Software developer Proton.ai on Tuesday officially launched what the company called the first industry cloud platform that is “purpose-built” for the distribution sector.
The platform includes the company’s current CRM, product information management and e-commerce recommendation solutions, as well as a forthcoming tool to automate quote and order entry processes. Proton.ai officials said that the combination helps eliminate duplicated tasks across disconnected systems, as well as allows for fewer software contacts and eases costs for both implementation and maintenance.
Distributors, in turn, could eliminate manual “busywork,” improve their service capabilities, protect their margins and increase wallet share.
"Distributors have been sold point solutions for years and told it's their job to make them work together," Proton.ai founder and CEO Benj Cohen said in a statement. "We think that's backwards. Distributors deserve software that makes their job easier, not harder."
MSC Industrial Supply CEO Martina McIsaac added in the announcement that the distributor’s bet on Proton.ai’s AI solutions five years ago has “paid off.”
“Since that time, we have doubled down on AI-enabled solutions across the entire enterprise to move our business forward,” McIsaac said.
