More time for important stuff
Like many businesses, in the recent past Australian Automotive Parts (AAP) faced many challenges with their supply chain, inventory management, service levels and productivity. Too many people were involved with too much time being spent on Excel spreadsheets and the like.
John Bourne, the MD of AAP reached out for help to the owner of the Auto Parts Group, a long term Horizon client, who advised “you're wasting your time, go and speak with these Horizon guys. They can help you." Now just over eighteen months later, John reflects “We have achieved it.”
John continues, “Horizon has helped me run my business better. It has taken a huge workload off me. I have increased my stock which I wasn't expecting, but considering COVID, global supply chain issues and everything we've been experiencing over the last 12 months, it is understandable. I have much less lost sales. We manage our stock better in the sense of the right stock at the right location. Horizon has made all this possible. All in all, I am very pleased with the outcome today."
Big improvements in Productivity and Service Levels
Peter Light, the General Manager of AAP has also found a LOT more time to do things that really matter and add much more value. He describes the change he has experienced … “As the business grew it was nearly impossible to get on top of external ordering and branch transfers. We didn't have the right stock at the right time. With Horizon all these problems got solved – I’m on top of ordering and we have the right stock at the right time. Before Horizon, I was spending 4 1/2 days a week on ordering (and I am only in charge of a small product group - kits) and I was still not getting it right. Now I’m doing the same task while only spending 1/2 an hour a fortnight, which gives me a lot of time to concentrate on other aspects of the business.”
Peter continues, “We can now see where we're overstocked, understocked, outstanding orders and back orders. It makes us look where the problems are. Despite the fact our ERP data isn't perfect the Horizon software highlights this and enables us to fix it within our ERP. I have full trust in Horizon at the moment with the groups I'm managing."
“Kits manufacturing is now a breeze. Each morning the system recommends the kits we need to make. Now much more than not, we have the parts we need to make the required kits which improves service levels and our productivity and reduces my stress level too. We have a book where we write in any urgent emergency kit production orders. We rarely write in that book now.”
Easy implementation and integration with the ERP
Horizon had great cooperation with Peach Software, the provider of AAP’s ERP software. Peter indicates, “Implementation went very well. Integration with the ERP seemed to work very well. The whole professionalism of Horizon during the implementation was second to none. The system is great, and the more we tweak it to suit our business, the better it'll be."
Top shelf support
Peter reflects on his experience with the Horizon support envelope. “We can get in touch with you guys at any time and you'll address our questions/issues. You couldn't have done anything better. Horizon is doing everything we were expecting of it. Horizon is our right hand man, which we are very comfortable with.”
A real partnership producing results
John Bourne has said to Horizon, "You guys have gone above and beyond as far as looking at the background and coming back with suggestions and improvements. You have solved problems for us - pick and pack tool, split shipments. You have given us a lot of hours which we haven't been billed for in order to help our situation. I am very pleased with what I received from Horizon."
"We've signed a contract with you guys, but I feel it is a partnership in progress. It has been from day one. You looked at my business as if it was your own. You looked outside the square… this is something I was not expecting from a software company. It has a been a real partnership and you have owned what you've done for my business."
"I honestly think you guys could not have done it better."
Well at Horizon we feel there is always something that can be improved. John Bourne adds, “Would like to tackle and fine tune and automate the inter branch transfer (the main DC to the other DCs). Would like to get to where some other clients are, where the system automatically handles the branch transfers.”
After all no relationship should ever rest on its laurels.