For nearly a quarter century, I have had the good fortune to consult with independent gas distributors about their businesses. My employer provides enterprise software and services to the North American packaged gases industry, and as we have watched computing systems mature and grow, so have we watched the expectations of application functionality to grow, also. Prepared with that much history, it is natural to reflect upon what has been learned, as well as what can be shared.
Move over accounting – In my early years with software and systems consulting, hand-written ledgers were common. Any electronic advantages were often isolated to a noisy 10-key calculator and a swanky IBM® Selectric II typewriter. It was natural for computers to be first adopted by bookkeepers and accountants since Payroll, A/R, A/P, and G/L were common to all businesses. Soon after core administrative tasks had transitioned successfully to computers, programmers brought industry-specific inventory controls and order processing to integrated software platforms.
Within the packaged gases industry, this meant Kardex-style cylinder tracking methods were abandoned for integrated systems that considered cylinder assets as inventory stock that could also be recognized by the computer’s order-processing systems for both cylinder shipments and cylinder returns. Since cylinder balances were held within the computerized inventory, invoicing and A/R systems, rental and demurrage calculations were embedded within the integrated systems. Joining the processes within a single system enabled asset tracking and collections/receivables to be rightfully (and accurately) married.
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