.:Substruct:. About Substruct

Substruct systems

Our Story

About four years ago, Zettler Hardware, a chain of seven ACE® hardware stores in Columbus, Ohio, had to make an important decision. They knew they needed to switch from cash registers to a computerized Point of Sale system, but none of the options available seemed to fit. Triadd® (now Acitivant®), the system that ACE recommended, was too expensive – the monthly maintenance fees were just too high. Other less expensive systems lacked the features they needed.

Finally they discovered Cougar Mountain Software, a company well known for their accounting products. Cougar Mountain’s Point of Sale with Back Office Accounting® met both their Point of Sale and accounting needs. The software worked well, but Zettler Hardware soon realized that while it did what it was designed to do, it lacked certain features they felt were necessary. They needed vendor integrated ordering and receiving with ACE, an auto-replenishment ordering system, and a variety of other extra inventory related features.

Zettler Hardware decided that the desired features were worth the investment. That’s where Substruct Systems came in. Over the next several years we worked closely with the managers and employees of Zettler Hardware to develop an add-on program for Cougar Mountain called Substruct Utilities. We mapped out every feature they wanted – from Computer Assisted Order to vendor integrated receiving, from label generating to advanced reporting – and we designed them.

Every feature the managers requested was added. If they wanted a report to graph when their sales were happening, we made it. If they wanted a program that made signs, we wrote it. At one point they wanted a zip code tracking option. Guess what – we designed one. The finished product was a success.

After months of using the new and improved Point of Sale system, we all soon realized that other hardware stores could benefit from our software. Now, Cougar Mountain and Substruct Systems have teamed up to bring you the most valuable Point of Sale, Accounting, and Inventory Control software on the market. The best part is: it’s designed exclusively for hardware stores.