ERP: Your ticket to better visibility, control, and efficiency

Simply put, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software empowers businesses to simplify, integrate, and automate time-consuming processes, giving greater insights to decision-makers, and enabling smarter, faster decision-making – leading to better profits, more satisfied customers, and happier employees and stakeholders. 

Combining a range of modules, specific to your organisational and industry needs, ERP centralises data from across your organisation (finance, operations, warehousing, procurement, manufacturing, HR, sales, and marketing) making it possible to see the influence and impact of each division on productivity and revenue in real-time. 

It also makes it possible for key stakeholders and decision-makers to access that data securely, and with the confidence that they’re using the most up-to-date version.

• Streamlines and automates processes to reduce errors and delays.
• Provides access to real-time data and analytics that improve business decision-making.
• Reduces operating costs so you can do more work with fewer admin hours.
• Improves collaboration and communication for better visibility of the whole business.
• Enhances data security and compliance with industry and government regulations.

We all know that being more organised, with better data at our fingertips is going to help us run our businesses more successfully.

Think about a teenager’s bedroom floor – they might be able to find ‘the black 1998 Pearl Jam Concert t-shirt’ amongst the piles of clothes, shoes, and other detritus, but you, nor anyone else in the family can. And if they’re on the phone telling you ‘they need it now’ because otherwise they can’t go to some event, meaning you’ll end up child-minding that night rather than heading away for the weekend, and you’ll miss collecting the dog from the kennel so that’s going to be an extra fee….well, we can see why everything would just be better if there was a single, trustworthy system that everyone in the family used for storing and locating clothing.

It's the same with ERP.

When you remove barriers to efficiency by automating processes, and centralising data, your ability to make smarter decisions that can improve your productivity, profitability, and the experiences of both your employees and customers is vastly increased.

“The data I need is way more accessible. I now have more time to write funkier reports — and, quite honestly, that speaks to me. The business is delighted with the productivity improvements.”

Renee Jordan | Finance Manager, Harcourts Cooper & Co

“We have realised improved data accuracy, been able to standardise our business processes, and gained the ability to automate business tasks. The main area where we’ve seen an immediate impact is in the accuracy of our glass inventory in the four Metroglass factory sites.”

Nick Johnson | CIO, Metroglass

“Since we implemented NetSuite we’ve grown well over 30%, but we haven’t had to add more hours or people to our accounts function."

James Jorgensen | CFO, Natural Pet Food

“Instead of taking days of intensive work to produce AP, AR, and P&L reports for the management team and bank, it now takes just seconds,” says Bellew. “And there’s no need for third-party contractors to sort out spreadsheets. I can just jump on from home or on the road and access the information I need. It’s nice and easy and always there.”

Lance Bellew | CFO, Wholesale Seeds

What’s important to note is that while an ERP can provide relief to the pains and problems your business may be experiencing, it will also act as a foundation for growth, as well as more successfully managing your way through tough or challenging periods. 

For more, read 11 ways you’ll look good with a new ERP. 

So, you’ve acknowledged your business has a few red flags when it comes to its processes and data management, and you’re keen to experience some wins of your own, like our customers have - but you may be thinking, ‘which is the right ERP for me?’

*Spoiler alert*

Any of them. Probably. So long as you’ve got enough money and time to throw at the project. The trick is finding a proven implementation partner who understands your industry and how your people work, and has the capabilities, experience, and commitment required to deliver you a successful, on-time, and within budget outcome.

As stated above, in a high percentage of cases, the features and functionality of these three will fulfil the needs of most organisations looking for a new ERP. But it’s the fit that really counts. And if fit can be difficult to figure out, how do you move forward?

An ERP partner, like Fusion5, is an organisation that not only supplies ERPs, but is also skilled at scoping your requirements (because you don’t always know what you don’t know), implementing the solution, ensuring the solution is going to fit with the rest of your business and your plans for the future, and ensuring your people are trained and prepared to adopt their new systems quickly and efficiently, so you can start reaping the benefits as soon as possible.

According to Panorama Consulting Group’s 2022 ERP Report, organisations that worked with a partner to implement their ERP had fewer budget overruns due to organisational issues, redesign challenges relating to additional technology needs, and data and technical issues. They also report that those respondents that did not engage a partner experienced lower benefit realisation than those that did work with a partner.

As our founder Rebecca Tohill says: “Business growth isn't about luck. It's the outcome of making our customers more successful, championing innovative thinking, and investing in the best people."

As a partner, we are more than just resellers or implementers. We focus on people, on processes, and on the outcomes that your organisation will value.

Chain and rigging supplies switches to cloud ERP for faster reporting and real-time data visibility

Running a successful operation in the manufacturing industry is no mean feat! From managing supply chains to overseeing production, there are a lot of moving parts to keep a handle on.

With an ERP you’ll know exactly where an order is, who generated it, and where it’s going, giving everyone a whole new level of accountability and visibility. And with the right ERP system in place, it can be a game-changer for manufacturing businesses looking to stay competitive in today's fast-paced market.

Learn how New Zealand-based manufacturer, Chain and Rigging Supplies, switched from its outdated software to a cloud-based ERP to enjoy speedier reporting and real-time data access.

> Read the Chain and Rigging Supplies case study

Australian Meat Processer Corporation gets an affordable, fully integrate ERP system for more control over its operations

Agribusiness is facing some of the greatest challenges the sector has ever seen including climate change, environmental factors, labour shortages, and shipping issues. Fortunately, the industry does not shy away from adopting new technology - and ERP is already widely used in agribusiness.

Owners should be spending more time on core activities rather than being bogged down by manual processes. An ERP system can help optimise day-to-day operations, coordinate supply chains effectively, manage equipment, and ensure the right staff are in the right place at the right time.

Learn how the Australian Meat Processor Corporation worked with Fusion5 to implement an affordable, fully integrated ERP system to centralise its data and take control of its operations.

> Read the AMPC case study

Wholesale Seeds gets cloud ERP to run reports in seconds, not days!

Wholesale distributors are primarily concerned with the management of money and keeping that all-important cash flow ticking over is key to a successful business operation. Any delays in payment for a sale lowers your return on capital. Success is moving the right products, to the right people, at the right time.

A modern ERP gives total control of your operation with real-time insight into inventory, costs, goods in transit, and reorder quantities. All this facilitates better communication with the customer and reduces delays.

A fully integrated system can automate sales order processing, manage warehouses and supply chains, and helps determine profitability. What’s more, you can easily pull all this data into a dashboard for review.

Learn how Wholesale Seeds went from crisis point with stock level inaccuracies and taking ages to build reports, to smooth sailing and even growth with a cloud-based ERP. They now run AP, AR, and P&L reports in seconds, not days!

> Read the Wholesale Seeds case study

> Read more ERP case studies

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