Otaika Valley has been owned and operated by the Sandle family for three generations, but the busy company was struggling to cope with their rapid growth using disparate systems. MYOB Advanced Business delivered the perfect solution, solving existing issues and paving the way for growth.
Supplying eggs all over the North Island of New Zealand, Otaika Valley Free Range Eggs had made do with their existing manual processes. But with rapid growth, they already knew it was time to find a solution that would automate more processes, allowing them to more easily cope with ever-increasing demand.
As account manager William Sandle says, the company had outgrown their previous system, and needed better reporting and automation as they grew.
Manual inputting holding back growth
As the company grew, manual inputting was beginning to cause problems. Staff got too busy and errors crept in. On top of that, the system simply didn’t deliver the functionality the company needed. “We were using QuickBooks, so that was a lot of manual input,” William explains.
The company wanted a cloud-based alternative that would also deliver the electronic data interchange (EDI) functionality they so desperately needed. EDI, used by supermarket Countdown to automate sending and receiving documents, significantly reduces the need for manual intervention, while helping to prevent errors and duplication. It’s also a commercial requirement – without it they would be unable to supply Countdown.
"Slowly, as we grew to more stores, there were more orders every day, but with QuickBooks we could never do EDI."
- William Sandle, Account Manager, Otaika Valley Free Range Eggs
Easy to use, and room for growth
The company investigated a range of solutions, including Oracle and NetSuite, but ultimately landed on MYOB Advanced Business, for its ease of use and range of function.
A valuable customisation implemented by an MYOB business partner allowed the system to create Standing Orders – a crucial missing element. MYOB Advanced Business also offered far better access to data, allowing the company to drill down into sales data and easily create reports that will be instrumental to their growth.
The EDI connection now also automates their order processing and simplifies their picking and packing process using a custom run sheet, which makes life much easier.
"All our orders come in automatically, and once we release the invoice it’s all done automatically."
Transparent data and a foundation for even more expansion
Otaika Valley Free Range Eggs is now twice as big as it was before implementation – the rapidity of this growth was certainly supported by MYOB Advanced Business.
The faster access to information and improved reporting gives the company greater oversight, allowing them to focus on areas needing improvement.
With the automation also comes significant time saving and improved accuracy across the whole distribution chain. This has particularly affected their picking and packing process, which used to be entirely manual, and often inaccurate.
It’s onwards and upwards for this busy family company, and they feel extremely well positioned for even more growth with MYOB Advanced Business. As William explains, MYOB Advanced Business has the capabilities to grow as Otaika Valley Free Range Eggs grows.
"There are no restrictions – we won’t outgrow it. It’s got features that we don’t use now, but if we want to or if they become necessary, then we can. It’s got everything we need."
Before MYOB Advanced Business | After MYOB Advanced Business |
|---|---|
Manual data input and processes restricting growth Lack of accurate reporting or oversight Too much time spent on repetitive tasks | Automation saves time and improves accuracy EDI connection and reporting allows for simpler, more accurate picking and packing Customisation allows for Standing Orders |
