Case Study: Howdens Joinery achieves fast, scalable order processing and robust inventory visibility with Kerridge Commercial Systems (K8)

Working together to build strong systems

Howdens Joinery, a national builder merchant operating 642+ depots and managing some 450,000 trade accounts, needed a fast, scalable system to process high volumes of sales and give clear visibility of inventory at depot level. Ten years ago Howdens selected K8, the ERP solution from Kerridge Commercial Systems, to replace its legacy platform and support its trade-focused, package-based sales model and autonomous depot operations.

Kerridge Commercial Systems implemented and continually tailored K8 to Howdens’ needs—handling all sales transactions, depot inventory management and integration with manufacturing and finance systems, and supporting rapid international roll‑outs (including a 20‑branch launch in France and start‑ups in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands). The result is faster order processing (one‑line sales in around four seconds versus minutes on competing systems), clear stock visibility, seamless integration and a scalable solution used across 642+ depots, reflecting a decade‑long partnership between Howdens and Kerridge Commercial Systems.

Howdens Joinery

Clive Cockburn

Head of IS Infrastructure