Our client East Brothers Timber is a specialist sawmill that supplies bespoke pieces of wood cut to precise shapes and dimensions. Many of their customers are major infrastructure companies with demanding schedules – customers who require the right cuts of wood to be delivered on time at the right location – every time. The sawmill needs to ensure it consistently fulfils its customers’ needs.
The chief executive realised the business needed an end-to-end business system to manage everything from quoting to invoicing. But since it wasn’t available as an off the shelf package, he asked us to build it for him instead.
The system’s centrepiece is an iPad app that manages fulfilment of orders. The app not only makes the delivery process faster and easier, it also ensures the deliveries are secure and accurate.
We took a deep dive into the detail of how the sawmill worked, mapping out the processes at each stage, and what the CEO required.
We designed a bespoke system that would provide end-to-end management of the business, from initial customer enquiry to final invoicing.
We build the heart of the business system first, focusing on accurate order fulfilment, with additional improvements down the line.
The iPad system optimises the sawmill’s order fulfilment process, delivering efficiency but also accuracy, security and traceability. Customers with tight schedules get the results they expect. If there are any queries, the data trail is there.
The business’s entire workflow is also optimised and streamlined. When a customer makes an order it enters the system and is tracked all the way to fulfilment, at which point the billing data is pushed into Sage and an invoice is sent out. The system also holds a wealth of data that can be extracted to make further improvements, for example by identifying bottlenecks in the cutting schedule.
Ultimately the system gives the business a set of tools to do everything better – essential when you’re dealing with big customers with tight schedules.
Mark Gilbert
Director, East Brothers Timber
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