I’ve been in the lumber and building materials industry for most of my career and have always had an interest in technology. It seems not too long ago when I was running seminars to display this “new thing” called the internet to dealers; at the time, nobody knew what was going to become of it, but I was positive that big things were on the horizon when waiting-for-signed-documents-to-arrive-in-the-mail was replaced by the screech of the fax machine and its promise to deliver a copy of forms in just minutes—which was, comparatively, instantaneous. Technological innovation continued as mobile phones were no longer mounted in cars and could be carried in your pocket, rendering constant accessibility. Next came e-mail, mobile apps, chat rooms, instant messaging, etc.… my tech thoughts were churning as these new tools advanced the processes of the lumber business, a traditional industry not typically known to embrace technology.
Once Enterprise Resource Planning was added to our vernacular as ERP and had become the norm in the LBM world, it showed people that integration with other programs, sharing data in business processes, EDI, and electronic invoicing was the next frontier in digital commerce. To adopt such a different way of doing business had taken some serious effort and a new generation of thinking, but it became the greatest impetus to move away from paper. Everything about the way we did things changed with ERP for automating and digitizing business, particularly in material flow and inventory management throughout the distribution channel.
MaterialsXchange represents the next era of data transparency and information sharing, truly in real time, meaning the purchasing and delivery of forest products begins immediately after clicking the button. Our easy to use price discovery technology allows mills and buyers to instantly create markets, negotiate pricing, and place orders quickly, and MX can be integrated with companies’ current ERP for seamless, secure transfer of data. After signing up to become an MX user, the access to our digital marketplace is actually instantaneous—unlike a noisy fax machine.
My career has spanned different segments of the LBM industry including associations, software, distribution, and buying co-ops. In every realm, business transpires through longstanding relationships because they are so ingrained in our “handshake” industry. It’s these meaningful connections that have lasted for four generations or more. Technology delivers immediate transactional efficiencies so people can uphold these important relationships and conduct business more efficiently.
It’s an exciting time to be in this industry. As the latest generation of owners takes over the lumber business, enabling these technologies is imperative and inevitable so we can remain competitive in this everchanging business world. MaterialsXchange gives me the opportunity to contribute to our industry’s evolution with this digital transactional process.
Paul Dean is the Director of Business Development for MaterialsXchange and a senior-level executive with an extensive history in the lumber and building materials industry. He has served as President & CEO and Executive Vice President of two national cooperatives and has a strong background in sales and marketing during his time in lumber wholesale distribution, software and systems, and association management. His current role helps lead the evolution of digital commerce in the LBM supply chain.