Case Study: ERP Transformation
NetSuite in Distribution -
Distribution built on visibility, not guesswork
C&J delivered a complex multi-subsidiary, multi-currency NetSuite implementation for a leading UK & Ireland wholesale distributor, replacing a legacy Sage 200 system and driving measurable operational gains.
Client: NDA
Industry: Audio Visual
NetSuite in Distribution
Project
Overview.
From Sage 200 to a Scalable NetSuite Platform for Growth
THE CHALLENGE
Legacy Sage 200 system reaching capacity limitations.
MULTI-SUBSIDIARY
Seamless multi-subsidiary and multi-currency environment.
IMPLEMENTATION
12-month delivery transition to NetSuite platform.
OPTIMISED GROWTH
Reduced costs and improved staff productivity.
Client
A leading distributor of high-end and luxury goods operating across the UK and Ireland.
As the business grew, so did the complexity behind it. Operating across multiple subsidiaries and currencies meant the finance and operational environment needed to support a level of scale that the company's existing Sage 200 setup was increasingly struggling to accommodate.
The business needed more than a replacement accounting system. It needed a platform capable of supporting a more complex organisation while giving the team a stronger foundation for continued growth.
Where they were
Sage 200 had served the business well, but the company had reached the point where it had simply outgrown the system.
Managing a growing organisation across multiple subsidiaries and currencies places increasing demands on finance and operational processes. As those demands increased, continuing with the existing environment was creating unnecessary complexity and limiting the company's ability to operate as efficiently as it wanted.
The challenge was therefore not simply to replace Sage 200 with newer technology. The business needed to move to an ERP platform that better reflected the scale and complexity it had reached and could continue to support it as the organisation developed.
NetSuite provided that next step: a single, scalable platform capable of supporting a multi-subsidiary, multi-currency organisation without forcing the business to remain constrained by its legacy environment.
How we helped
Acting as the lead consultant throughout the programme, we led the implementation of NetSuite and helped the business make the transition away from Sage 200.
This was a significant implementation. The new environment needed to accommodate multiple subsidiaries, support multi-currency requirements and meet the needs of a business distributing luxury and high-end goods throughout the UK and Ireland.
The implementation was delivered over approximately 12 months.
Part way through the programme, COVID fundamentally changed the way projects could be delivered. A project that would ordinarily have involved considerably more face-to-face collaboration suddenly had to adapt to rapidly changing restrictions and working practices.
Rather than allowing this to derail the implementation, the project moved to a blended model of remote and onsite delivery.
Maintaining momentum required close collaboration with the business, clear project leadership and a practical approach to solving problems as circumstances changed. Despite the disruption surrounding the programme, the NetSuite implementation was successfully delivered.
Just as importantly, the focus remained on creating an environment that worked for the business rather than simply completing a technical migration from one system to another.
How things have changed
Moving from Sage 200 to NetSuite gave the organisation a platform better suited to the business it had become.
The implementation supported the company's multi-subsidiary and multi-currency requirements within an ERP environment designed to accommodate greater organisational complexity.
It also provided an opportunity to streamline a number of key processes rather than simply recreating the legacy Sage 200 environment inside a new system.
That distinction mattered.
By removing unnecessary process friction and improving the way key activities were handled, staff could spend less time dealing with the limitations of the previous environment and more time on productive work.
The move also reduced costs for the business while improving staff productivity.
For a growing distributor operating in a competitive market, those improvements provided more than simply a better finance system. They gave the organisation a stronger operational platform from which to run the business and continue developing.
Key Achievements & Results
The business successfully moved away from a Sage 200 environment it had outgrown and onto a NetSuite platform designed to support its multi-subsidiary and multi-currency requirements.
Despite the significant disruption caused by COVID, the 12-month implementation was delivered successfully through a combination of onsite and remote working.The outcome was a more streamlined operating environment, lower costs, improved staff productivity and an ERP platform much better aligned with the scale and complexity of the organisation.
Sage 200 legacy environment → NetSuite multi-entity platform → streamlined processes → reduced costs → stronger platform for growth.
Modules Used
Advanced Financials
Advanced Order Management
Advanced Procurment
Advanced Inventory
Demand Planning
CRM Case Management
Dexterity WMS
Iconography EPOS.