Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
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OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT w w w. o u t d o o r p o w e re q u i p m e n t . c o m 40 FEATURE STORY BRinlY-HARdY COmpAnY UnvEilS limiTEd EdiTiOn pOlY CART Tracing its roots back to 1839, Brinly- Hardy Company has cultivated a rich history of developing lawn and garden products that are highly innovative and extremely durable. This year marks the company's historic 175th year of operation. As far back as the early 1800s, blacksmith "Little John" Brinly built handmade plows when he wasn't shoeing horses, mules and oxen. In 1837, Brinly's son, Thomas E. C. Brinly, pioneered a new design: a one-piece steel plow created using a modified saw blade. This new design, with its smooth-scouring steel moldboard, answered the needs of farmers working with the heavy, sticky southern soils. The excellence of these plows soon made them famous among farmers in Kentucky and throughout the South. Demand for the plows grew quickly. Morris Belknap of W.B. Belknap & Company convinced Brinly to relocate in Kentucky from Simpsonville to Louisville in order to increase his manufacturing and distribution capacities. In 1859, Brinly forged a partnership with James E. Hardy and moved the booming business to downtown Louisville. Since then, five generations of Hardy family ownership have upheld the ideals of innovative product design and expert craftsmanship. Today, Brinly-Hardy Co. manufactures more than 100 different products under five different brand names. Each is designed in-house with customers' specific needs in mind, proven through extensive testing, and built with 175 years of American pride and manufacturing expertise. In celebration of its 175th anniversary, and to thank customers for so many years of support, the company will unveil a limited edition poly cart, affectionately dubbed the 175 LTD. Only 500 will be made, and each will come with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity, nylon anniversary cover, and a unique American-made Brinly-Hardy Co. baseball cap. The cart will only be available for purchase online. Customers can own an exclusive piece of Brinly-Hardy Co. history by visiting www.brinly.com to order. Brinly-Hardy Co. CHARTER SOFTwARE REvEAlS ASpEn SAlES KiOSK (ASK) AT ARA REnTAl SHOw Charter Software Inc., a dealership business technology provider, officially launched a new dealership sales enhancement tool, ASK (ASPEN Sales Kiosk), at the ARA Rental Show Feb. 25 in Orlando, Fla. ASK is a sales tool that provides dealership customers a way to browse inventory. Making its ARA Rental Show debut, Charter Software has gained notoriety in the equipment industry with the growing popularity of its ASPEN business management system and as one of two business system vendors approved by Doosan-Bobcat for its dealers. ASK is a sales tool application that runs on a Windows 8 touchscreen in conjunction with the dealership's ASPEN system. ASK aids in-store customers with a "self-serve" means to search for information on parts and units. "Basically, dealers are extending some of the capabilities of their ASPEN business system onto the showroom floor, allowing their customers to search for units and parts inventory on their own while they are waiting for service, or just looking to get a better idea of what to ask for help with," said Charter Software President Anne Salemo. "With ASK, dealers can project an outward appearance that they are in line with technology trends simply by providing their in-store customers with an alternative medium to browse their inventory." When searching for parts using ASK, customers can view a part's description, in- store availability, and images, along with the dealership's floor map indicating the part's location. Customers can also search for units using a variety of search terms such as model, name and unit description, and then pull up detailed information and images of the unit. "We're always adding new features to our ASPEN system to keep dealers abreast of the latest tools and technology that will enhance their business," added Salemo. "Our users are always pleased with the enhancements we make to the software on a regular basis, and some have even joked with us that we anticipate their needs before they even realize them." For more information on ASK and how it works with ASPEN, contact Charter Software by phone at (303) 932-6875, extension 219, or via e-mail at solutions@chartersoftware. com or visit chartersoftware.com. Charter Software Inc. CAnAdiAn dEAlER REvAmpS invEnTORY COUnTing pROCESS wiTH idEAl COmpUTER'S nEw mOBilE invEnTORY App Thornhill Lawn Equipment, a family- owned outdoor power equipment dealership in Thornhill, Ontario, is seeing significant benefits in its inventory counting process since implementing Ideal's new mobile inventory app. The business is reporting quicker and more accurate inventory counts, a reduction in costs and staff needed for counts, and improved visibility of its fastest- moving parts. "I think Ideal did a great job developing this new mobile inventory app," said Thornhill's General Manager John Engels- man. "You can easily scan the bar code, or enter the part number, look up the inventory on-hand, and update the count without having to go back and forth to the computer. It also prevents human error in that you don't have to worry about someone accidentally entering in the wrong quantities." Thornhill has noticed a reduction in costs needed to conduct inventory counts. Since the app allows the dealership to conduct rapidly quicker inventory counts, the amount of staff and man hours needed to count inventory is greatly reduced, which also minimizes operating expenses. "This app has become a huge time and pROdUCT nEwS