Composites Canada, a family-owned distributor of fiberglass, resins, sundries, and paints, has been serving customers since 1985. From hobbyists to large corporations in aerospace and marine manufacturing, the company built its reputation on reliable supply and personalized service.
As the business expanded – growing from five employees in 2017 to a team of twenty-four – Composites acquired new companies and broadened its customer base both locally and internationally. Operating out of a 35,000-square-foot warehouse with an on-site showroom, the company needed stronger visibility and control over its growing inventory.
Before implementing Blue Link ERP in 2017, Composites relied on handwritten invoices and carbon copies, making it difficult to maintain accurate inventory records or scale operations efficiently. Blue Link ERP became the company’s first true system for inventory management, setting the foundation for more advanced warehouse management tools to support their next stage of growth.
As Composites’ operations grew, so did the complexity of its warehouse. Without a structured system in place, the company faced mounting inefficiencies, limited visibility, and costly errors across daily operations – clear signs that a warehouse management system could benefit the company.
Racking systems had no assigned locations, and products lacked consistent identification tags, making it impossible to maintain an accurate inventory count. Warehouse staff relied on printed pick lists and a “hunt-and-search” approach to find items, often zigzagging across the warehouse to complete orders.
This manual process not only slowed productivity but also led to frequent picking mistakes. Mismatched product names between vendor labels and the company’s internal records caused confusion and errors that were expensive to correct—sometimes costing thousands of dollars to fix an issue tied to materials worth only a fraction of that amount.
“The cost of making a mistake is a lot more than you might realize. The amount of labor that goes into fixing that mistake, (…) it runs in the thousands for a couple $100 worth of material,” commented Joseph Ezeard, Operation Managers of Composites.
As Composites prepared to meet the demands of larger aerospace customers and introduce lot tracking, it became clear that accurate location management and streamlined warehouse processes were essential to supporting future growth. The company needed a more efficient, scalable warehouse management system for small businesses to maintain accuracy, reduce waste, and support continued expansion
To address its warehouse challenges, Composites implemented Blue Link’s WMS Lite, a built-in warehouse management system designed for small and growing distribution businesses. The goal was to modernize warehouse operations, improve accuracy, and create a foundation for future lot tracking capabilities.
Before going live, Composites took a meticulous approach to preparation. Under the guidance of Joseph Ezeard – hired for his WMS implementation expertise—the team spent a year organizing and standardizing the warehouse. Every rack was labeled with a designated location, and 4×2 product labels were applied throughout the facility. The racking system was also reconfigured to support a more efficient picking workflow, setting the stage for a seamless WMS rollout.
With Blue Link’s warehouse management system in place, Composites transitioned from paper-based picking to tablet-driven scanning. Warehouse staff could now scan products and locations directly, eliminating the guesswork and errors that previously slowed operations. This upgrade provided real-time visibility into inventory movement and accurate location tracking, which were key improvements ahead of the company’s planned implementation of lot tracking.
Recognizing that not all warehouse operations fit a single mold, Blue Link devised a solution to support sales from Composites’ on-site showroom. By setting up the showroom as a separate “Counter” warehouse location, sales staff could instantly generate transfer orders for items not in stock on the floor. The system then automatically updated sales orders, ensuring customers received quick service without disrupting warehouse accuracy.
Beyond scanning and inventory control, Composites maximized existing Blue Link ERP functionality to improve coordination. By fully utilizing the Sales Order Review screen and Order Status feature, sales and logistics teams gained instant visibility into shipment progress. Updating the order status automatically alerts the logistics coordinator—streamlining communication and enhancing overall warehouse efficiency.
The adoption of Blue Link’s WMS Lite transformed Composites’ warehouse operations, delivering measurable gains in productivity, accuracy, and visibility across the business. What began as a move to modernize warehouse processes evolved into a complete operational upgrade, providing the efficiency and control of a full warehouse management system without the cost or complexity.
Since implementing the system, picking errors have nearly disappeared. What once occurred multiple times each month now happens only once or twice a year. Joseph emphasized that “the amount of mistakes we make in a year is less than what we used to make in a month (…) We may make one or two picking errors a year.”
This drastic improvement has saved the company thousands of dollars annually in labor, shipping, and customer service costs tied to error correction.
With system-directed picking and clear warehouse locations, staff can complete orders quickly and confidently. The entire team knows where and how to find product – without needing to hunt down items in different locations. This allows for a faster, smoother, and far more efficient process that enables them to serve more customers each day.
“We can pick orders faster, more accurately, and service more customers in a day. So that’s where our growth has really been seen through WMS, ” added Joseph.
New employees can now be trained on the warehouse layout and pick paths within a single day. Thanks to Blue Link’s intuitive, system-guided workflow, new hires quickly become productive members of the warehouse team, reducing downtime and dependence on tribal knowledge.
Management now has instant insight into warehouse operations. From Blue Link’s intuitive screens, the team can see the live status of all shipments and transfers across the 35,000-square-foot facility—eliminating guesswork and improving coordination between departments.
Joseph highlighted that now they “can quickly see exactly the status of the shipments and dissect within seconds. I know what’s happening in my warehouse, just simply by looking at that screen or the transfer screen.”
Composites credits Blue Link’s responsive support team as a critical part of their success, providing practical solutions and customization guidance throughout the project. With the new warehouse management system in place, the company is now preparing to implement lot tracking to meet aerospace industry requirements and continue its growth trajectory with confidence.
“The support is there… I know I can get a hold of Mike or Lucas and they can walk me through how to improve a small area of something I’m doing… the support that Blue Link has given me personally… that’s been big for me.” — Joseph Ezeard, Operations Manager
Blue Link’s WMS Lite gives small and growing distributors the power of a warehouse management system without the cost or complexity of a standalone solution. See how you can improve accuracy, productivity, and visibility across your warehouse with a system built right into Blue Link ERP.
Want to hear from other distributors who made the switch?
The support that Blue Link has given me personally has been huge. If I have a question, I know I can get a hold of Gonzalo, Mike, or Lucas, and they’ll walk me through how to improve what I’m doing. The amount of ideas, troubleshooting, and same-day responses we get — that’s been the difference. It’s what makes this work.
Blue Link ERP provides integrated Accounting Software and Inventory Management Software to small and medium sized businesses, primarily wholesalers & distributors. READ MORE
