How Fast-Spec Eliminated Manual Workarounds and Increased Throughput with 10X ERP

Industry: Industrial Fastener & Supply Distribution

Location: Arlington, Texas

Serving: Oil & Gas, OEM, Utility, and Industrial Markets

ERP: 10X ERP (migrated from legacy Windows-based system)

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Company Background

For more than 40 years, Fast-Spec has been a trusted fastener and industrial supplier serving some of the most demanding markets in the country, including Oil & Gas, OEM, and utility. The company built its reputation on three things: responsiveness, accuracy, and deep product expertise.

But as the business grew, the tools behind the scenes were not keeping up.

The Problem: A Legacy System Holding Back a Growing Business

Fast-Spec was running on a legacy Windows-based ERP system that created friction at every turn. The platform was not intuitive, forcing the team into manual workarounds and disconnected reports just to get through the day.

Day-to-day pain points included:

• Pulling multiple reports each morning just to figure out what needed attention
• Warehouse staff constantly interrupting leadership with process questions
• Manual tracking of secondary processing (painting, plating, outside services)
• No real-time visibility into orders, inventory, or purchasing status
• Slow onboarding because workflows were hard to learn

The result? A team that was working harder than it needed to, spending time on process instead of customers.

Why Fast-Spec Chose 10X ERP

Fast-Spec needed a modern platform purpose-built for industrial distributors, not a generic system they would have to force-fit. After evaluating their options, they selected 10X ERP for its:

• Real-time visibility across orders, inventory, purchasing, and financials
• Streamlined workflows that eliminate unnecessary steps and reduce errors
• Integrated secondary processing with full tracking from sales order to outside service and back
• Role-based dashboards that surface what matters to each team member
• Mobile access so the team can work from anywhere, on any device
• Scalable architecture designed to grow with the business

The Results: "Our Daily Operation Almost Runs Itself"

According to Frank Thomason with Fast-Spec, the impact was immediate and measurable.

Our daily operation almost runs itself. We don't get constant questions from our warehouse about how to handle orders or shipments. Orders move from entry to fulfillment seamlessly and without errors.

Secondary Processing: From Manual Tracking to Full Visibility

One of the biggest wins came in managing outside services like painting and plating. Previously, tracking items sent out for processing was entirely manual and error-prone. With 10X ERP, processing purchase orders link directly to the original sales orders, and product location is tracked at every stage.

This one improvement alone has saved significant time and increased our throughput.

Faster Decisions, Fewer Bottlenecks

With real-time data and mobile access, team members can update orders, check inventory, approve purchases, and monitor KPIs from anywhere. Leadership spends less time answering process questions and more time growing the business.

Key Business Outcomes

What This Means for Distributors Like You

Fast-Spec's story is not unique. Many industrial distributors are running on systems that worked 15 years ago but now create more problems than they solve. The difference between surviving and scaling often comes down to whether your ERP is working for you or against you.

With 10X ERP, it's even easier to deliver on our pledge that 'Customer Service is our #1 Product.'

If your team is spending more time working around your ERP than working in it, let's talk. 10X ERP is built for distributors who are ready to grow.