Step up to bar codes: midway plumbing & heating uses technology to lower inventory costs,...

As a flat-rate plumbing-and-heating service contractor in Abilene, Texas, David Ratliff as long believed that controlling inventory is a key to his company's profitability. The challenge was to find a system that would help Midway Plumbing & Heating manage inventory costs, make sure parts are available when needed and not bury service techs in an avalanche of paperwork.

"The paperwork created by our manual system was absolutely horrible," Ratliff says. "We inventory each truck every single month, and all the techs had to do a restock form each day on their material. Tr