Commercial vehicle upholstery specialist Rae-Line is teaming up with software developer Syspro to ditch paper-based records and go digital.
Rae-Line, based in Victoria, Australia, has been running for 47 years and has been recognised as Kenworth Trucks ‘supplier of the year’ seven times.
Managing director Brett Vorhauer says the business has grown to the point where more efficiencies were needed in the supply chain.
Transitioning to a digital platform will help achieve further business growth for the company and its customers, he says.
“Due to customer growth, the business has outgrown our legacy system of relying on manual data collection and requires a more integrated IT system.
“Having the support of a systemised ERP [enterprise resource planning] solution will help us further service our clients efficiently whilst being able to predict any needs or issues one or two weeks ahead.
“This in turn will help boost our profitability, not just in terms of cash flow but also with how an ERP helps replace the less mundane tasks for my staff so they can work on other aspects within the business,” Vorhauer says.
The team at Rae-Line will now be able to automate some manual processes such as material requirements planning, capacity planning and digitise customer schedules, ensuring staff are working on the latest information.
Current systems, such as payroll and customer relationship management will be integrated with Syspro software and cash flow will also be improved by reducing the need to hold more materials on site.
Management will have access to a comprehensive dashboard that checks if production is going to plan.
Data collected through the system is expected to tackle a number of challenges and lead to better business decisions.
In addition to the cost and efficiency benefits, the new system will also help reduce stress in the workplace.
Around 80 staff members will have more certainty in what they’re doing because they can see problems more clearly and be better prepared to deal with them, Vorhauer says.
Syspro Australasia chief executive Rob Stummer says the two companies share the “same business philosophy”.
“We put the customer first and take pride in delivering exceptional customer experiences,”
“We are committed to partnering with Rae-Line to enable them to better respond to the challenges of a rapidly-evolving customer-facing business,” Stummer says.
The digital transition is expected to officially go live by April 2020.
