The TDS Story...
Our management has over 30 years of experience working with OCTG materials, (everything from finding it, to planting it).
In 1985, while managing a full service pipe inspection facility in West Texas, our president saw the need for a software application that would make it easier to track and maintain the dynamics of an OCTG (oil country tubular goods) inventory.
Over the next 2 years, without success, he contracted with multiple software developers to produce an inventory control system that would easily maintain the shipments, receipts, and movements of the tubing and casing within his facility. Without exception, each developer indicated that this inventory control project would be "no problem." How wrong they were!
Typical inventory control (where there is a single identifying part number assigned to each product, and a single bin number used to place that part in) make the task appear to someone unfamiliar with the pipe industry to be "no problem."
When you receive something, just add it and when you ship something, just subtract it... and that's just how most software developers will address the task.
However, the dynamics of an ever changing material description, being spread out over various numbers of different locations, combined with the need to track the same material with multiple units of measure made all conventional inventory control efforts totally useless for OCTG materials.
It was obvious (after several false starts and tens of thousands of wasted dollars) that it would be easier for him to learn the software business than it was for the software developers to learn the pipe business. In 1986, he hired a full time developer, transferred his daily duties to other personnel, and began working day and night in order to create the ultimate design, operation, and functionality of an inventory control software that could be used for the pipe industry.
In September of the following year the system was completed and placed into operation at the pipe reclamation facility he managed in Odessa,Texas.
That product was known as "Yard Master" and would prove to be, the very first software application that could effectively provided control and accuracy for the storage and movement of pipe. Immediately it was heralded by customers as the best system in use by any vendor they dealt with, irrespective of size and resources.
After 2 years of successfully operating the "Yard Master" system, the corporate office asked him to expand the functionality of the system and modify the software to not only track inventory, but actually control all aspects of the pipe inspection business.
In April of 1989, he once again hired developers, transferred his duties, and began the task of designing a system that would ultimately prove to be the most ambitious inventory control effort undertaken in the OCTG industry to that time. A revolutionary product would ultimately evolve from his vision.
By relying on his intimate knowledge of the intricate workings of the pipe industry his new design would produce a total data system that was PC based, encompassing all aspects of the pipe inspection industry from an initial quotation, through the work order generation, inspection results postings, shipping and receiving, to an invoice, and ultimately facilitate the transfer of this data into the mainframe accounting A/R system. All this and real-time electronic linking of customers to the system. Capabilities simply unheard of in 1989!
Over the next 18 months work was completed on version 1.0 of the new business process system, "Tubular Data Systems" (TDS). It was installed and introduced to the world in October of 1990. Immediately it was recognized as the most comprehensive system in the industry for the purpose of controlling pipe inventory and the pipe service company's business process. Customers rapidly accepted the system and began advising their other vendors to get a system like "TDS". TDS quickly became synonymous with "Quality Inventory Control."
When the company began using TDS in its daily operations, many previously hidden inefficiencies were discovered. Now that these issues were identified, they were easily corrected and the company's overall capacity increased, its quality dramatically improved, and significant reductions in the overall operating expenses were recognized.
Houston, Texas is the pipe capitol of the world. Almost 90% of all imported pipe comes through the port of Houston, as well as an overwhelming percentage of domestic production also. The result is, more OCTG materials are concentrated in Houston, Texas than in any other area of the world. A proven, reliable, easy to use, tightly controlled, quality inventory system is not a luxury in Houston, its an absolute necessity in order to remain in business servicing the pipe industry.
TDS has expanded from that single location in 1990. Today, TDS systems are installed and operating from the top of Alaska, to the tip of Texas. There simply is no other system commercially available that offers the perfect balance of industry understanding, stringent internal controls, and the overall system flexibility that TDS does. Above all, we remain true to our roots. OCTG inventory accuracy is the number one goal of TDS.
Right from our beginning, way back in 1986 through today, TDS serves as the industry standard in business processes for OCTG service companies. TDS has proven itself in battle time and time again and has achieved a well deserved reputation as the premier system in the industry.