Haldane Fisher Ltd

Consolidating several old IT systems into a single powerful solution within an expanding business might seem a big challenge. However thanks to K8, Haldane Fisher Ltd has a powerful tool to drive the enterprise forward

Haldane Fisher Ltd is one of the UK’s leading independent suppliers to the construction industry. Serving the trade and general public as well as operating a timber business, there are fifteen branches in Northern Ireland, England and the Isle of Man. Founded in 1946, the company’s turnover is
£80 million.

“The company had grown through acquisition and had three separate character based computer systems and wished to consolidate them onto one system. One of the solutions was reaching end-of-life and the other had limited functionality with no clear future development plan,” says IT manager Mary Hannaway.

A new package-based solution was needed for the branches as well as for a substantial timber importing, machining and exporting business involving multiple currencies. Introducing sophisticated credit control and improved management information without increased administration was essential.

“We required an integrated software solution and put considerable emphasis on the links to the nominal ledger. So we set out to find the best of breed software package to fit our market,” says Ms Hannaway. “The company views its suppliers as partners in growth and as such required an IT partner who could demonstrate financial strength and a long term development strategy.”

Backed by the “depth and knowledge” of the Kerridge Commercial Systems’ consultants, K8 provided the best fit. Project managed by Kerridge Commercial Systems to an agreed timetable, the implementation included business analysis and configuration. Bespoke K8 development was undertaken for the timber business with the new features since added to the core product and influencing the development road map. The existing data was transferred using K8’s import facility and ‘train the trainer’ training supplemented with post-implementation support.

K8 is now used by more than 200 people. Its easy-to-use graphical interface is usefully enhanced by multiple open session support for increased productivity. The benefits include electronic document management for online access to invoices and signed delivery notes, automatic debtor letters and debtor exposure analysis. Timely operational reporting on outstanding orders, load scheduling and sawmill machining is also appreciated. As a result, customer service has been speeded up while reducing the cost of providing the information.

“We used to spend several days a month carrying out manual reconciliations,” says Ms Hannaway. “The reconciliation of our sales ledger and purchase ledger to the nominal ledger is now a breeze.”

Each branch can also view each other’s stock, helping to encourage inter-branch trading - now easily reconciled - for better customer service or reduced stock holdings. Margin traps ensure tight sales control and even stock taking checks are quicker.

Management decision-making has been transformed by up-to-the-minute screen access to sales, purchase and stock information. Meetings are now held around a screen rather than paper reports, enabling details to be drilled down when required. K8 has paid for itself through tighter control of stock, debtors and creditors, proving particularly valuable as the company strived to reduce working capital during the recession.

As Haldane Fisher Ltd has expanded, adding new branches or companies within K8 has been straightforward thanks to the right advice.

Kerridge Commercial Systems as a company is a very professional organisation. The experience of their consultants is not to be under-estimated,” says Ms Hannaway.

Future plans include electronic data interchange (EDI) for receiving purchase invoices along with hand-held computers for goods receipts, stock checking and picking. K8’s workplace module, allowing role-based access and information views, is also being considered.