MILWAUKEE - Penta Technologies Inc., a leading provider of enterprise software for the construction industry, announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with Trade Service, developers of TRA-SER®, a material and pricing database for the HVACR/plumbing and electrical contracting industries.

The TRA-SER Premier material pricing database has been integrated with PENTA Construction ERP software, in order to provide mechanical and electrical contractors with accurate and up-to-date material pricing at the time their business needs call for it.

According to the companies, Penta customers have a variety of options for customizing how materials from TRA-SER Premier interact with inventory products, catalogs, update processing and cost codes in PENTA.

“With this partnership, Penta customers gain the benefit of the TRA-SER Premier material pricing database without deviating from the way they perform their purchasing, billing, and cost control processes in PENTA. We’re also excited to extend an excellent new link option to our electrical, HVACR, and plumbing TRA-SER Premier customers in the market for construction ERP software,” said Tod Moore, vice president of sales and marketing for Trade Service.

“Electrical and mechanical contractors deal with a great volume of material inventory,” said Harvey Shovers, Penta vice president of sales and marketing. “PENTA’s ability to tie in the industry’s leading material pricing database presents electrical and mechanical specialty contractors with a powerful combination for streamlining the otherwise very time-intensive business processes relying on accurate and up-to-date material pricing data.”

According to Mark McCluskey, CFO of Westphal & Company Inc., “Penta’s TRA-SER integration provides Westphal with substantial cost savings in maintaining our inventory, and managing our job cost, purchasing, and billing processes. The TRA-SER integration within PENTA ensures the appropriate cost code application for job cost reporting and purchase order generation.”

For more information about Penta Technologies, visit www.penta.com. For more information about Trade Service, visit www.tradeservice.com.

Publication date:09/22/2008