Advance Adapters

Advance Adapters is a manufacturer of four wheel drive vehicle powertrain conversion components. Based in Paso Robles, California the company has been the world leader in engine, transmission and transfer case conversions since 1971.

Background to the case

There was a requirement for a new financial accounting solution to support more efficient operations; the team at Advance Adapters was keen to move away from disparate and piece-meal systems with no continuity and a heavy reliance on Microsoft Excel. A solution with growth potential was needed.

Why SAP Business One and Sapphire were chosen

Mike and Angela Partridge, the owner-managers of Advance Adapters, were put in touch with Sapphire after consulting www.findaccountingsoftware.com, a website dedicated to helping organizations identify the right solution to meet their business needs. "Sapphire demonstrated really well how SAP Business One would advance our business, how it could perform and what it could do – very much tailored to our business." Mike Partridge

Advance Adaptors

During the initial stages of identifying a suitable solution Mike said that "Sapphire demonstrated really well how SAP Business One would advance our business, how it could perform and what it could do – very much tailored to our business." Other solutions considered as part of the review process were NetSuite and Assist 2 k. SAP Business One was chosen as it is a single, integrated solution that provides accounting and business critical information in real time. Additionally, "it's easy to use - the user interface makes sense as it has a Windows format and the screens are familiar" said Angela. On Sapphire Mike said, "A main reason in us choosing to work with Sapphire was that they would provide a thorough education on the solution; they teach empowerment"

Working with Sapphire and SAP Business One

The implementation took a total of 35 days over 4 elapsed months, which "met our expectations from a time standpoint" commented Mike, going on to add: "during the design and implementation period we were impressed with the customer service we received from Sapphire and their willingness to learn our business. The director and consultant we worked with were great." Advance Adapters has 18 members of staff using SAP Business One – with most people needing just 2 hours training on the tasks they would be using the system for. SAP Business One is working well for the team and Mike says "It's perfect, we have no complaints." The use of the drill-down arrows in SAP Business One is a product feature the team are making good use of: "the ability to quickly and easily move to related information in another area of the system has cut our research time in half" commented Mike. With SAP Business One in place Advance Adapters is benefiting from greater visibility, specifically over profitability. SAP Business One is a management tool to facilitate decisions on the direction of the company, helping drive the company forward. New business orders are entered on the system, charged and shipped in a matter of minutes – a process that previously took hours. "Before when we ran out of parts, it would take days for us to run relevant reports; we can now do it in minutes" said Mike. Commenting on the level of service they receive from Sapphire's Support Team Mike said, "There is a good two way flow of information, which results in us having excellent service – we feel as if we are the only customer as we are always able to contact whoever we need. There is access to all the information we need too, which is a great timesaver." "SAP Business One has helped us realize the full potential of our business from its 360 degree transparent, real view of daily processes, to the user friendly interfaces. SAP was definitely the best choice for us" added Dustin Bellows, IT Director

Conclusion

To others reviewing their financial accounting systems, Mike advises "It is important to find the solution that is the best fit for your business. Review at least 3 products and spend 2 or 3 months on your background research – it is a major investment after all. In summing up Mike said: "With the implementation of SAP Business One we have been able to consolidate in to a single system, saving us both time and money – we anticipate an ROI period of 2 years. SAP Business One is a pro-active system enabling us to manage daily tasks effectively and optimizing efficiency."

Victoria.park@sapphiresystems.com

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