BusinessWorks Customer
L & J Diesel Service, Inc.

Corporate Profile
Headquarters
Jacksonville, FL

Type of Business
Remanufacturing facility for diesel pumps, injectors and turbochargers

Number of Employees
13

Annual Revenue
$1 million

System Profile
Computer System
IBM

Operating System
Windows 3.1.2

Network
NOVELL

BusinessWorks Modules in Use
General Ledger
Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Inventory Control & Purchasing
Order Entry
Mailing Labels

Application
General accounting, invoicing, receivables, payables, inventory, mailing labels, quotations


Home page


2055 Carolyn Sue, Baton Rouge, LA 70815
225-923-1985 • fax: 923-3515


L & J Diesel Service Running Smoothly with BusinessWorks

“With BusinessWorks’ itemized billing, we now know exactly what we should charge the customer, whereas before we were just guessing.”

Omar Cueto, Business Partner, L & J Diesel Service, Inc.


The Challenge
Remaining competitive in any business involves increasing the productivity and accuracy of the operation while providing optimal customer service. A year ago, BusinessWorks for Windows® 11.0 helped transform the accounting and inventory system of a 28-year-old diesel parts remanufacturing plant, into a smooth-running establishment, saving the company time and money.

A family-owned business specializing in repair and maintenance of diesel fuel pumps, injectors and turbochargers, L & J Diesel Service, Inc. had employed manual inventory and accounting methods since 1968. While L & J used state-of-the-art equipment in its shop, business partner Omar Cueto says prior to installing BusinessWorks the company clung to old methods in its front office.

“My brother typed all of our invoices on a Smith Corona typewriter, we maintained our accounts receivable on an archaic UNIX system and processed our payables on an old 286 PC,” said Cueto, who took over the administrative functions of the business two years ago. The company could only estimate the value of its inventory and performed a physical count on a yearly basis.

The family was receptive to the idea of automating but wanted Cueto to find a product compatible with the DOS environment they were accustomed to operating.


The Solution
After looking at various software packages, Cueto sought advice from his CPA, who recommended BusinessWorks for Windows even though he knew he would be losing a monthly retainer of nearly $500 per month. The company initially purchased BusinessWorks’ Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and General Ledger modules. About six months later, Cueto added Order Entry and Inventory Control & Purchasing to monitor the more than 4,000 items in stock.

BusinessWorks has saved L & J countless hours of tedious inventory work, and allows the company to track parts and carry a wider variety of products including fuel additives, starters and alternators. In addition to automating invoicing and incorporating accounts payable and receivable, BusinessWorks has contributed to improved customer relations as well.

“With BusinessWorks’ itemized billing, we now know exactly what we should charge the customer, whereas before we were just guessing,” said Cueto. “For example, if a customer comes in and says ‘I came in a few months ago and Luis gave me a special price,’ I can look up the previous invoice and sell the product for the same price.”

The Windows environment allows Cueto the flexibility of checking a part number on CD-ROM catalogs provided by manufacturers and then using BusinessWorks to make sure an item is in stock.

Cueto says BusinessWorks not only has saved his company money, but also has saved him a lot of running around.

“I know that because each of us in the office has put on a little weight since we started using BusinessWorks,” he laughs.


The capabilities, system requirements and compatibility with third-party products described herein are subject to change without notice. Contact STATE OF THE ART® for current information. BusinessWorks® and the BusinessWorks® logo are trademarks of STATE OF THE ART®. The STATE OF THE ART® name and logo are registered trademarks of STATE OF THE ART, INC. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their manufacturers. ©1996 STATE OF THE ART, INC. All rights reserved.