June 2022 Newsletter
In this issue
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About PNORS Technology Group and our History Making growth through technology easy
The PNORS Technology Group has grown significantly over the past four decades by way of strategic acquisitions and strong operational performance. We remain committed to business improvement initiatives and acquisition opportunities that meet our strategic plans, add value to our core business segments, support expansion into new markets and leverage the strengths and skills of the Group. Each member of the PNORS Technology Group - Datatime Services, Netway Networks, Pacific Commerce and WilldooIT - provide services that are specific to their area of expertise, combined they provide a comprehensive solution to the modern enterprise. Our 90+ staff members provide support to our 700+ clients. Our Australian offices are in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth with further representation in New Zealand and in Europe. History Since the incorporation of Disprax (now WilldooIT) in 1982, based on industry insights and market trends, PNORS Technology Group have strategically acquired companies in the areas of data automation, ERP & web technologies and IT infrastructure support who, whilst providing valuable services individually, provide a compelling business proposition when integrated. The strategic purchase of Pacific Commerce in 2002 added integrated electronic data interchange (EDI) services for TIMMS customers and other businesses. In 2009, consistent with PNORS’ data automation strategy and building on the strengths of the Pacific Commerce EDI service, Datatime Services was acquired to facilitate the seamless electronic communication and transfer of paper documents. Existing customers were looking for networking and hardware infrastructure support services. To satisfy this need and to introduce these services to a growing market, Netway Networks was acquired in 2010. In a rapidly changing technology environment demanding seamless communication between business and their customers, the merger with WillowIT in 2016 to create a new company, WilldooIT, provided a modern and flexible ERP and eCommerce platform (Odoo) which again complemented, extended and unified the services offered by Datatime Services, Netway Networks and Pacific Commerce. The PNORS Technology Group is committed to improving business productivity through the delivery of integrated technology solutions to ensure our client’s requirements are met and exceeded as new challenges and opportunities arise. |
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Evolution of our The PNORS Group provides an integrated and complementary range of products and services that target the operations that are vital to the success of modern connected enterprises. Our vision is to make your Growth Through Technology Easy. |
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Meet Fiona Katsieris WilldooIT BA Team Leader Fiona Katsieris holds the combined roles of Senior BA and BA Team Leader at WilldooIT. Leading a team of experienced Odoo business analysts in Melbourne and Sydney, Fiona is also currently lead BA for our TIMMSanywhere expansion overseas, particularly in the USA. Day to day we will see Fiona working with her Team on Odoo projects and providing the leadership required to keep all the balls in the air, especially during times of important scoping work and project-go lives. Fiona started working at Disprax (now WilldooIT) in 1998 as a software developer and has ticked off 24 years with the business, including maternity leave when her son and daughter were born. As part of our 40th birthday celebrations, we asked Fiona to reflect on the past 24 years: How has the business changed since you started? “I think the biggest changes have come with the merging and purchasing of the other companies, which has all been driven by Paul and the Board. This has allowed for growth in opportunities and people from diverse backgrounds, experience, and skills to help the company grow”. What you love about your work and what motivates you? The culture, the autonomy and being a part of the company’s growth and success. Vision for the next 10 years? Excited to be part of the growth and opportunities that the business is heading into. Birthday message to Paul and your team members Congratulations on 40 years in business. That is a huge achievement in this industry, and it certainly is not by accident. You have always enjoyed the “challenges” that have come your way and been a good leader, both professionally and personally. In many ways, it has felt more like a family than a business and you have managed to keep that feeling even as we have grown. I certainly have valued the personal relationship we have built and the support you have given our family. Good luck for the next 40! |
WilldooIT Client Case Studies
“WilldooIT undertook a large complex and time-critical project and delivered. At all times their staff were professional, friendly and responsive and kept us up to date with the project’s progress. In projects of this size and complexity, there are always hurdles and strategic compromises to be made and WilldooIT’s management team ably steered the project through all these issues. I have no hesitation in recommending WilldooIT for similar projects”. About Kagome Kagome Australia is Australia’s largest fruit and tomato processing company, specialising in the delivery of high-quality tomato-based products since 1996. Working closely with growers, producers and consumers, Kagome delivers a value-added product true to flavour and in tune with nature and is committed to sustainable agricultural practices. Kagome manages the process from seeds to bulk ingredients, selling pastes, purees and dice to manufacturing customers across Australia and around the world. Heavily invested in the latest innovative farming and processing technology, Kagome prides itself on the flexibility to make to customer specification. WilldooIT was contracted by Kagome Australia to implement a fully integrated ERP system to replace multiple legacy applications and spreadsheets with a customised Odoo version, interfacing to the real-time manufacturing management system. WilldooIT were the stand-out Odoo partner and had shown their level of expertise not only technically but professionally, in several smaller projects, Kagome undertook before embarking on the larger complete replacement project. Project implementation took place over a tight timeframe of 10 months and involved substantial customisation work as well as complex data migration tasks. The system met the stated objectives with the new system now providing Kagome with a solid platform to extend its functionality.
Please read Kagome Australia’s experience in working with WilldooIT here.
About BOM Timber BOM Timber are Sydney’s fastest growing timber supplier. Offering competitive market prices and unmatched service. Timber Trader Magazine recently interviewed Ashleigh Mileto, Director of BOM Timber for their August 2022 feature on Disprax/WilldooIT highlighting software solutions for the timber industry. This is BOM Timber’s experience with using our TIMMSanywhere vertical software solution for the timber industry. For Ashleigh Mileto, one of the founders of NSW-based BOM Building Supplies, TIMMSanywhere has been a vital part of the business from its earliest days. “We’re a brand-new timber merchant, Mileto says, “and before we opened, we talked with a lot of similar businesses and a lot of software suppliers while doing our research. “We settled on TIMMSanywhere, and it’s been up and running since April 2021, but we would have started talking with the team about 18 months before that.” Two of the key factors in the choice were the support she received while researching and the options the program offered. “I found it to be the most flexible package,” says Mileto. “It can grow and adapt to the changes that may happen in our business, particularly because we plan to grow in what we offer as well as size and productivity.” The modular aspect was particularly attractive as BOM could invest in and implement just what was needed at the company’s start but would have ready access to expanded functions. “The growth has been so rapid. We opened our first factory in December 2020, and we’ve already had to forfeit that lease because we outgrew the space,” Mileto says. “We’ve moved into an old Bunnings site. Right now, we’re in the middle of planning our next expansion, which will involve us bringing new products to the market. TIMMSanywhere keeps up with our growth.” A cloud-based system was ideal for the move and has been even more useful since. Mileto says, “We had hired a new inventory person and trained them specifically for our stocktake, and then they caught Covid at the worst possible time. But we were still able to make it work with TIMMSanywhere. Our team on the ground could do the physical stuff and then our inventory person had that information coming in live and made effective use of it.” As much as the systems’ strengths have been appreciated, on some days the service has helped even more. “When you’re building a business, you want support that you can trust,” says Mileto. “I had a week where two key staff resigned to chase other opportunities and our TIMMSanywhere person picked up the phone and asked, ‘Ash, what do you need? What can I help you with?’ I would have probably had a heart attack without them that week”.
McKay Timber is a major manufacturer and supplier of timber to Tasmanian, Australian and International Marketplaces. Timber Trader Magazine also recently interviewed Mike Cotton, Finance Manager at McKay Timber for the same feature on Disprax/WilldooIT highlighting software solutions for the timber industry. This is McKay timber’s experience with using our TIMMS vertical software solution since 2010. McKay Timber are in the process of moving to new generation, TIMMSanywhere.
Tasmania’s McKay Timber has been using original TIMMS since 2010 and is planning to transition over to TIMMSanywhere “We’ve got quite a diversified business,” says finance manager Mike Cotton. “And TIMMS has enough modules to cope with all the things we’re doing. We’re basically running the whole business through it, right through from saw-milling to accounts.” Each section of the business interacts with its own part of the software, which either passes on actions immediately or integrates through a journal process overnight. “Having integrated systems is much better than isolated systems where you’re doing a lot of data entry,” Cotton says. “Without doubt, it saves us money, time and keying issues and reduces errors. “At the same time, the information is also well siloed, so you can’t make a mistake outside your own module and pretty much any mistake can be reversed. That is one of the big features in TIMMS: you can back things out quite easily and fix up mistakes.“ The movement to TIMMSanywhere is in part because newer operating systems are less compatible with the original Unix-based system and also thanks to it offering more business opportunities. “Being cloud-based means better accessibility. Our sales teams will be able to put orders on the spot in using their mobiles,” says Cotton. Even before the shift, the system is helping the McKay team manage recent industry challenges. “Trying to keep track of prices at the moment is very tough, but TIMMS has a fast system with lots of platform levels for the pricing set-up, and that helps us navigate the current volatility,” Cotton says. It’s not just one stream: McKay Timber imports and exports timber, manufactures timber products and supplies to clients ranging from mums and dads to big commercial projects, high-end architectural jobs and even quality furniture makers at the same time as running an F&T plant. “There’s a lot of variety,” says Cotton, “and that comes with a lot of changes with regard to timings, orders and movements. We use Excel to do our reports and ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) links directly into TIMMS and pulls information out directly. So, whenever we do a refresh, it pulls the data back through again, and updates anything that has happened, keeping us informed and accurate. “It takes a load off most of the business, freeing people up to deliver special projects all over Tasmania and beyond, where our timber comes up a treat.” |
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