Being at the forefront of technology Mazda required a modern, flexible and fully integrated financial system that could keep pace with the changing motor industry. Since the late 1980s, Auckland based Mazda Motors Of New Zealand Limited had used an industry specific accounting system, BPCS.

“When compared with other software solutions, Greentree offered a cost effective solution that addressed our business needs. One area that really stood Greentree apart was the links into Excel and the financial reporting facilities.”

Mazda carried out a comprehensive appraisal of their system requirements and investigated many financial software products including: Navision, Exonet, ACCPAC and Greentree. “When compared with other software solutions, Greentree offered a cost effective solution that addressed our business needs. One area that really stood Greentree apart was the links into Excel and the financial reporting facilities.” says David Hodge, Finance Manager.

The system for went live in 1st September 2000. The four users draw on the Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Cash Management and Foreign Currency modules on a daily basis.

Very, very familiar

Implementing a new business system often means lengthy staff training and demands of valuable staff time. As a Windows based system the team at Mazda find Greentree extremely easy to use and it has allowed users to quickly become familiar with the system. The ability to customise data entry screens has also allowed temporary staff to more easily understand and access key functions.

Very, very easy to use

Lynn Carr, a user in the Finance Department, was extremely pleased with the Greentree software as it makes their job easier and less time is wasted. “I was hesitant at first as it was something new to learn and gave myself one month to learn how to use it. Within one week I was familiar with it and never looked back. It is so simple to use.”

Mazda are extremely impressed with the speed and general time savings of the new system and are able to do more with Greentree than they previously could with their former system.

“Greentree has really speeded up and streamlined our month end process and reporting. With the old system we could finish the process by work day 10 and now we can complete it by work day 2.”

Very, very beneficial

One such area was the month and year-end processing for each module, which is now a simple task taking just seconds. All transactions that are entered into Greentree are date stamped with the relevant period and year, so there is no formal period-end ageing or processing that needs to be performed.

David explains, “Greentree has really speeded up and streamlined our month end process and reporting. With the old system we could finish the process by work day 10 and now we can complete it by work day 2.”

Mazda have also benefited from a forecasting facility within Greentree, which allows them to explore ‘what-if’ scenarios and plan asset movements more effectively. “This is one feature that we not did realise we would benefit so much from. It allows us to monitor and incorporate changing conditions that impact our business,” says David.

The flexible reporting into Microsoft Word and Excel was also an area that has enhanced their accounting system. David concluded, “Greentree provides us with a seamless integration with Microsoft Word and Excel so we are able to produce a number of budget and forecasting reports. It has worked really well for us”

About Mazda Motors of New Zealand Limited

Since 1972, Mazda has been offering New Zealanders a range of innovative and lifestyle vehicles. From its base in Hiroshima, Japan, the Mazda Motor Corporation manufactures a diverse line of passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

For more information visit www.mazda.co.nz