Rhee Bros, Inc.
How America's leading Pan-Asian food distributor eliminated paper-based ordering, accelerated fulfillment, and scaled a growing sales operation across the country — with HandApps as their mobile sales partner for over a decade.
Company: Rhee Bros, Inc.
Headquarters: Hanover, Maryland
Founded: 1976
Industry: Pan-Asian Food Import, Wholesale & Distribution
Products: 4,000+ SKUs — dry, refrigerated, frozen, and non-food
ERP: Microsoft Business Central (prev. NAV 5.0)
Customers: 800+ accounts across the US
HandApps Since: 2012
Paper orders, manual data entry, and a catalog too complex for clipboards
Rhee Bros distributes over 4,000 Pan-Asian food products to more than 800 customers across a territory stretching from Chicago to Texas and beyond. Their sales reps visit independent Asian grocery stores, restaurant supply companies, and retail chains — often in locations with limited or no internet connectivity.
Before HandApps, the order process was entirely paper-based. Reps handwrote orders during customer visits, navigating a massive catalog spanning thousands of items across Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino products. Those paper orders then had to be physically submitted and manually keyed into the company's ERP — Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0. The process was slow, error-prone, and created significant delays between order capture and fulfillment.
Key Pain Points
- Handwritten orders — Slow to create, difficult to read, frequent item number, pricing, or quantity errors.
- Manual data entry — Every order re-keyed into the ERP, adding delay and a second opportunity for errors.
- No real-time data — No access to current stock levels, purchase history, or up-to-date pricing in the field.
- Catalog complexity — 4,000+ items across multiple cuisines, temperature zones, and units of measure.
- Connectivity gaps — Small independent grocers, restaurant kitchens, and basements with no reliable internet.
HandApps — the complete mobile order-writing platform
In 2012, Rhee Bros deployed HandApps on Microsoft Surface tablets, integrated directly with Dynamics NAV 5.0. The transformation was immediate. Reps walked into customer locations with the entire catalog on their device — 4,000+ items with current pricing, stock availability, and customer history. Orders synced directly into NAV without re-keying. The paper process was eliminated overnight. Orders that previously took hours to process were in the ERP before the rep had left the parking lot.
Complete Product Catalog
4,000+ items searchable by item number, description, barcode, or category.
Customer-Specific Pricing
Price groups, price sheets, and multiple levels applied automatically per customer.
Offline Operation
All data available locally. No internet required during customer visits.
Direct ERP Integration
Orders flow into the ERP on sync — no data entry, no human intervention.
Sales History & AR Data
Purchase history, receivable balances, and open credits at point of sale.
Order Templates
Speed up repeat orders for customers who reorder weekly.
Barcode Scanning & Printing
Faster order entry and instant confirmations.
One ERP migration, a second device platform, a west coast merger — zero disruption
What makes the Rhee Bros relationship with HandApps remarkable is how the platform has adapted over time — without ever requiring a re-implementation. When Rhee Bros migrated from NAV 5.0 to Business Central in 2022, reps didn't miss a single day. When a 2025 merger with a west coast operation brought new reps and expanded territory, HandApps scaled with the same reliability. The technology side of the merger was, by all accounts, the easiest part.
2012 — Partnership Begins
HandApps deployed on Surface tablets + NAV 5.0. Paper ordering eliminated.
2012–2021 — Steady Growth
Customer base and catalog expand. Features added within a single maintained codebase.
2022 — Business Central Migration
ERP migrated to BC. All functionality and customizations preserved without disruption.
2025 — West Coast Merger
New reps onboarded on Android. Every customization carries forward.
Platforms & ERP History
2012: HandApps on Surface tablets + NAV 5.0
2022: ERP migrated to Business Central
2025: Android added + west coast expansion
A partner that builds for the long term
HandApps operates less like an outside vendor and more like an extension of Rhee Bros' own IT team — responding immediately to issues, building custom functionality on request, and evolving the platform as the business grows. Every modification is compartmentalized and controlled through configuration switches, maintaining a single codebase across all customers. Rhee Bros' customizations carry forward automatically through every update, patch, and platform migration. Not as one-off changes — as permanent features built into the core product.
Immediate Response
Problems resolved before they impact field operations. No ticket queues.
Customization Without Fragmentation
Configurable features controlled by settings switches. One codebase, all customers.
Permanent Enhancements
Every customization carries forward through updates, migrations, and platform changes.
True Partnership
HandApps understands the complexity of Pan-Asian distribution and grows with the business.
Uninterrupted field operations through every change
Paper Eliminated
Every order created digitally and flowing directly into the ERP. No handwriting, no re-keying, no transcription errors.
Faster Fulfillment
Orders enter the ERP pipeline immediately on sync, cutting hours or days from the fulfillment cycle.
Error Reduction
Validated items, pricing, and stock data eliminate transcription errors.
Platform Continuity
Surface tablets and Android side by side. NAV 5.0 to Business Central. Every transition seamless, all customizations preserved.
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