The Challenge
Carlson Forest Products has been distributing dimension lumber and panel products since 2005. Founded by Derek Carlson, a Virginia Tech Wood Science and Forest Products Marketing graduate, the company's leadership understands the industry from the inside.
Their software did not.
The platform they were running created friction at every level of the operation.
Redundant steps for routine transactions. Tasks that should have been fast required extra clicks, extra entries, and manual workarounds to produce the right result.
Inconsistent inventory management. Data was unreliable enough that teams had developed their own workarounds, which introduced further inconsistency.
System errors and poor user experience. Non-technical staff struggled with a platform not designed for the forest products business. Training burden was high, and mistakes were common.
The cumulative effect: management was spending time firefighting data problems instead of running the business. That is the point where a system problem becomes a growth problem.
The Solution
Carlson brought in RDB Solutions. Three things separated RDB from every other vendor they evaluated.
Industry Knowledge
RDB's team already understood lumber terminology, operations, and the rhythms of the forest products business. No one had to explain context before getting help.
Rapid Customization
When Carlson needed changes, they happened quickly. The software adapted to the business, not the other way around.
US-Based Support
Domestic support meant faster communication and a team available during business hours when problems actually came up.
Fast Onboarding
Hands-on training from RDB's support team meant staff adoption moved quickly, without a drawn-out transition period or months of parallel systems.
The Results
After implementation, Carlson saw improvements across every dimension of their operation.
- Dramatically improved administrative workflows across the operation
- Streamlined inventory management with consistent, reliable data
- Enhanced visibility across departments
- Significant reduction in manual data entry and error correction
- Management time freed to focus on growth, not data cleanup
In Their Own Words
"RDB Solutions starts with a deep understanding of our industry. That's a huge advantage. Order blocking and centralized document storage saved us countless hours. Everything is faster, more efficient, and it shows in the way our business runs today."
Jeff Tant, VP, Carlson Forest Products
Related Solutions
Carlson's transformation was built on the core RDB platform.
