Checkprice UK Ltd
ERP Solution for a Dynamic, Expanding Supplier of Beer and Drinks 
Tony Garrick, (IT and Systems Manager) joined Checkprice UK Ltd at a time of rapid development of the company. He explained, "Our previous system which we used for our financials was more tailored as an accounts package and was very limited on stock control, this meant running a separate system alongside. As a result our reporting was poor, we could only do reports from one system or the other, and reconciling the two was extremely difficult. All entries had to be duplicated, and most critically, it was time consuming. As the company was growing rapidly, we needed to solve this, and find an efficient integrated system to run all our business activities."
To find out how de Facto S5 can benefit your business, Contact Us now on 01473 417 200 or Email Us.
Evaluating New Systems - Power and Flexibility
"We decided to take a look at an Industry solution - specifically for the Beer, Wines, Spirits and Drinks trade. We found a lot of them to be extremely expensive and complicated. We didn't really want just an off the shelf system. We wanted good support, plus a system that was flexible and adaptable. Many of these vertical market solutions were also limited in functionality and scope so they were discarded as a solution for our business expansion.
We came across de Facto S5 via their website, and were immediately impressed. De Facto talked our language, and clearly looked at business in the same way as we did. The understanding and functionality of both stock control and financials was just right for our trade so we chose S5 and have never looked back."
Implementation Process - Challenges and Success
"The implementation process was an interesting one for us. We had requested the development of a new feature in S5, a 'haggle' facility (profit control system) to enable us to see the true profit of a sales order during order entry. We were therefore implementing the system and taking onboard this new functionality at the same time, which was an ambitious plan. However the De Facto implementation team were excellent, and brought a lot of industry expertise to the table.
Checkprice UK Ltd had a very basic IT Setup before this, so we took the opportunity to upgrade our whole infrastructure to the level required for our growing business."
A Dynamic System that's Constantly Developing
"de Facto S5 is constantly changing and moving ahead. One of its strengths is that requests from a specific customer are then incorporated into the system so that it's readily available to all other customers. In effect, an increasing number of users have an impact in its development, enabling it to become a more complete solution.
Over the last 2 years the system has evolved more features to support us in our trading activities now with many for the future as our business requirements expand. When situations arise where we can't just do something immediately, the De Facto support and implementation team always come up with workarounds to get us through until a permanent solution can be implemented, The system is very flexible in that way."
Training Laid the Foundation for Successful Transition
"Of course our staff had to get used to a new way of working. Unlike our old systems, S5 works in real time. This was a new concept for us. You could say that our old system could be a little too flexible, S5 has a lot of safety systems built into it to ensure accurate data entry. So with De Facto's training and support, our people adapted to the new and rigorous methods that S5 encouraged."
Information in Real Time
"Whenever we go to the system, we get an exact view of the business, as it is, right now. We know that all associated costs have been factored in. In the past so many things could be uncovered during our year end. Now input errors are identified daily through simple reconciliation reporting, and corrected straight away."
Support - Website Tools and Knowledgeable Staff
"The support website has made a huge difference to us. With this facility we no longer need to try and synchronise our records as the information is stored and updated in one source. We both know what is happening in relation to an issue, and it has saved me hours of time."
Ideal ERP for the Drinks Industry
"de Facto S5 is extremely adaptable. We can do things how we want to do them, rather than being forced into a certain way as many software systems dictate. We were able to make the system do what we wanted to do. S5 is quite capable of adapting to our business practices. There are often several ways to do things as well, so you can choose the one which suits you best.
Our business requires that we maintain accurate Duty and VAT controls, S5 enforces correct and legal practice and is easily configured to record and control these liabilities and payments.
Built in Growth
"I can't see us ever outgrowing de Facto S5. it is a very scalable solution. We know that more and more features and modules are being added to it, and there are a large number of aspects of the system that we can implement in the future, as they are required."
Remote Access the System - Anytime, Anywhere
"One of our requirements is to access the system from offsite locations. We can work with de Facto S5 from any location, our sales team access the system remotely, wherever they are, working and updating in real-time without the need for later synchronisation."
Future Developments with S5
"One of the strengths of S5 is that it is well structured software with fully integrated modules with the capability for further expansion as our business demands more of it."
Whatever ERP system you have, reports are always a crucial element, enabling you to get the information out of the system in exactly the way you want it. de Facto's Business Intelligence module will prove to be a powerful addition to the software allowing us to further analyse our data just as we wish," concluded Tony Garrick, IT and Systems Manager of Checkprice UK.
To find out how de Facto S5 can benefit your business, Contact Us now on 01473 417 200 or Email Us.
Haggle Window ideal for a Trading Business.
