The Watermark Collection Takes on Europe with Odoo

Country: United Kingdom
Industry: Interior & Architectural Fittings
Apps Implemented: CRM, Sales, Purchase, Invoicing, Inventory
Number of Users: 7
Implementation Time:  6 months in production + 70 hours with a consultant

The Watermark Collection is a pioneer of sophisticated brassware with a rich history dating back to 1976. Their products are unique, taking inspiration from architectural details and engineering structures found in the environment. The Watermark products and fixtures are present all around the world and they pride the pages of several esteemed magazines such as The World of Interiors and Elle Decoration.



From Brooklyn to Central London

The Watermark Collection’s products are produced from scratch in Brooklyn, New York. In 2014, the company decided to expand it’s operation to Europe and beyond and established a base in central London to achieve this. The Watermark products have been sold worldwide for years but had yet to properly focus outside of the US because of differing product types and plumbing systems in the rest of the world. It was The Watermark Collection’s Managing Director, Benjamin Peak, that initiated the project and together with Avi Abel, the President of Watermark Designs, the venture became a reality. 
In the beginning the company didn’t have a proper system in place and they were using Excel spreadsheets for everything. This meant that hundreds of spreadsheets were being passed around the company and without any integration the Watermark Collection was facing several issues;
  • The Excel spreadsheet system was making it difficult to manage information, and technical mistakes and clerical errors were common, especially as some employees were not accustomed to working with Excel.

  • As the products are sold from the U.K., sales are made in GBP but as all the components are bought from and produced in the U.S., the purchases are made in USD. The company was therefore in need of a system able to cope with both currencies and allow them to manually set and amend the exchange rates.

  • They needed a user-friendly integrated system that didn’t require a complicated manual every time it was used.

  • It was important for the company that customization was possible so they could build their system according to their own flow and needs, and for a reasonable price.

  • Without an integrated system it was hard to keep track of their KPIs and progress.

 

Out With The Old, In With The New

The Watermark Collection began shopping around online for a better system that could replace their current chaotic system of Excel spreadsheets. They had tried a different solution but found that the interface was too complex and the infrastructure wasn’t what they’d expected. They needed a simple solution that could cater specifically to their needs, and at a reasonable price, and they found that Odoo was exactly what they needed. The Watermark Collection’s system is still in production but they’re currently working with Odoo CRM, Sales, Purchase, Inventory and Invoicing, and they’re considering adding more apps in the future.

  • With the integrated Odoo CRM the company now has all their customer information consolidated into one system, and no need for a complicated web of spreadsheets.

  • Specific customization was important to fit the company’s business flow as products are purchased after sales are made. With the customization when a Sales Order is confirmed in Odoo Sales it triggers a delivery order where they can then create a Purchase Order which goes directly to Odoo Purchase.

  • Another small customization in Odoo Sales allows the company to have a picture of the products sold in the Sales Order.

  • With Odoo The Watermark Collection can now easily navigate between US Dollars and British Pounds in all their applications.

 

Expanding At Your Own Pace With Odoo

The Watermark Collection is still in production but they’ve successfully started using their current business applications. The integrated business solution simplifies the business management and with the Odoo applications, producing management reports has never been easier as it can be done with the push of a button. According to Benjamin Peak, the Managing Director, it was an easy move to Odoo. With step-by-step guidance they began implementing the solution and they could expand at their own pace. The users within the company are getting used to Odoo quickly, and already the company has increased its users from 4 to 7, and are considering expanding to add more Odoo applications in the near future.

 

About The Watermark Collection

The Brooklyn company was founded in 1976 by Herman Abel. Since the beginning they’ve remained true to the founder’s passion of metal finishing, handcrafting every piece with great care. The Watermark Collection specializes in unique faucets, showers and bath accessories. Everything is manually done in the Watermark factory; from picking up the carefully selected brass and carrying it back, to assembling by hand the myriad of hand finished parts. Every single part goes through a thorough process of hand polishing, plating and spraying that can take the artisans several days before they are considered ready to proceed to the assembly team.

The Watermark Collection company manufactures everything in Brooklyn, New York, and then resells the products under their own brand from the U.K.. The company’s main customer base is currently located in Europe and the U.K., but they are quickly expanding into Asia and The Middle East as well . The Watermark products have a strong brand name and you can find their high quality products all around the world; from Trump Park Avenue in New York, to The Ritz Carlton in Shanghai.


More info on www.thewatermarkcollection.eu

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