BRADENTON, Fla., May 16, 2001 - HandySource today announced the availability of its Internet Catalog Search System, a product enhancement to its online purchase order system launched in April 2001. The online catalog system - found at www.handysource.com - is designed to minimize the time and effort required by property managers to find and order products for the day-to-day operations of their multi-housing units.
The online catalog search system allows buyers to quickly find products through two methods. The first allows the buyer to easily browse individual vendor catalogs for maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies. Buyers can search through various categories to find product SKU numbers, stock numbers, photos/drawings, pricing and product names. Buyers can select the quantity as well as use a pull down option to show tiered unit pricing when different quantities are required.
If the buyer doesn't have a particular vendor in mind, the second feature allows the user to use a keyword option that searches through all of the catalogs for a specific product. Search results provide the same product information as above plus the name of the product's vendor. The search will also automatically list the product results in price numeric order.
Once the right product is found, the buyer can click on a "buy" icon, which automatically posts the product's information (name, stock number, price and quantity) to an online purchase order created specifically for that product's vendor. This option eliminates errors and time inefficiencies that occur in the manual process while simplifying the creation of purchase orders through quicker automated functions. The buyer can continue to search through that vendor's catalog, automatically add products to the purchase order, submit the purchase order for processing or create a new purchase order and search through other online catalogs.
Once the buyer has created a purchase order on the HandySource site, they can:
- Save it as a template for repetitive and future orders;
- Customize the vendor secured database to stores names, addresses, account numbers, e-mail addresses, phone, and fax;
- Access a history section that allows users to edit, re-submit, create new and track receiving from previously submitted purchase orders;
- Issue consecutive purchase order numbers generated through user preferences;
- Track "spot" or "maverick" purchases through a detailed audit trail.
HandySource will work with every product vendor to ensure that the online catalogs are up-to-date on pricing, product offering and shipping information.
HandySource.com is a business-to-business e-commerce bid and purchase marketplace for the multi-family real estate industry. The company was formed in 1999 as a sister company to HandyTrac Systems, Inc., a leading supplier of computerized key control systems to the multi-housing industry. The company's corporate office is located in Bradenton, Fla. It also has a regional support / training center in Atlanta, Ga. with an additional five centers (Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington) planned throughout the United States.
