Case Study Birch & Waite

  

The Client

Birch & Waite is a progressive food manufacturing company with a proud record over 25 years.  The key to their success has been Quality Products and Reliable Service.

The company is based in Sydney, Australia near the airport. Products are manufactured and supplied to airline caterers throughout Australia and around the world. Customers also include food companies, hospitals, caterers, fast food chains, restaurants, supermarkets, etc., where quality products are required, in portion sizes through to bulk sizes.

Business Demands

Birch & Waite has experienced strong growth during the past decade and is continuing to grow.  The business world in which the company operates is changing.  Customers are becoming more demanding and the market is becoming more competitive placing pressure on margins.  Effective negotiation and trading demands instant access to real-time information facilitating informed decision making and providing the business agility required in such a competitive environment.

Incumbent Systems

The information systems supporting the company were based on a combination of Exchequer Software, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel.  Functionality was deficient in many key areas, integration across the various systems presented challenges and the architecture was not considered appropriate to meet the growing and changing needs.

Business Objectives

The overall Objective of the project was to Improve the Performance of the Business

The Business Objectives supporting this related to:

·         Customer Service

·         Inventory Planning, Control, Costing and Pricing

·         Production Planning, Control and Costing

·         Measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

·         Financial Planning and Control

·         Information Management

Solution Description

Birch & Waite selected Microsoft Dynamics AX (then known as Microsoft Axapta) from Primur Systems & Resources, a Western Sydney based Microsoft Partner specialising in small to medium manufacturing and distribution companies.  

Solution Benefits

The solution offered a number of benefits over other systems evaluated: 

·         Easy to customise to suit the specific recipe / labelling requirements of the business

·         Superior technology providing a platform for future requirements

·         Easy to implement, easy to learn, easy to use allowing speedy implementation and adoption by the workforce

·         Complete integration of  Supply, Production, Sales and Finance

·         Quick and easy access to Management Information

Result

Phase I of the project, incorporating Sales, Purchasing, Inventory, Finance and Management Reporting was implemented in less than three months.  Microsoft Dynamics AX integrated all of these functions, replacing the Exchequer system and many of the Excel spreadsheet applications.   The success criteria were met and a platform was provided for the ensuing implementation of more sophisticated planning and production systems.