For Immediate Release:

D&H TESTIMONIAL PARTNER CASE STUDY: TWOTREES TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Twotrees®

Read this Press Release in a PDF.

PARTNER: Founded in 1984, Twotrees Technologies of Wichita, Kansas, is a major supplier of technology and managed services to school districts, enterprises, and government agencies. A long-time partner of D&H Distributing, Twotrees has worked with the distributor on multiple projects to supply mobile computing devices to Midwestern school districts, including to one of the largest districts in their home state.

MARKETS SERVED: Twotrees Technologies' core competencies include K-12 schools and enterprise level corporations, offering solutions and services such as Chromebooks and laptops, network management, security, and E-Rate services. They serve additional vertical markets including finance, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and energy, covering geographies such as Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona.

CHALLENGE: Twotrees procured 6,100 laptop devices from D&H, destined for one of the top-ten largest public school districts in Kansas, serving tens of thousands of students. As a condition of accepting government ECF (Emergency Connectivity Fund) program dollars to finance the project, the district was required to comply with a strict series of regulations regarding asset tag labeling and asset tracking of the electronic devices. Since the district was subject to review and audit at any time, the thousands of laptops needed to be prominently tagged so they could be easily identified, allowing the district to demonstrate this equipment was being used as intended by the program guidelines.

THE SITUATION: Twotrees turned to D&H due to the distributor having successfully delivered a remarkable volume of laptops for previous K-12 projects—even during the pandemic, when organizations across the country were scrambling to source thousands (even tens of thousands) of pieces of technology all at once. Twotrees' long history with D&H assured them that they'd receive superior support throughout the process. The level of attached services required for this project typically can't be accommodated by a managed service provider in-house; they'd need to outsource the extensive laser etching to a third party. A job this complicated would typically take a week or quite longer to complete.

• "D&H brought ideas based on what their new equipment could do because their team is so well-versed on our business. The district was very impressed with what we accomplished They think we're heroes now." - Susie Smith, General Manager, Twotrees Technologies, LLC

"D&H has been a terrific partner to us over the years," began Susie Smith, general manager, Twotrees Technologies, LLC. "We value the fact that they give us in-depth, personalized service, suggesting opportunities that suit our business model without our even having to ask. We're not treated like a number."

Twotrees asked D&H to provide a complex series of laser-etched asset taggings for each individual laptop. This involved etching large format district logos on the cover of all 6,000+ devices. Although Twotrees had undertaken asset tagging jobs of similar or greater volume before for school district clientele, previous projects involved smaller physical asset tags as opposed to the extensive etching for this new deployment. The laser etching would provide a more durable and easily trackable asset tag compared to traditional sticker-based tagging, which represented a higher quality solution for the school district. "Stickers can fall off; etching doesn't," noted Smith.

In addition to accommodating the unique asset tagging requirements in a short timeframe, D&H was able to deliver the devices through its "green shipping" program. The distributor removed each new, individual notebook computer from its carton and shipped multiple units in consolidated packaging. This alleviated the burden of the disposal of more than 6,000 separate containers for the district and the solution provider, considerably minimizing that task. D&H was able to recycle this massive amount of packaging materials with its on-site recycling equipment, reducing waste.

• "This was 100% possible due to D&H's expanded integration center. It would be a challenge for a partner to find the equipment to accommodate the scale this district required if not for D&H's enhanced facility. We're proud to be able to fulfill these kinds of opportunities for partners." - Adam Crockett, Senior Director, Professional Services, D&H Distributing

THE D&H ADVANTAGE: This project was possible due to multiple new large-format etching machines, in addition to other configuration equipment, that D&H recently installed in its expanded Integration and White Glove Service Center.

"D&H's new equipment was able to utilize much of the real estate on the covers of these laptops, providing a far more obvious way to identify them as district property, and allowing the administration to track the technology accordingly."

The integration center is located within D&H's new 745,000 square-foot Harrisburg Distribution Center, which became operational March 2022. The distribution center itself includes three times the storage space, futureproofing D&H's business for years to come, and incorporating new picking and tugging technologies and enhanced floorplans to speed workflows.

The Integration and White Glove Service Center boasts five times greater capacity for configuration, White Glove, and professional services activities than its previous iteration at D&H's former Harrisburg, PA, warehouse location. These high-performance laser etching machines can facilitate large-scale projects in a fraction of the time that competitors can. Such offerings allow D&H's partners to take on more expensive, margin-enhancing projects that they may not have been able to accommodate otherwise. It gives those partners the appearance of even grander and more formidable operations and allows them to increase their revenue streams.

The new facility is part of D&H's ongoing BFG initiative, which stands for "Built for Growth, Generations, and Giving." D&H made a major investment in the new facility and expanded configuration capabilities, having rolled-out a roster of Professional Services over the course of 2022. This included managed devices and security services; integration and configuration services; concierge services; XaaS (Everything-as-a-Service), SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) and DaaS (Devices-as-a-Service) offerings; and the recently launched Help Desk-as-a-Service offering.

• "D&H was the only partner who could do this in a timely manner. We were able to knock out the project in good speed, which translated to a minimal wait and no extra disruption for the district. D&H helps partners accomplish jobs they might not otherwise have been able to do within the same parameters." - Susie Smith, General Manager, Twotrees Technologies, LLC

THE RESULTS: D&H delivered one of the most complex and unique asset tagging and laser etching projects in the company's history, while attaching a considerable amount of high-margin services to each device. The capabilities of D&H's new Integration and White Glove Service Center allowed Twotrees to optimize its revenues for this project, adding lucrative services while providing significant value for a large-scale customer. "D&H brought the ideas for this project to us based on what their new equipment could do, and because their team is so well-versed on our business," explained Smith.

Twotrees and D&H put more than 6,000 laptops into the hands of deserving students within an impressive four-day period, permanently etched with a prominent school logo and asset information. The district was able to quickly outfit thousands of its neediest pupils with the essential equipment for a successful school year, while accommodating rigorous government regulations. The project was paid for by government funding allocated for bringing networking capabilities and equipment to disadvantaged students—a win-win for all parties.

"We've worked with Twotrees on other notable projects, but the extent of services that went into this installation made it unique," said Adam Crockett, senior director of professional services at D&H. "The job validated the extraordinary capabilities of our new Integration and White Glove Service Center. We love working on these opportunities with our partners, enabling them to add these simple but innovative and low-cost attachable services that deliver incredible value to the end-users."

"The district is very impressed with what we accomplished," Smith concluded. "They think we're heroes now."

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