after careful evaluation revealed a lacking flexibility and a price point Light Computers was looking for with these alternatives.

The Solution
The clear choice was Everest.According to Light Computers 'Managing Director, Jarnail S. Sihra, three attributes of Everest influenced the decision in its favor: the product's features, the platform, and last but not the least, its affordable price. It took a mere 14 days to implement the product. Today Everest effectively integrates Light Computers ’key departments:sales, purchasing, returns, warehouse and accounts. One of the features of Everest that the company finds most compelling is its serial number tracking -which keeps a close tab on merchandise returns and product warranties, keeping costly inventories at a minimum. This information is permanently recorded in the system, allowing inventory control personnel access to a wealth of historical and validation information. Another key feature in Everest that Light Computers highly values is the security controls that limit access to sensitive information. Says Sihra: “ Besides these, the customer tracking feature is extremely useful in collecting marketing-related information from the sales team. With Everest in place, we are also able to do pricing analyses, which helps monitor profit per sales order and check whether goods are being sold below cost.”

The Result
• Reduced inventory tied up in returns by over 50%
• Reduced sales discrepancies and errors by over 30%
• Drastically reduced losses on merchandise returns
• Eliminated below cost-price sales, which was costing it dearly in the past
• Increased security of sensitive information within the organization
• Increased understanding of customers' buying habits and preferences for fine tuning marketing strategy

"Everest is the best buy any company in our
line of business can make.Not only the
product,but the technical support provided by
Icode has been excellent.Overall,Icode is a
great company to do business with."
Jarnail S.Sihra
Managing Director
Light Computers.