A fast-growing winemaker unlocks benefits
across the organisation with PlusOne.
Rapid business growth comes with its own
challenges, just ask Todd Burns. Burns, the accountant for wine-making success story
Sileni Estates, has seen it expand into 80 overseas markets and production soar
at rates of up to 25% annually. Nice if
you can get it, but the growth did rather put Sileni’s finance processes to the
test.
“The challenge isn’t just scale, it’s also
complexity,” says Burns, who has been with Hawkes Bay-based Sileni for nine
years. “As export sales have grown, we’ve needed to track profitability by
market and by distributor, for example. In other words, much more granular
reporting.”
Cue the introduction of a new accounting
system, new reporting tools. and then, in 2016, an accounts payable automation
solution. The existing manual system, Burns says, was “just getting swamped”
turning around more than 1300 invoices a month. Too much time was spent
emailing back and forth for invoice approvals and reviews; the choice was
clear: hire another AP specialist or automate the entire process.
Burns opted for streamline’s PlusOne AP
automation solution, introduced by technology company Sharp Corporation,
largely because it is designed specifically for the unglamorous but critical AP
function. “We don’t use purchase orders,” he explains. “Everything is actual,
which is great for accuracy but it has to be timely. PlusOne is both accurate
and quick.”
Burns says PlusOne has obvious
and immediate benefits, and others that are less tangible. “The financial side
is obviously important because, yes, we save a salary,” he says. “But it also
means we’ve been able to redirect people into more interesting work. We’ve
improved the job quality of the people in those positions.
“Beyond that, there’s a positive
effect right across the business. It’s easier now for invoice approvers; they
get everything in front of them in an email once a day. Querying or disputing
an invoice with PlusOne is simpler. The traceability is amazing. The vineyard guys
spend less time approving things, too; they get to spend more time making wine.
A downstream benefit for Burns’ team:
spotting bottlenecks. PlusOne very quickly highlights where invoices are
getting stuck. “People delaying approval, for example,” he says. “We can spot
those and resolve them quickly.” Burns himself feels like he’s got his life
back. “I report monthly. If I’ve got a question about a specific invoice I can
now look from the GL straight at the invoice in PlusOne through the link in our
accounting software. Before, I’d have to go and track down the invoice. It
means you’re concentrating on other important aspects of the job, like
returning incremental improvements throughout the business.”
To find out more about how PlusOne AP Automation
can improve your business book a demo today.
