Standfirst: Gentoo Group went live in February 2012 with a new online purchase ordering system from Orchard. Gentoo, an Orchard customer since 2002, has already rolled out the OpenAccounts eFinance and Version One solution to 250 users from a total of 500 planned users.
Purchase order processing has now been implemented across the business, with most of the orders being generated using an online catalogue; items not in the catalogue are automatically routed to Gentoo’s purchasing department for pricing. The catalogues cover products as varied as building supplies, stationery, entertainers, newspapers and taxis.
The Orchard solution integrates direct with Gentoo’s existing core finance systems, with electronic workflow, document management and transparent audit trails helping Gentoo to move towards more streamlined operations and paperless offices.
Helen Laverick, group accountant, Gentoo Group, said, “Our new online ordering system will transform the way we place orders and approve invoices from suppliers. The new system will create efficiencies across the group. It is also environmentally friendly, eliminating the huge paper trail associated with the current system.”
The new system includes real-time emailing of orders to suppliers, commitment accounting and budget checking before an order is placed, invoice scanning and desktop viewing, and automatic invoice matching.
Lisa Wilson, payments manager, Gentoo Group, added, “It will also improve our relationships with suppliers by ensuring invoicing queries are handled more efficiently and hence even more invoices paid promptly.”
Gentoo plans to roll out the system to Gentoo Construction and also extend the system to cover online approvals for utility bills and one-off payments using electronic workflows, replacing the existing cheque-based requests process.
Colin Watson, procurement manager, Gentoo Group, said, “The implementation has been challenging as we are implementing a culture change as part of the project, but the feedback from end-users has been very positive.”
