Hi!  Thanks for making your way to the Moraware blog.  Since this is the first blog post, I want to give you an idea of what we have planned.

We want to make this blog fun and informative for our customers, as well as people who’re trying to decide on what kind of software to use for scheduling and job management.  There are a couple of ways we think we can make it interesting.  I’m sure it’ll evolve over time, but here’s the rough plan of what you’ll find.

Case Studies.  I’d like to focus on interesting and unusual uses of Moraware JobTracker.  This might be highlighting a specific feature, or a way to use the software in a new industry.  There are plenty of companies pushing the limits, and those are the most exciting to us.

Best Practices.  Most of the help articles you find at http://www.moraware.com/help are ”How-To’s”, and we want to augment the how’s with a bit more of the “Why”.  There are a lot of times when things aren’t black & white, so we can talk about it a little more casually.

What’s New.  Whenever we are headed to a trade show or another event, sending out a new release, or doing something else cool, it’ll show up here.

Answers.  There are certain questions we get asked a bunch, and we’ll try to answer them on the blog – either in the form of videos, articles, or links to some of our existing help or http://answers.moraware.com.

Random stuff.  Occasionally, there are interesting articles about scheduling, running a business, news about our customers, or just generally cool topics that are related to what we’re doing.

I’m hoping we can put up a blog post about every week, not so often that it’s a pain to keep up, but enough to keep things fresh.

May 18, 2009 – Reno, NV. – Moraware JobTracker version 3.0 is available; with new ways to view and filter your schedule to focus on specific problems or missing information. This update also gives users access to the new Moraware mapping service.

Users of all JobTracker editions will benefit from new types of filters – on text and number fields, and new ways to filter for values or activities that don’t exist.

Standard and Enterprise customers current on maintenance will have access to our new mapping service.  This allows you to view a map of all activities scheduled for a day, so you can double-check that your field crews are being used optimally.  There may be additional fees for this service in the future.

In addition to new filters and maps in v3.0, every update contains a variety of improvements and new features based on our customer’s suggestions.  The full release notes are available on our website http://www.moraware.com/help

For more information about Moraware JobTracker scheduling software, contact us toll-free at 866-312-9273, email or web http://www.moraware.com

May 5, 2009

Entire Inventory Software article at Stone Business Magazine

Inventory Software

DOING IT BETTER

Whether you’re tracking slabs in the yard or sinks in the showroom – or both – opinions vary only a little on just what constitutes a good software package. Harry Hollander of Reno, Nev.-based Moraware, says it should help the shop owner do what he’s already doing better.

“You really have to understand your own process for managing inventory,” he says. “The software can be there to automate whatever you have, but inventory relies a lot on trusting the people in the shop, and relying on them to be accurate with things.”

The toughest part of the job, Hollander adds, is already done in a shop where the employees already record taking materials out of inventory and putting remnants back in.

“It also has to be simple enough that somebody who isn’t necessarily a native English speaker, or highly trained on computers, should be able to use it,” he says. “When you’re tracking inventory, there’s always a question of how much effort you want to put into it.”

Historic Vote Marks the Beginning of a New Era

April 18, 2009 – Lehi, Ut. -The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) is pleased to announce that two new Associate Member representatives have been added to the ISFA Board of Directors. Harry Hollander of Moraware, and Bryan Stannard of ITW Plexus were elected by a majority vote of all ISFA Associate Members via email ballot.

Earlier this year, the ISFA Board of Directors voted to change ISFA Bylaws to include two new board seats representing ISFA Associate Members. The board members were nominated and elected to the board positions by the ISFA Associate Members Committee, which consists of all ISFA Associate Member companies in good standing. Both Hollander and Stannard received at least 50 percent of the final vote from their respective Associate Member categories. Hollander represents Equipment and Consumables Partners, while Stannard represents Components Supply Partners.

“Our valued Associate Member companies bring leadership skills, infrastructure resources and a long-term perspective that will add depth and breadth to the vision of the association,” said ISFA president, Sid MacKay. “Adding these two seats to the board will help unify the industry and lay the foundation for expanded member services and future growth.”

Both Hollander and Stannard expressed their commitment to furthering the goals of ISFA, especially in light of the association’s new focus on providing support to fabricators of all decorative surfacing products.

“ITW Plexus has long been a supporter of ISFA and we couldn’t agree more with the direction the association is now taking,” said Stannard. “I accept the honor of joining the ISFA board with excitement and a sense of responsibility. In fact all of us at ITW Plexus are very excited at this opportunity to serve the only association that represents the entire countertop industry.”

“I, personally, think adding Associate Members to the ISFA board is a much needed addition to the association,” commented Hollander. “We believe in ISFA and we believe in the countertop fabricator. I look forward to serving both during my term on the board.”

According to the revised ISFA Bylaws, Associate Member representatives serve one-year terms on the board, with the option to extend their service for an additional one-year term. Hollander and Stannard will participate in their first ISFA board meeting on May 14, at the ISFA training facility on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

About ISFA: The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISSFA.org) is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to helping its members become more profitable through education, fostering professionalism and promoting the countertop industry. For more information about ISFA visit our Web site at www.issfa.org or call 877.464.7732. Kevin Cole can be reached at 815.721.1507 or Kevin@issfa.org.