LATEST NEWS
Waste management system a success for SteriHealth
by Steve Langmaid
In April 2009, SteriHealth embarked on an ambitious project, with Fenwick Software, to deliver a fully integrated solution around Australia within 12 months. Microsoft Dynamics NAV with enwis), a system specifically developed for the waste and recycling industry, now implemented at over 170 companies worldwide, was chosen as the best fit for this purpose.
SteriHealth is Australia’s leading provider of specialist collection and disposal services for clinical and related waste, with six processing plants around Australia. It also is a key supplier of single-use products for the Pathology, Life Science and Laboratory sectors of the healthcare industry.
Rapid growth had left SteriHealth with multiple disparate systems resulting in data duplication and little consistency across systems. Production of meaningful reports was unwieldy, manual and time consuming. EPA compliance was becoming an issue with differing requirements across states. SteriHealth management knew they needed an integrated, scalable system to provide a platform from which to continue to grow the business.
The system has now been operationally live for over three months and the impact has been felt across the whole organization. The new system has positioned SteriHealth for continued future growth with the immediate benefits of a single integrated system providing a central repository for all information. SteriHealth now operate using standardized and centralized processing delivering improved customer service.
According to SteriHealth Project Director David Pietsch, “The professionalism and can-do attitude of the Fenwick team enabled us to deliver the full scope of the project on-time and within budget. It was a real pleasure to work with them …”
Posted by on 19th July, 2010 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Fenwick Software develops graphical dispatching
by Ian Thompson
The newly developed Drag and Drop Dispatch Board from Fenwick Software brings a whole new level of convenience and efficiency to dispatching for waste management and recycling companies using the enwis) / Microsoft Dynamics NAV system. A departure from dispatching with data in tables; this system boasts an advanced visual timeline of your day’s jobs.
You can see changes to the schedule in real-time with smooth animations. The Drag and Drop Dispatch Board gives you an invaluable view of your company’s schedule. Jobs grow, shrink, and move, graphically displaying a real time view of how jobs are allocated to vehicles; making any changes strikingly obvious to your dispatchers.
A convenient configurable colour coding system keeps your dispatchers aware of the progress of orders. Late orders become a worrying red shade and completed orders turn a pleasant green. Overlapping trips pulse to grab the attention of the operator and turn slightly transparent to reveal trips hiding below.
Change your schedule simply using only your mouse! Trips can be dragged along the timeline and a convenient time indicator hovers above your mouse as you drag. Click and drag the right side of a trip to lengthen or shorten it. A handy snapping feature makes it easy to place jobs immediately before or after others.
Drag and Drop Dispatch Board from Fenwick Software makes dispatching simple and efficient.
Posted by Ian Thompson on 12th July, 2010 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Peter Fenwick qualifies as Company Director
by Peter Fenwick
On the evening of Monday 28 th June, at a ceremony at Zinc at Federation Square, I was officially presented with my diploma as a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
You may think that, after running Fenwick Software for 33 years, I would know all I needed to. So what is this all about? Why had I put myself through a weeks’ pre reading, a week of lectures, and done a 3000-word case study assignment and a 2 ½ hour exam?
Well it all goes back to last year when we set up an employee shareholder scheme and consequently Fenwick Software had a Board for the first time. I thought I should learn what that was all about. And I did.
Although the course is targeted at creating directors for listed companies, I found most of it relevant for our purposes. The topics included:
- The role of the Board
- Directors’ duties and responsibilities
- Risk
- Strategy
- Financial literacy
- Driving financial performance
- Legal compliance
- Decision making
- Achieving Board effectiveness
The material was comprehensive and was presented by very competent practitioners. Also, the contributions, from fellow participants, from a wide variety of experiences, some of whom already had experience as company directors, were invaluable.
Finally, there were a couple of key messages I took away from all this:
- Directors’ responsibilities go beyond the legal essentials; they are required to set the tone and culture of their organisations as ethical participants in our society.
- It is important to resource strategy; you must ensure that the financial, physical and people resources are available to implement it.
I would highly recommend the course to other owners of private companies.
Posted by Peter Fenwick on 29th June, 2010 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Rubina Usman joins Fenwick Software
by Peter Fenwick
I am delighted to advise that Rubina Usman has accepted a position with us as a Senior consultant.
Rubina has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Karachi and an MBA from Macquarie University in Sydney. Rubina has been working with Navision for the past ten years. In Singapore she worked for Navilogic and then Microsoft; in Sydney she worked for Moore Stephens and Just One Place.
Her experience embraces Solution Design and Development, Consulting, Pre-Sales, Project Management, Account management and Partner Readiness. She comes highly recommended by her peers and former clients.
We are expecting her to make significant contributions to the delivery and support of Microsoft Dynamics NAV systems for our clients, and to help us to continue to grow our business.
Posted by Peter Fenwick on 5th May, 2010 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Chris Johnstone – Commercial Manager
by Peter Fenwick
The Commercial Manager will manage the day to day business operations, and have responsibility for financial management; and, in collaboration with the leadership team, allocation of resources across projects; and take a key role in building client and supplier relationships; and driving new business opportunities.
Chris Johnstone has been appointed to this role. Chris is a Chartered Accountant who worked in the profession with PricewaterhouseCoopers and William Buck prior to taking on senior finance roles in various industries including Government, Energy, Construction, Transport and Logistics.
Posted by Peter Fenwick on 12th April, 2010 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Hazeldene’s choose Microsoft Dynamics NAV from Fenwick Software
by Peter Fenwick
The company supplies wholesalers and distributors, butchers, food markets and takeaway shops with various chicken products including whole birds, crumbed and marinated chicken pieces, a range of portion and boneless chicken, gourmet sausages and offal. Hazeldene’s is one of the few Free Range Accredited operations in Australia.
The business has grown substantially in the past few years: its revenue grew from $73 million in 2005 to $144 million in 2008. It employs around 500 staff and processes about 20 million chickens per year from its state of the art processing facility at Lockwood, near Bendigo.
New systems and procedures are now planned to meet the requirements of this significant business. After an extensive investigation process, involving senior management and consultant Mike Hilson from Central Victorian Technology Services, Hazeldene’s chose Fenwick Software and the Microsoft Dynamics NAV product to achieve this.
Posted by Peter Fenwick on 3rd March, 2010 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Peter Hill joins the Board
by Peter Fenwick
Peter Hill has been in the Information Services industry for more than thirty five years. He has specific expertise in the manufacturing and distribution industries and in CRM. He has an MBA in Technology Management and is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society.
He initially worked in Australia in the 1960s, being transferred to New Zealand in 1968. He subsequently joined a start-up software company in Auckland eventually moving to a client, to manage their I.T. Company. In 1979 he returned to Melbourne to manage the on-line service bureau of the large conglomerate manufacturing organisation, ACI.
For 12 years from 1982 Peter was the Executive Director and a major shareholder of Megatec, an Australian Software Company. During his time with the company it grew from start-up to a $10m turnover. Subsequently, Peter has worked as a consultant and company director, primarily in the areas of software acquisition, I.T. management consulting, software quality management, I.T. project management and testing.
Peter has been a speaker at conferences in Australia, China, Denmark, Finland, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and the UK. He has had a number of articles published, covering key aspects of the Information Services industry. He is a past Chairman, Secretary and Fellow of the Australian Computer Society.
Peter has compiled and edited five books for the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group. He runs courses on Project Management, with an emphasis on software acquisition projects and on the practical use of software metrics.
Peter has been working for Fenwick Software, in a part-time role, since early 2006. He provides consulting services, project management and account management services to our clients.
Posted by Peter Fenwick on 17th February, 2010 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: DH Gibson upgrades MANAGE 2000 to release 7.2
by Juerg Stolz
Gibson turned on the latest version of MANAGE on Monday, 14 th December - hip, hip, hurrah!
Gibson Shopfitters is one of Australia’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of retail-fixtures serving a wide range of clients from across Australia’s retailing spectrum. Their resources include specialised joinery and steel shelving factories, extensive modern warehousing and considerable expertise in design and installation.
With a history in Australia’s shopfitting industry stretching back over 55 years, Gibsons has the experience, stability and adaptability to complete a full range of projects from full store fitouts to nation-wide equipment rollouts.
Gibsons make excellent use of technology in their business. For example:
Using sophisticated multiple-bin-tracking software and real-time wireless scanning technology, over 8000sqm of high-reach palletised storage is controlled from receipt to despatch in their National Distribution Centre
Their design team uses leading 3D design software to progress ideas from concept to 3D rendering to prototype to production
Centralised control of their own mobile crew of installers and site supervisors along with an established Australia-wide network of subcontractors allows them to dynamically monitor and complete multiple concurrent projects
They have a strong focus on management information and control systems
Gibsons has been using the MANAGE 2000 manufacturing software in its business since 1994, and has a history of innovative use of both the basic system and add-on technology, such as the use of on-the-spot RF hand-held data entry devices and Esker Deliveryware for email and fax integration.
Gibson’s recent decision to upgrade this software to release 7.2 is a continuation of that practice.
Repetitive work procedures have all been integrated into MANAGE by extensive use of command input ‘shortcuts’, over 500 customised reports, and custom written add-ons such as Shiplist Packing functions to improve inventory accuracy and to capture detailed packing information. These features could all be preserved in the upgrade - rather than moving to a new state of the art system with limited scope for customisation.
‘Getting more from MANAGE’ was their slogan for the upgrade.
A totally new menu system and web based enquiry screens are the most eye-catching changes in the new version but because most of the functions used every day are largely unchanged, the internal upheaval that an upgrade can cause was minimal.
However there are quite a lot of less obvious changes that are being discovered as staff explore the areas of the system that they commonly use — new fields, new options, new functions, new reports, drop down menus and drilldowns.
The upgrade of Manage 2000 provides the company with an updated platform to develop and extend the system, and it will be an important part of the progress they make in providing better service, making better decisions faster and obtaining greater efficiencies throughout the business.
Fenwick Software has been supporting this software since 1995 and has helped Gibsons during the year to prepare for and to implement this project.
Posted by Juerg Stolz on 16th December, 2009 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Employee shareholder scheme
by Peter Fenwick
Over the next decade, the ownership of Fenwick Software will gradually transition from the founder to chosen senior staff. In this way we hope to retain the culture of the firm that has been developed over the past 33 years and to ensure that it continues to thrive.
We have created an employee shareholder scheme that will enable senior staff to acquire a controlling interest at a fair price. Initially, Andrew Ferguson and Steve Langmaid, who have both been with the firm for over 20 years, have each taken up a 7.5% interest.
Posted by Peter Fenwick on 27th November, 2009 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Fenwick Software, employee shareholder scheme Tegos/enwis) Partner Conference
by Andrew Ferguson
In late October, 25 representatives from 14 Tegos Partners converged on Cologne, Germany for the first enwis) Partner Day. Andrew Ferguson flew to Germany to represent Fenwick Software.
It was a packed agenda, with presentations from several Tegos representatives and a ‘veteran’ enwis) user.
Partner Welcome
The day opened with a presentation by Andreas Kullman, Managing Director of Tegos. Andreas outlined the growth of Tegos and en wis). An increased focus worldwide on Recycling and Waste Management is driving ongoing development of enwis), and growth in the partner network. enwis) is now supported by a partner network in 18 countries, with plans to expand further into Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
Andreas also announced the release of Comotor – a product focussed on commodity (e.g. Metal, Energy, and Paper) trading. Comotor is a separate product to enwis) and includes features such as Hedging, Risk Management and trading with the LME. Comotor will be available in Q2 or Q3 2010.
Product Support and Release Roadmap
Tegos is making a large investment in its support and development teams, increasing dedicated staff in both areas. They are developing an enhanced Partner community portal which will allow Partners to share experiences and information more freely.
Ingo Kailuweit (Head of Product Development and Customer Care) talked about an exciting list of upcoming software releases and/or enhancements:
- enwis)public is a ‘flavour’ of enwis) specifically designed to address the requirements of municipal waste collection including bins management, tour planning, waste collection and processing, complaint management, fleet management and risk management.
- enwis)2009 uses the NAV 2009 Role Tailored Client and will be released in Q1/2010.
- enwis)CTI 2.0 integrates telephone systems with enwis). This is fully integrated with NAV 2009 and a reduced functionality version is available with NAV 5.0
- enwis)docma will be discussed in more detail later
- Comotor has been discussed earlier
Ingo also discussed some plans Tegos has to improve documentation and support processes for enwis). These plans will be progressively put in place over the next 6-12 months.
enwis) telematics
The new enwis) telematics solution allows companies to plan and monitor the movements of their vehicles. The module can also be used to optimise routes and to compare the actual route taken by the vehicle with the planned route. The revised architecture is independent of the Telematic provider, which will hopefully simplify Australian rollouts.
enwis) docma
enwis)docma is a Document Management system that integrates with enwis) and SharePoint. It provides drag-and-drop linking of documents to Contracts, Orders, Customers etc. An optional 3rd party add-on (ECSpand) provides extra features such as version tracking, scanner & OCR integration and records management and searching. enwis)docma will be released in Q1/2010.
enwis) BI
This is Tegos’ Business Intelligence offering. Tegos has partnered with evidanza to develop prebuilt SSIS scripts which extract data from standard NAV and enwis) tables and build SQL Server Analysis Services cubes. These cubes address areas such as:
- Sales
- G/L
- Resources
- Cost control
- CRM
- Stock
- Equipment (enwis))
- Material (enwis)
- Fleet management (enwis)
evidanza also produces a BI front-end which can be integrated directly into your NAV client. This front-end can display Charts, Gauges and Pivot Tables with direct drill through into NAV.
Wrap-up
The day finished with some networking amongst Partners and Tegos personnel.
It was agreed that the day had been very worthwhile and well worth repeating on an annual basis.
Posted by Andrew Ferguson on 27th October, 2009 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: enwis), tegos partner conference Golden NAV Gives Oracle the Bird
by Stephanie Genge
In July 2009, La Ionica acquired the Victorian operations of Steggles (now trading as Golden Farms) from the Barter Group. Fenwick Software was commissioned to replace the existing Oracle ERP system with Microsoft Dynamics NAV by the end of October. So an implementation project that might normally have taken four to six months was completed in 10 weeks.
The new system provides an improved Call Centre interface which eliminated annoyances that existed in Oracle’s custom interface. NAV also interfaces to the Warehouse System (Cedar Creek), transferring Sales data in a far more timely fashion, with improved error logging and more accurate stock reconciliation. The system also facilitates EDI to major Customers as well as automatic Cash Receipting.
Despite the very tight deadline, we hoped that this implementation would not just be a replacement of the legacy system, but a clear improvement which would provide better usability and functionality to the users. Obviously, the focus was ensuring all key areas of functionality were handled within NAV, however from the outset; we laid the foundation to facilitate more accurate reporting and addressed areas of user frustration where current processes could clearly be streamlined.
Support from the business was crucial in this implementation. We were very fortunate in having the full involvement of Jackie Dean, Alex Latter and Chad Ellis - three key and very savvy users from Golden Farms. Their involvement assisted in defining clear requirements, completion of otherwise time consuming implementation tasks and encouraged user involvement & support.
NAV was implemented at Golden Farms on time, under budget and included more functionality that was originally in scope.
Posted by Stephanie Genge on 26th October, 2009 | Comments | Permalink
Tags: Fenwick Software recruits new staff to its consulting team
by Peter Fenwick
It probably comes as a surprise to know that anyone is recruiting at the moment. So we thought we would share our good news with you.
The last six months have been a very busy period for us, with a major implementation of our waste management software for Alex Fraser, the commencement of the same for SteriHealth, and lots of work for existing clients.
Over the past four months we have been actively recruiting. This is now bearing fruit.
Greg Galloway and Stephanie Genge returned last week from a 14-month working holiday in England to find that they were introducing themselves to lots of new staff. Together they bring many years experience in Microsoft Dynamics NAV gained in a range of different businesses in Melbourne and London.
Maureen Shaw has emigrated from New Zealand where she had over twenty years consulting experience in ERP systems, the last six with Microsoft Dynamics NAV. She is working on an upgrade for Terminals. Cam Murphy is writing custom software in .NET for a Labour Hire Company. Mark Jennings, who completed his work experience in July, is staying on part-time this year before commencing full-time next February. He is working on a CRM implementation for Ivoclar Vivadent and assisting with infrastructure support. And we have two students from the Swinburne BIT program, Sam Harrison and Ben Gerrish, who are undertaking their 5-month work experience.
Brad Foot is heading off in mid-September for a year in Europe where he will be working with former Fenwick employee Mandy Dore.
All their profiles and photos appear on our Staff profiles page.
Meanwhile, Greg and Steph are busy implementing Microsoft Dynamics NAV for Golden Farms, formerly the Victorian operation of Steggles, which La Ionica acquired in July.
Posted by Peter Fenwick on 19th August, 2009 | Comments | Permalink
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