Wilh. Wilhelmsen

GT Business Solutions delivers
a Solution that Excites

Wilh. Wilhelmsen Investments Pty. Ltd. (WWI) operates a portfolio of companies across the world with a focus on shipping, mining, oil & gas, defence, construction and heavy industry. The organisation’s name is synonymous with quality and service. Being an internationally renowned organisation means it relies heavily on the performance of its enterprise systems. Manager of Shared Support Kathy De Luca, has worked for WWI for over 25 years. During this time Kathy has seen many changes, not just in the market, but also internally. Apart from Kathy, another steadfast resource looks likely to stay the course, WWI’s ERP software (Greentree). “Greentree excites me; it’s so pervasive and empowering. I just think it offers our business so much” says Kathy.

Looking back to 2009, WWI had realised they needed not just a  new organisation-wide system, but also a technology specialist to help them move forward with the project. Enter GT Business Solutions, “we had heard good things about GT Business and straight away they made us feel confident by not selling but listening” says Kathy. With 13 different companies under the WWI umbrella (and each being lined up for the new solution), the overall scale of the project meant an underpowered solution was not the answer for the organisation.

WWI were previously using different systems on each coast of Australia, Nexus on the east and Attache’ on the west coast. This was compounded by several of their different businesses and databases all needing one integrated solution.

”We wanted one platform that would enable us to become a truly ‘national business’ that could access information and manage costs about and across the whole organisation” reflected Kathy.

WWI instigated a rigorous ERP solution and service provider selection process; the project team included the Finance Director and several Managers from key business areas. The team evaluated the likes of systems by Microsoft Dynamics and Pronto. “GT Business recommended Greentree solution and the three things set it apart from the others, its flexibility, its scalability and its integration” says Kathy. “It was equally important we partnered with a highly credible service provider and with GT Business we found that” she added.

Mark Gould MD of GT Business says “it’s a large-scale, complex and evolving project. After we looked closely at WWI’s business, it became clear the best solution fit for the job was Greentree”.

WWI have deployed Financials, Job Cost, Service, Workflow, Asset Maintenance, Business Intelligence, CRM, Payroll, HR and Inventory across their many site locations and businesses. “GT Business developed a smart training plan that saw quick take up of the software internally and minimal impact on the business” states Kathy. Having been in the central systems role at WWI throughout the selection, implementation, training and development of the solution; Kathy feels its maximum potential has not yet been reached. “I think it’s fabulous, I get really thrilled about what Greentree has delivered and I’d say we are still only using about 50% of its potential”.

The evidence points to a high performing solution making a real difference for WWI, “We are importing journals, producing meaningful reports and automating processes…it’s just awesome, I get so into what it can do, sometimes I just have to stop myself from focussing only on Greentree” says Kathy. It was evident during the GFC that the companies that not only survived but actually thrived were those with systems that enabled advanced cost control. “What we get out of the solution is huge, especially as far as measuring the business is concerned” said Kathy.

Organisations exist to make money and they expect high standards of software support to ensure continuity. As the business partnership with GT Business develops it would seem the solution extends beyond software and support ‘We have a great relationship with GT Business, we talk about goals and project plan together and we trust them to help us get the best out of the system” says Kathy.

“I guaranteed the WWI board that we would get every one of the 13 companies in our organisation live by the end of the year. I felt confident making that statement because of the support of GT Business” says Kathy. It would seem that GT Business have no problems sharing their technical expertise “The GT Business team are very knowledgeable and strive to develop a relationship based on added value not charging” said Kathy.

As the company continues to grow and markets drive complex demand WWI are looking at other areas of the modular Greentree solution that they might ‘add on’ to help them deliver better value to their customers in the future. “We are looking at the manufacturing module, Mobility, e-timesheets and WebView”. According to Kathy, it would seem the holy trinity of solution, customer and support partner are working in perfect harmony. “GT Business have product specialists in their business, this combined with a deep understanding of what we do and a great solution, means we are assured of a great return on our investment”.

Success Story Summary

Challenge >

Disparate business systems across 13 companies and multiple locations were diminishing every aspect of the overall organisations performance

Solution >

After a business needs review GT Business Solutions delivered Greentree’s modular ERP software. GT implemented the solution and provided training to all 13 WWI companies

Results >

Absolute integration, meaning access to business driving information from anywhere and centralised cost control. Powerful system tools underpinning enhanced customer relationships and expansion goals