It’s a familiar tale for many growing businesses: the systems you have in place to begin with often aren’t robust enough to keep up as you evolve and grow.

A patchwork quilt of manual spreadsheets and multiple online programs usually forms organically, and generally does a solid job. Until you realise you need more.

Queensland-based wholesale food distributor Markris Foods fuels Noosa’s tourist focal point of Hastings Street, and the surrounding areas. As a ‘purveyor of fine foods’, it supplies food to restaurants, cafes and takeaways around Noosa, as well as caterers and food markets in the area.

And, as such, it needs to ensure its whole operation, from supply chain to delivery, runs like clockwork.

With an expanding customer base and multiple deliveries required every day, the Markris Foods team found its existing ERP system simply wasn’t up to the task – and decided to look for alternatives.

Chris Cole, Markris Foods’ Business Development Manager, says, “We needed to find a new solution because our old system was very outdated.

“As a business, we wanted to move forward, so we looked for a product that allowed us not only to expand on what we already do but enabled us to look to the future, too.”

Loading up customer supplies at Markris H

Choosing the right solution

The team identified what they would ideally get out of a new system both in the immediate term and in the future and began to identify a suitable solution.

After a rigorous research phase, SAP’s Business One platform was selected as the solution of choice.

Designed specifically for small business, SAP Business One integrates financials, sales, CRM, analytics, inventory management and reporting, meaning businesses can run all of their departments within one solution.

Tasks that were previously conducted manually have been automated, while the business intelligence dashboards that are populated in real-time from the multiple data sources have brought a mature business lens to the operation, providing the insights it needs to refine its operations and grow strategically.

“SAP Business One has allowed us to streamline a lot of our processes from both the sales point of view and also a purchasing point of view,” says Cole.

The solution has quickly become a critical part of the Markris Foods operation, and Dean Browne, sales and account manager, says, “I don’t know how Markris would actually cope without SAP Business One.

“We manage everything in it, from purchasing, to stock takes, to bin locations, to reports on sales.

“It can tell us who our top five customers are, and other things that we never had available to us in our old system.”

Markris staff get busy loading stock for delivery

Set up for success

Markris Foods, working with SAP Business One Gold Partner Leverage Technologies for implementation, opted for a cloud-based solution, meaning the team can access real-time data at any time, on any device – and the business is now confidently looking towards the future.

“SAP Business One has enabled us to become a more efficient and better functioning business,” says Cole, who has some sage advice for any business changing its ERP system.

“Do your research! Make sure you know exactly what you want to get out of the system before you start. And, make sure you’ve got really defined goals, so that you really do know when you’ve been successful.”

And, thanks to the continued and growing success of Markris Foods, you can rest assured of a fine meal next time you visit the Sunshine Coast.

Find out more about how your business can take advantage of SAP Business One.

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