A growing business’s best friend
Wet and Forget was established in 1976 as an Auckland roof
resurfacing company using its own recipe to remove moss, mould and
grunge called Wet and Forget. The product was so effective and
demand so high that the company began to manufacture Wet and Forget
as its main line of business. Other products later added to
the portfolio include a moss/mould retardant, aerosol fire
extinguishers, organic weed killer and marine anti-fouling
paint.
The Challenge
Wet and Forget had been through three different accounting and
enterprise resource systems as the company has expanded. Previous
systems, including two developed specifically for the company, were
unable to cope with growth or the size of the customer database,
were slow and inflexible to use, and did not support adequate
service functions such as account management or managing accounts
for multiple products. The directors of the company wanted an
accounting and management information system enabling them to:
- grow the business
- create global e-commerce capability
- integrate the accounting system and other business functions
with the website so that it could conduct local and international
business 24 hours a day.
The company was looking for a provider that not only had a
system that would meet their IT and accounting needs, but one that
was capable of understanding their business and providing a safe
choice that would last the distance of long-term company
growth.
The Solution
Wet and Forget requested tenders for a new Enterprise Resource
Management (ERM) system. The modular nature of Microsoft Great
Plains appealed to them as it allowed them to learn the system in
manageable phases, and could scale as their needs increased. The
directors opted for Microsoft Great Plains as their ERM system,
with i-builder to integrate Great Plains and their website
e-commerce and marketing activity. Both were deployed by Olympic
Software.
The Results
Almost as soon as the system went live in January 2003, it began
to add value to the company, particularly in the areas of business
transparency and improved inventory management. For the first time,
Wet and Forget was able to run reports showing real-time business
situations and trends. The directors can break down sales figures
according to specific product lines, enabling views of specific
areas of growth and profitability, among many other
functions.
IT director Leigh Jenden describes the new system as the backbone
of the company - a big investment which is a critical factor in Wet
and Forget's future. "Our union with Olympic Software ensured that
we knew exactly what we were getting for our money. Their
presentation and documentation were excellent. Every person we have
dealt with in Olympic Software has been highly qualified in their
area of expertise. Their thoroughness, coupled with their
individual strengths and depth of knowledge set them apart from
other companies."
The solution is helping the company to expand into Australia and
beyond.
Highlights
- Significant time savings
- Access to better financial information more quickly and in a
format the company can understand and use effectively
- Reduced frustration and more energy to direct the company
- A variety of reporting systems
- Real-time access to information providing a snapshot of the
business, trends and future scenarios
- Sales figures that can be broken down into specific product
lines with details enabling directors to target specific areas of
growth and profitability
- More focused and smarter decisions
- Reduced reliance on accountants
- Excellent support and frequent upgrades (two in six
months)
SUCCESS STORY
Every person we have dealt with in Olympic Software has been highly qualified in their area of expertise. Their thoroughness, coupled with their individual strengths and depth of knowledge set them apart from other companies.
Leigh Jenden
IT Director
