The Davey Group automates manual processes

The business situation

The Davey Group encompasses 14 companies, each with its own unique needs and each focused on providing heavy machinery and services to an array of industries including agriculture, mining, forestry and road transport. Whilst the incumbent system had been faithful, many external processes and systems had been developed to beef up its capability and CFO Michael O’Connor says, “We simply couldn’t keep sticking band-aids on it and more importantly, it wasn’t enabling business growth – it just had to go.” Michael says they needed to significantly reduce manual tasks and processes in order to get on top of costs, and Greentree’s Job Costing capability and integration were seen as key to achieving this.

Creating the Greentree business back-bone

A strategy of managed growth is reflected in a steady-as-she-goes approach and Michael says they’re not looking to break any records. He says that “when we realised Greentree had so much to offer, we figured we couldn’t possibly do everything successfully all at once, so we decided to do things as we grew, which has been the best approach for us”. He estimates the 60% reduction in manual processes achieved since Greentree went live six months ago is “modest”, and it will provide a sound foundation upon which remaining manual processes will incrementally disappear over time.

“Greentree is becoming the backbone for the group and we expect this to consolidate over time as we learn more about its capabilities and grow into its capacity,” said Michael.

High visibility of cash position - critical

Because things are happening within the business throughout the day, Michael says a real benefit for him as CFO is Greentree’s ability to give him a cash position at any moment, which is invaluable for proactively managing cash flows. He explains that by the time he navigated the 14 ledgers required to get a cash position, the data was out of date and of little help.

Enter data into Greentree once – end of story

The need to beef up the old system meant developing multiple disparate external systems and processes, which was entirely counter-productive since it essentially created more work for someone else. Staff would be required to enter data several times and develop a mechanism to get it in and out, which was error-prone and complicated. Those days are gone, since Greentree’s modular integrated environment means data is entered once before it flows through, updating all relevant modules, which Michael says has saved enormous amounts of time.

Inventory management, job costing improvements and reduced costs

At this early stage, Michael concedes they are only scratching the surface, but already he can see evidence of efficiency gains in how the business is handling its ‘make to order’ stock. Job Cost is helping to get control of materials and labour costs.

 Honest, open & supportive local Greentree partner

The essence of any sustainable relationship is the ability to communicate, provide support and discuss ideas and issues openly, and Michael speaks highly of the Greentree partner’s ability and willingness to maintain a dynamic partnership.

Continuously identifying opportunities

Populating the HR database with employee data and remote access are just a couple of examples of opportunities for development. Entering the skills and qualifications of a specialised workforce and then being able to leverage those skills to grow contracting opportunities is an area Michael is keen to tap into. Remote access will help connect mobile staff to the office and improve communications.