Lighting the way to better
Discover how Project Lighting managed to grow from 6 to 8 branches with the help of HARMONiQ
Project Lighting has been a prominent supplier of lighting fixtures in NSW and ACT for close to 50 years. Acting as both a lighting retailer for individual customers and an electrical wholesaler for local tradesmen, Project Lighting know they are different from other companies in the industry.
By 2017, after many decades of successful service and loyal customers, Project Lighting had grown to 6 branches across Canberra and NSW. However, due to their unique set up and growth that had occurred over the years, they were also struggling with their existing ERP.
Because it wasn’t built to be easily customisable, their unique needs weren’t being met. They were finding that:
Their system was expensive & difficult to customise
They were forced to rely on manual processes
Reporting was difficult & time-consuming
They had to change their processes to fit the system
“We were being quoted $50,000 in programming fees to make a change we thought was pretty minor” – Josh Smith, IT Manager
Their existing ERP was a few versions old and they were about to be forced into a very expensive update, so they decided it was a good time to look for an alternative.
The proof is in the demo
Project Lighting reached out to a few companies to see what they could offer. One of their long-time employees remembered a previous interaction with the team from HARMONiQ, having been impressed with their manner and their product.
Knowing that other companies with similar complex distribution, inventory and management requirements were also using HARMONiQ, they decided to reach out and request a demo.
The demo itself impressed the team at Project Lighting. HARMONiQ took them along to an existing client’s warehouse, to show how the software worked in the field in real-time.
“Amber Tiles demoed their system to us. They showed us the benefits, as well as how quickly you could make changes to suit your business” – Josh Smith, IT Manager
It became obvious pretty quickly just how customisable and quick to change HARMONiQ was. It was exactly what Project Lighting had been looking for.
Testing for success
Due to their highly individualised needs, Project Lighting took on a lot of the transition work themselves, headed up by IT Manager Josh Smith. By setting up a test environment, they were able to trial different things they needed before committing to making it a live procedure.
This choice was great for them to ensure they got exactly what they wanted – and they had HARMONiQ there for technical support the whole way through.
“Whenever we got stuck on something, I’d contact HARMONiQ and they’d have one of their rollout consultants help us through the process” – Josh Smith
Once their tests were done and it came time to completely transition to the new system, there was a big fear of the unknown. Moving from one system one day, to a completely different one the next, they expected to be putting out a lot of fires. But to their surprise, that wasn’t the case.
“We were surprised that the transition was pretty seamless, with very little drama” – Josh Smith
True customisation and unparalleled efficiency
Since implementing HARMONiQ in 2017, Project Lighting have not only been enjoying successes of their thorough testing, but have identified the following key areas of improvement:
Customisation: Due to their unique business processes, Project Lighting needed something that would offer the capabilities they wanted, not what someone else should think they should have. Being able to fully customise and test processes has allowed them to create a system that completely supports their business.
Control desk: By allowing them to offer information at a glance, customised to each user, the control desk feature has allowed Project Lighting to save time and better prioritise tasks. Staff can now clearly see what to address as soon as they come in every morning, and get notified when something isn’t right.
Reporting: Staff no longer have to export data to Excel spreadsheets and combine and analyse it manually just to get the information they need. With HARMONiQ, staff can now find all the information they need quickly, within the ERP.
“We can build custom reports really easily within HARMONiQ. It’s a lot less manual now.” – Josh Smith
Automation: The automation and user-friendly nature of HARMONiQ has saved time for managers, limiting the amount of hands-on work that had previously been required of them. They no longer feel they need to manually ‘spoon feed’ information to their teams, thanks to the automatic dissemination of information through HARMONiQ.
Growth: Probably the biggest advantage Project Lighting has experienced with HARMONiQ is the ability to grow their business. Since taking on the software 2 years ago, Project Lighting have been able to add another two branches to their portfolio, and it’s likely they won’t stop there. This growth has in part been facilitated by the new-found control, visibility and efficiency that HARMONiQ has provided the business. HARMONiQ’s flexibility and scalability has also allowed for their business software to grow as they do without expensive system upgrades or add-ons.
Find the right solution for you
While it took time, Josh and the team have no regrets about their choice to change system. In fact, they suggest taking the time to be clear on what you need, so you can ensure the correct choice of ERP. And they have no doubts HARMONiQ was the right choice for them.
“The technical support and customisation capabilities are the best part about using HARMONiQ. It’s a huge improvement for us.” – Josh Smith
If it’s time for your business to transition to the next generation of more user-friendly, intuitive, transparent and transformative systems — It’s time for us to talk.
See what HARMONiQ helped these businesses achieve
Completely customisable and built to be the solution you need, HARMONiQ is an industry-leading business management software that will revolutionise the way you manage your inventory and do business.
CONTACT US
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2-4 Merton St
Sutherland NSW 2232 - +61 2 9542 2000
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