Finalists for Greentree Gameon Announced.

After sleepless nights and careful deliberation, the expert judging panel has now chosen the 10 GAME ON finalists. That means voting is now open – and one deserving business will be transformed by $250k worth of Greentree business software and services. The finalists are: Mecrus Group, Asthma Foundation of NSW, Kimberley Accommodation Group, Newcastle Airport Limited, Caesars, Southern Cross Lubes, GMW Urban Pty Ltd, Cymax Pty Ltd, Central Diesel Pty Ltd and Hydro International Pty Ltd.

Of those companies in the top 10, the following nominated Star Business Solutions, Greentree’s 2011 Partner of the Year, as their preferred Partner contact for Gameon:

Central Diesel, an Adelaide based provider of diesel equipment, servicing and infrastructure was named as one of the lucky top 10. The company has grown from a two-man operationto turn over $20m a year. Queensland’s gas fields will provide major opportunities, and it needs better technology to capitalise on them.

Why did they make the finals?

Central Diesel is one of the leading providers of diesel equipment, servicing and infrastructure solutions to Australia’s oil and gas industries. It custom-designs, builds, installs and services engines and pumps, its biggest customer being Queensland’s coal seam gas industry. The gas fields are expanding rapidly, and Central Diesel is well positioned to supply equipment and services. Having bounced back from a fire in January which forced it to relocate, it’s now focused on the future.

“Our systems are still back in the days when they were only able to do five or seven million dollars a year turnover,” says Chief Financial Officer Bryon Hobbs. “Technology has changed and it’s time to move up.” On his wish list are inventory and WIP controls for manufacturing, and better ways to handle the jobs done by embedded service personnel out in the gas fields, so they’re in place and on time, whether doing regular or emergency maintenance. Manual timesheets could be replaced by mobile inputting, and parts inventories and billing could be streamlined, along with asset management. “We expect to double our business in two years with the effect of the flow-on from the gas fields, and we need to be ready for that,” says Hobbs.

Asthma Foundation of NSW. Each year, 400 Australians die from asthma. In the past year alone, this not-for-profit organisation has used online technology to assist over 200,000people.Now it needs better CRM to meet increasing demand for its services.

Why did they make the finals?

Asthma Foundation NSW’swebsite receives over 25,000 visitors each month. Asthma costs the federal government over a billion dollars a year, and that financial burden is eased by programmes like the foundation's Asthma Assist service keeping people out of hospital emergency departments and GPs’ surgeries. People can get online advice on management for themselves and their children.

However, its database is close to capacity, and if it’s forced to stop accepting registrations, then the health system will come under pressure. As a not-for-profit organisation, Asthma Foundation NSW is dependent on limited community funding, so it can’t afford to spend money on the sort of computer system it needs. Data from its website has to be transferred manually to its present CRM system, which is also used to keep track of donors. “Staff involved in data entry at present could be doing other things,” says Fundraising Manager Lucy Jacka. “We could be extending the reach of our programmes to more people with asthma.” There are moves afoot to extend Asthma Assist nationwide, but funding is already restricting registration – a programme using Facebook had to be stopped because the money ran out. “Winning this competition would mean there’d be more Australians living well with asthma,” Jacka says.

GMW Urban Pty Ltd. Infrastructure for the 2022 Soccer World Cup is among the world-wide architecture and engineering projects being run by this Sydney-based company. It’s been searching for one piece of software to integratethe processes of itsthree divisions.

Why did they make the finals?

GMW Group handles design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and development through seven offices on three continents, with operations in over 20 countries. It’s currently heavily involved in infrastructure work for the 2022 Soccer World Cup in Qatar – buildings, street equipment and landscaping – and sees this as a springboard for lots more work in the Middle East, as well as in other markets. What GMW needs is a business system that integrates its communications, financial and operational systems.

It’s the tyranny of distance that causes problems. The various complex projects are handled by teams in Qatar, New Zealand, Australia, China and Vietnam. Once products are designed and manufactured, they then need to be shipped, assembledand installed, with appropriate quality checking along the way. Errors happen with different teams working on different systems, and if they cause delays, there can be demands for huge damages payments. A single spreadsheet error can be worth a million dollars.

Inconsistencies in accounting data entry between various departments can be just as costly. “The larger that our organisation becomes, the higher the risk because of the lack of control of our processes and our systems and our information,” says Director Scott Williams. “Greentree could remove that risk, or at least mitigate it significantly, and allow us to continue our growth.”

Southern Cross Lubes. This company keeps the wheels turning, distributing Mobil lubricants in Victoria and Tasmania.It wants to move toGreentree because of its reputation, soit cantruly be king of the road.

Why did they make the finals?

Southern Cross Lubes is the authorised distributor of Mobil lubricants and specialty products for Victoria and Tasmania. It was acquired in July of this year by New Zealand-based HWR Group, which operates similar businesses in that country and was seeking a foothold in the Australian market. “It’s very like for like and there will be a lot of synergies between the two businesses,” says HWR’s CIO, Daryl Johnstone.

When HWR took over Southern Cross, it was growing rapidly. Staff had increased from four to 20 in 12 months, and it lacked the processes and reporting to manage that growth properly. As a result it was struggling to hold its share of a tough market, and while things have improved since the takeover, it now wants to link its computer systems with those of its new owner. HWR is a Greentree user, and wants to be able to communicate with Southern Cross directly. “We’ve built that trust and faith in the Greentree product over the years to know what the results mean to us as a business,” Johnstone says. Though they are on separate systems, being on the same software platform will enable HWR to monitor Southern Cross’s progress directly, and offer advice and support. HWR believes Southern Cross could grow by 50-100% over the next three years, and Johnstone says Greentree’s “fantastic” reporting tools will enable greater efficiencies in ordering stock, as well as enabling sales staff to have all their customer information at their fingertips. [NB: The GAME ON competition was open to companies that are already associated with Greentree users. You can’t get a better endorsement than that!]

Star would like to congratulate all of the finalistsand wish them the best of luck as the judging panel of experts makes the final decision. The judging panel also want the input of others and people can vote for their preferred winner at http://www.greentreegameon.com.au/ .

Trish Hall
Chief Executive Officer
Star Business Solutions.