ERP system proves flexibility

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Published on the 19/01/2016 | Written by MYOB

AT A GLANCE

Austral Fisheries

INDUSTRY

Agriculture / Fisheries

BUSINESS OBJECTIVE

Required remote access to a real time environment
Sales team enablement required to better serve an expanding customer base

SOLUTION

MYOB Advanced
MYOB Greentree Sales mobile

BUSINESS BENEFITS

Sales staff can conclude deals, update the system and provide documentation on the spot
Management has a live view of business performance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

MYOB//
E: biggerbusiness@myob.com
NZ: 0800 696 239
AU: 1300 555 110
https://www.myob.com/

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Austral Fisheries’ MYOB Greentree system passed the test when the time came to make changes…

“The fishing part of our business is a 24/7 operation and is highly regulated. Coupled with our seafood trading operation, which has to be managed dynamically, we need business tools that can handle this sort of pressure.”

Greg Johnston is the CFO and Company Secretary of Austral Fisheries, one of Australia’s leading commercial fishing companies. The company’s MYOB Greentree system has been in use for more than a decade, and has proved its flexibility by scaling up to meet the company’s growth and changing business requirements. Recent developments included moving MYOB Greentree to the cloud and equipping Austral’s sales staff with MYOB Greentree Sales Mobile, for greater efficiency on the move.

“It’s a good, stable all-round system that has met our special needs with some innovative approaches,” Johnston says. “When we said we needed to make some changes, MYOB Greentree stepped up and responded.”

“MYOB Greentree is a good, stable all-round system that has met our special needs with some innovative approaches.”

New business, new demands
Austral consists of three distinct businesses, each with its own challenges:

1. Its Southern Ocean operation runs four deep-sea fishing vessels, catching mostly toothfish. Its focus is to value-add the catch and create a market for premium fillets for the domestic and export markets.

2. Its prawn operation runs 10 trawlers – another value-added domestic and export market. Austral has also developed direct relationships with the main Australian supermarkets for this catch.

3. Seafood Solutions is Austral’s seafood trading arm, mostly selling imported products from sustainable overseas fisheries to the Australian wholesale market. It accounts for over a third of Austral’s turnover and it is the growth of this operation which put new demands on Austral’s MYOB Greentree system.

“This is a very competitive business that requires tight control of working capital and good customer service,” Johnston explains. “With seafood trading, you have to be able to conclude business on the spot. You don’t want to tell the customer you’ll get back to them, or promise them product only to find there’s no stock available.”

An invaluable sales tool
In MYOB Greentree Sales Mobile, Austral has found a tool that is invaluable for its sales team, which now accesses MYOB Greentree on the move via mobile devices.

“Our sales reps need live information at their fingertips,” says Johnston. “They need to be able to conclude business when visiting customers. MYOB Greentree Sales Mobile means they can process orders and provide copies to the customer before leaving their premises. They don’t have that backlog of paperwork and they can even do special deals right there and then.”

“MYOB Greentree will make our future journey much easier and assist the prospects for success.”
Greg Johnston, CFO and Company Secretary

With the strict regulatory requirements around commercial fishing, any delay due to bad documentation means valuable consignments can be left sitting on the docks. Approvals & Alerts ensures that stock levels – and customer credit limits – are checked before sales are finalised, and that all the necessary documents are complete.

Austral buys and sells in different currencies such as NZD, Yen, Rupee, USD and Euro. Using the Foreign Currency module, each supplier’s accounts is tracked in a foreign currency. Invoices and other transactions are entered, processed and reported based on this currency, with a range of reports which show the unrealised exchange rate gain or loss.

“MYOB Greentree manages currency in both sides of the ledger well and makes it easier for us,” says Johnston.

Cloud option saves costs
Austral’s engineering depot in Cairns needs to track costs and manage the refit of its prawn trawlers. Using the web connection, the remote users in Cairns have complete online access to MYOB Greentree.

“They can process supplier invoices, payroll details, and update the general ledger just once, and we will have all the information live on one system,” says Johnston. “There’s no double entry and one integrated system gives senior executives access to live and timely results, so business performance is constantly maintained and areas for improvement are highlighted.”

MYOB Greentree’s ability to operate comfortably in the Cloud has also benefited Austral, removing the need to upgrade its on-premise servers.

“This is an excellent cost saver,”Johnston says. With the expansion of its trading operation and the need for flexibility in the face of changing local and international markets and regulations, Austral Fisheries is confident that MYOB Greentree will continue to grow with it.

“The future is exciting, with our growth and diversification plans,” Johnston concludes. “MYOB Greentree will make the journey much easier, more enjoyable and assist the prospects for success.”

Source: This article was originally sourced from MYOB Greentree