Sweeping success with the platform for global expansion
Business success stories: Josco
Managing Director
Ben Joseph
Location
Carrum Downs, VIC
Industry
Engineering – Surface Finishing Products
Founded in 1977, Josco began its operations as a specialist brush distributor. As the company grew, its range extended to additional surface finishing products and the supply of products from industry-leading brands. When operations expanded to New Zealand and the UK with products stocked in major retail chains such as Bunnings, Mitre 10 and Total Tools, Josco took on a more global strategy.
Josco has developed significant and well-regarded expertise in surface finishing products and is now a trusted supplier to DIY consumers, trade professional, and industrial markets around the world. To support the company’s continued growth, Josco recognised the need for business management software that could scale and remain agile with its requirements.
Why did Josco choose a NetSuite system, delivered by JCurve Solutions?
For 28 years, Josco had been running on a server-based ERP system. The business was uncovering more and more gaps in the system in terms of capability and reliability.
Ben Joseph, managing director of Josco, explains, “We needed a larger more globally-focused partner, and NetSuite ticked all the boxes. We felt NetSuite had the capability we needed now and could grow with us internationally, coupled with being a cloud-based system with 24/7 support from JCurve Solutions.”
With the company’s global expansion, the limitations of its old software were becoming a roadblock to more efficient operations. Josco realised it was time to evaluate more robust systems that could handle its evolving business processes and requirements.
Ben elaborates, “It was critical to us to have an ERP system that was cloud-based. We have businesses in the UK, Australia, and we’re working with China. We couldn’t afford to have an issue in the middle of the night with a local, on-premise server.”
Brushing up on business efficiency
With its 1,600 SKUs in multiple locations and transactions in multiple currencies, Josco needed to engage an ERP solution provider that understood its complex business requirements. After much research, JCurve Solutions (ASX: JCS) was identified as the ideal partner to implement the #1 cloud ERP software suite, NetSuite. With more NetSuite implementations than any other partner globally, JCS had the experienced and talented team that Josco needed.
JCS provided Josco with guidance on the optimal setup and implementation process. Josco undertook the right preparation work required for changing systems, including data cleansing, to create a faster, smoother changeover process.
As part of the recommended process, Josco’s managers engaged with all key stakeholders, including staff and customers, to communicate and set expectations of the NetSuite implementation. “Bringing the team on the journey with us, creating experts and delegating, really helped with the transition. We even changed the date of our implementation at the request of one customer, which gave them additional time to work with us on identifying any potential issues,” comments Ben.
The benefits of running on NetSuite were noted early on, including access to real-time, accurate data, and significant time-savings. Josco’s new ERP system has “improved the integrity of the data significantly” and increased the speed of reporting. Previously, end-of-month reporting was a manual process taking 3-4 weeks. That time has now been reduced to less than seven days, thanks to automation. “One of the great things with the reporting function is the ability to be able to customise the reports to exactly what you want, to appear in a particular style. This is a powerful feature that we’re using a lot,” explains Ben.
“As the business keeps growing, we will continue reaping the benefits of deploying NetSuite. It’s allowing the company to continually expand with far more options which, down the line, will drive profitability further.”
The right tools for continued success
NetSuite’s advanced inventory management functionality has been a real strength with Josco now using wireless scanners in the warehouses to boost efficiency and reduce handling time. Manual data entry errors have been eliminated. Staff also have more control and live visibility of inventory levels and stock reporting.
NetSuite has also delivered impressive agility and mobility across Josco’s business with field sales reps now accessing live sales and inventory data from the NetSuite mobile app.
Josco recognised the NetSuite ERP solution as a necessary investment to support its continued business success. As Ben points out, “The business is undergoing double-digit growth, and NetSuite has enabled us to redeploy resources; we haven’t needed to add headcount. Instead, staff are freed from low-value admin tasks, and can take on more interesting, revenue-generating work.”
“With NetSuite being cloud-based, and backed by Oracle, the fear of an on-premise server crash or loss of data disappears. If something happened to our building tomorrow, we could be up and running in remote locations, seamlessly and immediately.”
Operational efficiencies, cost savings, and continued business growth are a testament to the benefits of working with JCS to implement the NetSuite ERP system.
Josco also has a stable platform to keep expanding its operations; as Ben notes, “We’re planning further global expansion with an increased product offering. The ability of NetSuite as a cloud-based product that also allows us to operate in multiple currencies and locations gives us the vehicle to achieve this.”
Outcomes
Double digit growth.
Improved handling of 1600 SKUs across several locations.
Transacting in multiple currencies.
Live visibility and real-time reporting across all products and locations.
Reporting time reduced from 4 weeks to under 7 days.
Significant admin time saved, leaving staff free for revenue-generating tasks.
Business guide
Free guide: The Real Costs of ERP – Cloud & On-Premise Compared.
Video
3-minute video: JCS CEO, Stephen Canning, talk about achieving greater business success.
One cloud-based system
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