Fresh and fast: How ERP solved wholesale reporting challenge

Produce leader chooses Jiwa Financials to take control of business…

When an Auckland-based wholesale fruit and vegetable distributor sought a flexible, capable financial system which would aid it in compliance with government regulations, only Jiwa Financials was able to meet its requirements. Since then, Chevalier Wholesale Produce has gone from strength to strength in a competitive market, with its business software enabling growth and profitability by automating key administrative tasks.

Established more than 40 years ago, Chevalier Wholesale Produce is an Auckland-based wholesale distributor of premium fresh fruit and vegetables. It supplies fresh produce to airline caterers, shipping lines, hospitals, and a predominantly Auckland-based clientele of restaurants and commercial catering companies. In addition, Chevalier exports to supermarkets in several Pacific islands including Fiji and New Caledonia.

The company operates in a market that is highly susceptible to seasonal fluctuations, particularly among its cruise line and catering customers. While Chevalier employs 60 permanent staff, an additional 10-15 people are required during the peak of Summer.

Situation

At first glance, fruit and vegetable wholesale distribution may appear a relatively simple business operation, but as General Manager Graham Janssen explains, the nature of fresh produce creates multiple complexities. “For starters, the produce available and prices change every day,” he notes.

Moreover, to fulfil Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (then – since 2012, the Ministry of Primary Industries – MPI) requirements for export activities, Chevalier must correlate purchases to sales and actual customer names.

Solution

When the company tested the market for new financial management software, it discovered that very few packages could help it with this requirement.

Says Janssen, “We spent three months investigating accounting software. Many of the companies we spoke to simply didn’t comprehend our business needs, or they didn’t believe their packages could do what was required. The reason we went with Jiwa and the local Jiwa reseller, Superb Software, was that they showed they understood our business. We were confident that they could deliver.”

“We went with Jiwa because they showed they understood our business.”

Results

That confidence translated into an implementation, with the Jiwa solution being used by up to 30 staff members daily. Janssen says it is an integral tool for Chevalier’s export and telephone salespeople, business analysts and management.

An essential advantage of the system is its usability: Janssen estimates that it takes just under a week for new staff to become fully competent in the software.

In addition to the Jiwa package, Chevalier has tailored the system by tightly linking Crystal Reports and Microsoft Excel to create a range of additional divisional reports. Scripts provide hourly reports linking purchase order information directly to sales orders, giving an immediate snapshot of the overall business, as well as providing the all-important reports for the MPI.

Source: This article was originally sourced from Jiwa Financials

http://istart.com.au/case-studies/chevalier-wholesale-jiwa-erp-reporting/