— Furniture Today,
CULVER CITY, Calif. — Case goods and occasional importer Powell Co. will use a new scanning system at the Aug. 16-19 Tupelo market, which it says will allow customers to place orders more quickly and efficiently.


The PowellASAP system, using a hand-held scanner, provides real- time information from the company’s product database to a server in the showroom. Powell first used the system at the July Las Vegas market and said it saved time there.

“With all the different categories of product that we offer, it’s not unusual for a customer to purchase 50 or more SKUs,” said Sean Slack, the company’s executive vice president Sean Slack. “The time savings for both our customers and our sales staff was significant, not to mention the system can cut down on the chance of errors during the rush at market.”

The ASAP system also works in conjunction with a new online order entry system called PowellPRO, or Powell Retailers Online.

That system, which can be accessed at www.powellpro.net, allows retailers to place orders online and access real-time order information such as confirmations and shipment status. It also allows access to promotions and specials available through the PRO Web site as well as information on inventory levels.