Millions of shoppers across Australia see the work of SJ Display Group every day without realising it.

This Melbourne-based company supplies display products to major retailers nationwide. It wholesales a variety of retail display products, including a huge array of display accessories from hundreds of local and overseas suppliers – from brochure holders to shelf dividers and much more. SJD either designs product displays or helps bring the customer’s ideas to life.

SJD’s sales growth has been substantial since it started in 2004 and demand for its services is only expected to grow further in future. However, the business system that had been with SJD from its inception was on its last legs. The task of finding a replacement fell to Justin Penkethman, director of SJD’s accounting firm, Base Accounting & Tax Pty Ltd.

“This is a competitive, fast-moving industry,” he says. “SJD believes what sets it apart is not only its innovative ideas; it’s also its ability to solve problems, providing seamless, quality service and fast turnaround times. If the likes of Coles want a quick solution, they’re likely to be calling SJD.”

Securing that bright future
Warehousing and stock management are central to SJD’s operations. Its Melbourne warehouse covers around 5500 square metres, and that space holds some 4000 stock items. Keeping track of incoming shipments and inventory was both frustrating and time-consuming. The legacy business system handled the finances and stock control, but kept crashing. Freight costs couldn’t be attributed to stock items, warehouse bin locations couldn’t be managed, and there was no integration between financial management and CRM – much of which was dependant on hand-written notes and the account manager’s memory.

“They hadn’t reached a critical point – they were coping despite all the problems,” Penkethman says.

“However, they realised that further business growth might compound those problems, so they went looking for a new system in order to pre-empt a crisis.”

Greentree “best by far”
SJD wanted a new system that could handle financials, CRM, warehousing, payroll and business intelligence. Simplicity, integration and cost-effectiveness were essential. Justin produced a shortlist: MYOB EXO, Tencia and Greentree, all of whom were invited to make presentations.

Greentree won due to its slick warehouse bin management, its customisable Workflow desktop, its ability to track shipments, and its business intelligence module, Greentree IQ*. In addition, everyone who attended the demonstration came away impressed by Greentree’s overall look and feel, and by the approach of the Greentree implementation partner.

“They knew Greentree backwards and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the product,” Penkethman recalls. “SJD’s bookkeeper and warehouse manager both said afterwards that Greentree was the better of the three presented, and the IT experts preferred the hardware requirements. When you’ve got enough people all pointing in the same direction, it makes the decision easy.”

SJD expects Greentree will be with them for the long haul, enabling them to better maintain its growing business.

“Answering crucial questions like whether stock has arrived, where it is or when it’s expected should only take seconds – not 30 minutes or more,” says Penkethman.

“They also want to eliminate the chances of the answer being wrong or misunderstood.

“Retailers are always looking for the newest, best way of presenting their products. They expect a quick response; they want the display ready for Monday opening, in all their stores, and they don’t want to know about problems. Above all, SJD believes Greentree will boost efficiency.”

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