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NEW ERP AND AUTOMATIONS REPLACE SPREADSHEETS

Archie Rose puts new ERP system in place to scale and stay compliant

Before the digital transformation project

  • Tracking of materials and products were done manually using spreadsheets, a big time sink because distilleries have complex manufacturing requirements and outputs
  • Enormous amounts of time were wasted managing regulatory compliance
  • Business lacked the ability to parse, report on, and take actions based on operational data

Archie Rose's top priorities for the transformation

  • Design a process-first, tech-second approach to make sure software met operational requirements in a functional way
  • Waypoint to communicate with Archie Rose throughout to ensure team was ready for go-live
  • Make sure that Cin7 Core was implemented correctly and that all systems were running seamlessly so Archie Rose could go live without any downtime
Archie Rose

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Distiller Archie Rose gets a spirited digital makeover with Waypoint

The company used Cin7 Core and Xero to get rid of spreadsheets, remove manual errors, get trust in their data, and automate complex compliance reporting down to just a few clicks

Will Edwards wanted to right a wrong. The problem was that Sydney, Australia – despite its origins as a moonshine-loving penal colony – somehow lacked an independent distillery. Enlisting the help of experts and starting with a blank canvas, Founder and Managing Director Will leads a team that’s created a modern distillery that’s proudly Australian. Today, Archie Rose Distilling Co. has developed a big reputation for a small, independent distillery, producing high-quality Gin, Whisky and Vodka.

“It’s not easy going up against the might of the distilling giants, but the drinking public has shown that despite economic uncertainty, they will pay for quality and something a little bit different. And that’s precisely what Archie Rose delivers,” says Will. 

As the business grew it was clear that the old ways of managing the business weren't good enough. According to Will, it was very much a case of “what got us here, won’t get us there.”

Distilling the problem

The key issue for the Archie Rose team was that the tracking of their materials and final product were all done manually. This, coupled with the inherent complexity of spirits manufacturing meant an awful lot of time was wasted managing regulatory compliance, especially reporting to the Australian Tax Office (ATO).

“Spirits manufacturing is a bit difficult. Every single batch of production yields a different result. It depends on the environment and a number of other factors,” explains Will. To manage this complexity, Archie Rose was using… spreadsheets.

“Prior to Cin7 Core being put in place was basically a very manual process whereby we had Excel spreadsheets for each phase of production,” says Will.

“So it was just a really, really onerous system. It worked okay when we were smaller, but then as we grew it just became too clumsy and potentially prone to error.”

Luckily, Will and the Archie Rose team had Waypoint to help them.

“We worked hard together to get to grips with Archie Rose’s Bill of Materials and costs, which given the nature of the product, was particularly complex,” says Mathew Grant, one of the software implementation experts at Waypoint.

“One of Cin7 Core’s real strengths is its ability to handle these scenarios, especially where multiple layers of production are a factor – and in Archie Rose’s case there were up to seven distinct production layers.”

Cin7 Core forms a spirited solution

“We evaluated every aspect of their inventory management and reporting requirements to help identify their ideal process,” says Mathew. “This included reviewing the individual Excel spreadsheets that they were using at that time. Once the requirements were understood, we selected Cin7 Core as the perfect technology partner.”

Waypoint always takes a “process first, technology second” approach to make sure that any piece of software is going to meet a customer’s operational requirements in a functional way. Their team stays in communication from an implementation’s beginning to its end. This ensures the customer’s team is fully trained and optimisation of the system is at its maximum throughout the lifespan, empowering Archie Rose to use Cin7 Core to its full capacity.

“Archie Rose got it right the first time.”

One of the most challenging things a business can do is implementing a new inventory management system while maintaining operations. Do it wrong, and the entire business can stop functioning. But Waypoint were able to help Archie Rose implement their software solution without a hitch.

“Archie Rose has been one of the more challenging, but ultimately because of it, most fulfilling clients that we've worked with,” Mathew says. “Implementing a new inventory management system when you're already operating is a challenge. But Archie Rose was able to use Cin7 Core, use Xero and use our assistance to ensure that everything worked – they had one shot and they got it right the first time.”

Archie Rose now has the ability to report to ATO with just a few clicks. That includes simple compliance-based reporting, right the way through to complex reports which cover alcohol-related excise information. They also have the ability to monitor stock levels at the warehouses of their suppliers. “What it all means is that they’ve saved a considerable amount of admin time,” says Mathew.

Archie Rose agrees – they say the benefits of moving from a spreadsheet-based system to automated inventory management software are huge. “Having a robust manufacturing module was great. The other important aspect we were looking for is a really rigid system with regard to data flows, because the federal government reporting requirements are really really stringent,” Will says. Waypoint’s implementation of Cin7 Core has made what was once hard and time-consuming much, much easier.

“Whether it's building your bill of materials through to processing batch documents – it's all there, and I can trust it.”

A business system that’s future-proof

Will now has far more confidence in the operations across the entire business. It’s allowed him to manage the here and now with real-time reporting, while also keeping an eye to the future thanks to Cin7 Core's forecasting capabilities. And with sales and their reputation continuing to grow, that future looks very positive.

“There's a couple of reasons why Cin7 Core has really improved the way we do business,” Will says. “That combination of knowing where our goods are at all stages of production in different locations around the country and being able to deep dive into a bit more of the analysis around production efficiencies and performance are probably the two things that give us the most value.”

With onerous compliance requirements largely automated away, and thanks to the reporting capability built into the new system, Archie Rose can now concentrate on spending time to make money.

“I can now generate a report and spend more time analyzing the results, which is great. It makes my life much easier,” Will says.

“It’s a system that can minimize or eliminate human error and allow us to see all of the changes throughout and every step of the process. To manage that scale with only one or two people is fantastic.”

“ Archie Rose was able to use Cin7 Core, use Xero and use our assistance to ensure that everything worked – they had one shot and they got it right the first time ”
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What was achieved – the results

Hundreds of admin hours saved

  • Cin7 Core inventory management system implemented with no business downtime
  • Ability to do compliance reporting with just a few clicks, saving hundreds of hours of admin time
  • Human error minimized or eliminated across complex supply chain
  • Rules-based system and software checks and balances mean less room for error with stringent Government reporting requirements
  • More confidence in operations across entire business, with staff knowing where all goods are located and what stage of production they’re at
  • With a higher level or data trust, reporting and data analysis is easy, and crucial business decisions can now be made with confidence
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Their new modern, automated,
end-to-end ERP system

custome ecommerce

Marketplaces and online stores

Cin7 Core tile

ERP, order and inventory mgmt

shippit tile

Shipping, rate, and fulfillment mgmt

Cin7 Core API integrations tile

Seamless integrations

logo5

Accounting, taxes, and payroll

Cin7 Core WMS tile

Inventory control, picking & dispatch

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System advantages

  • One well integrated system where everything talks to each other
    The automation makes it easy to smash out hundreds of orders per day without worrying about stock levels, ingredients or any of the hundreds of details. The Cin7 Core ERP system brings it all together in a way that everything gets done when it should, efficiently.
  • Xero and Cin7 Core make sure you know exactly what every product run costs and centralizing all the online and B2B orders
    The dashboard gives the business a really clear understanding of everything going on and how the business is running. Cin7 Core keeps everything in one place so managers, team members, all know and don't waste time manually calculating and chasing data.
  • Integrations with Ecommerce, wholesale and shipping (Shippit) make everything flow smoothly and easier to achieve higher profits
    “Waypoint helped us implement a system that can minimize or eliminate human error and allow us to see all of the changes throughout and every step of the process. To manage that scale with only one or two people is fantastic.”
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The people who made this
 implementation so successful

Mathew Grant
Mathew Grant Implementation Expert, Waypoint

Implementation Expert, Waypoint Mathew Grant

Client management from the first point of contact

Consulted with Archie Rose to determine the right inventory platform for the job

Developed the initial scope of works alongside Archie Rose that would be later enacted by Waypoint’s implementation team

“Archie Rose was able to use Cin7 Core, use Xero and use our assistance to ensure that everything worked first time”

Areas of contribution

  • Client management from the first point of contact
  • Consulted with Archie Rose to determine the right inventory platform for the job
  • Developed the initial scope of works alongside Archie Rose that would be later enacted by Waypoint’s implementation team
Will Edwards
Will Edwards Founder and Managing Director, Archie Rose

Founder and Managing Director, Archie Rose Will Edwards

Project champion for Archie Rose Managed implementation from Archie Rose end including staff training coordination Instrumental in enabling business to start using Cin7 Core from day one of go-live

“Waypoint helped us implement a system that can minimize or eliminate human error”

Areas of contribution

  • Project champion for Archie Rose
  • Managed implementation from Archie Rose end including staff training coordination
  • Instrumental in enabling business to start using Cin7 Core from day one of go-live
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