The company specializes in the sale, rental, and servicing of forklifts, scissor lifts, boom lifts, and other heavy-duty material equipment across Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The company also operates GMC Rentals, offering a wide range of high-quality construction, industrial, and event equipment from three locations: Bayamón, Cataño, and Carolina.
Business case
For years, GMC operated using a mix of disconnected systems, including Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Peachtree, and Sage, to manage its operations. As the company expanded its products and services, these systems became increasingly difficult to scale and manage.
Key challenges included:
- Poor integration and data silos due to fragmented systems
- Lack of real-time visibility, particularly in sales and inventory
- Manual data processes, increasing the risk of error and inefficiency
- Limited scalability
“Initial configuration was confusing for non-technical users,” says Luis Rivera, President at GMC Rentals. “The system felt built more for accountants than general users, particularly in inventory management.”
Solution
In an effort to modernize, GMC partnered with local LS Retail partner Optimus Business Transformation, who recommended a comprehensive solution combining LS Central and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP. “Initially, we opted for a different POS system, but the integration kept failing,” says Rivera. “Optimus Business Transformation recommended LS Central, a powerful platform that finally delivered real-time data and a single source of truth.”
Unlike their previous disconnected tools, LS Central offers a centralized platform that seamlessly connects POS, inventory management, vendor management, CRM, and financials with advanced retail functionality. It also runs fully on SaaS, allowing GMC to access the system remotely, scale operations, and eliminate on-premises maintenance costs.
The switch to LS Central went very smoothly, with both teams collaborating to ensure a successful rollout. “The transition to LS Central was far smoother than any of our previous implementations,” says Rivera.
Benefits
Since adopting LS Central, GMC has experienced significant improvements in its operations, including:
- Full operational visibility – The finance and operations teams can now generate detailed, timely reports they know are accurate, improving business insights and decision-making.
- Streamlined financial processes – The new solution makes tasks like processing invoices, matching payments, and tracking expenses easier and faster since sales data is directly connected to the ERP. This reduces manual work and lets the accounting team focus on more strategic activities.
- Seamless communication between departments – “With LS Central, we’ve finally aligned our back office and front line - our team spends less time troubleshooting and more time serving customers,” says Rivera.
- Real-time warehouse coordination – Sales data flows instantly to warehouse staff, speeding up order fulfillment. “Warehouse employees now receive real-time order updates from sales reps, eliminating delays and helping them manage inventory more efficiently at each location,” says Rivera.
With the support of LS Central and Optimus Business Transformation, GMC has transformed its operations from fragmented and manual to integrated and automated. LS Central now empowers every aspect of the business, from sales and accounting to inventory management and analytics, with the tools and data they need to serve customers more quickly and effectively.
