Floryn

Established in 2002 and employing nearly twenty people, Floryn specialises in supplying packing materials and providing warehousing solutions and related services. It does this from a modern, 80,000 square foot warehouse close to the M2, M20 and M25 motorways in Kent. The combination of packaging and warehousing, plus years of procurement experience, allows Floryn to offer a consolidated service to its customers that includes product sourcing, packaging supply, warehousing and distribution.

Background to the case and solution review

As a young company Floryn initially put in place finance and warehousing systems to help it run the business. However, after a time problems began to occur. "Although the original warehousing system, which was designed for us, was ok, it didn't talk to the finance system and it was causing us problems," said Chris O'Neill, Managing Director at Floryn. "For example, there was no prompt from either system to issue invoices, which meant they were sometimes forgotten. That's a major failing."

Floryn wanted an integrated system that supported the company's end-to-end business processes, from receipt to storage, despatch to invoicing. Chris was introduced to the SAP Business One application. "I'd previously heard of SAP and knew it was a significant business software vendor," said Chris. "SAP Business One combined all the functions we needed in one application and was for small and medium companies. So we decided to go for it."

The decision to choose Sapphire

Although Chris was convinced that SAP Business One was the right system for the company, the project didn't go too well to start with. "We felt that the first company we partnered with just wanted to sell us the system and go," explained Chris. "What we really needed was a company that could take SAP Business One and mould it to meet our specific requirements." That company turned out to be Sapphire Systems. "When we first came across Sapphire Systems their staff were like a breath of fresh air" said Chris. "They demonstrated that they understood how both sides of our business could run – the warehouse and the buying and selling aspects. They convinced us they had the knowledge and that they knew what was best for our company."

Implementation

Sapphire Systems worked closely with Floryn to establish exactly what the company's requirements were. "Sapphire took a lot of time to understand our business, what we wanted and how SAP Business One could help us grow," said Chris. "They were very proactive. They made some very good suggestions and clearly had in-depth expertise of SAP Business One." Sapphire Systems also put together a detailed implementation and training plan. "The whole thing was done very well," said Chris. The most critical aspect of moving over to SAP Business One was ensuring that the financial information was up to date and accurate. In fact it all went smoothly. "The switch over of financial data was handled very confidently, SAP Business One worked exactly how we wanted it to and there was no disruption to the business," said Chris. As for the users' response to the new system - they welcomed it. "The users found it pretty quick to learn and responded very favourably," said Chris. "It now saves them a lot of time in comparison to the previous system."

Benefits

As soon as the implementation was complete Floryn began to realise benefits. "Errors were reduced, which meant we were immediately more confident in the accounting figures and were able to communicate them more effectively," said Chris. "The system also gives us closed-loop business processes, which means we have greater control of the business." Chris continued "In addition, workload has been cut in a number of areas. The result is that we have a system that will support us and allow us to grow at the rate we want to."

Following the implementation of the system, Sapphire Systems has continued to provide Floryn with support. "I have nothing but praise for the people at Sapphire Systems," says Chris. "Their expertise in SAP Business One is very good. They are good at communicating and feedback from my staff says their support is excellent. Our relationship with them is a continuing process."

Advice to others

When asked about his advice to other companies, Chris is clear: "I would definitely recommend SAP Business One. It has everything a small and medium sized business needs, it's integrated and it provides the disciplined processes organisations need without imposing restrictions. I would also recommend Sapphire Systems." Chris continues, "As we found out, choosing the right partner is crucial for gaining the most benefit out of SAP Business One. Sapphire Systems has the business knowledge and takes the trouble to understand your requirements. From our perspective that has meant that it has made SAP Business One work for us with the least pain and we will continue working the company."

Media contact: Victoria Park +44 (0)20 7648 2008 Victoria.park@sapphiresystems.com