Better business for CAMEX Civil with MYOB Acumatica

With a rapidly growing business, Cambridge Excavators has selected MYOB Acumatica to consolidate information systems, improve visibility, and prepare the organisation for continued success and expansion.

Supplied and implemented by Avanza Solutions, MYOB Acumatica is the cloud enterprise resource planning solution depended upon by thousands of businesses across New Zealand.

Founded as Cambridge Excavators in 1998, CAMEX Civil contractors operates across the North Island. The company is a recognised expert in large-scale earthworks, civil siteworks, 3-waters infrastructure, roading and footpath construction, and subdivisions.

Situation

Like many companies, CAMEX Civil relied on an accounting package augmented with ‘add on’ software and spreadsheets for much of its history. However, with growth comes new challenges, among them the necessity for better information accessibility and management so company leaders can keep track of projects, people and assets. “When businesses start getting bigger, ERP becomes one of the core gospels a company requires to know how it is performing,” says CAMEX Civil Performance and Services Manager Kyla Lambly.

“While we’ve been around for a while, rapid growth in the past 3-5 years means we now have a crew of 225 staff and have expanded into a few additional companies within the group.”

All that, Lambly says, made the accounting package entirely inadequate. “Additionally, we had a separate application for project management which wasn’t integrating with the spreadsheet software. It was clear that we needed a standalone ERP, as it was clear we needed better information more readily available.”

As is often the case, spreadsheet workarounds were a further ‘canary in the coal mine’, taking up excessive time while susceptible to data entry and other errors.

Solution

While the principles of ERP tend to be well understood, Lambly says the systems can be awful. “As a result, our key metric was a system which would deliver on those principles: API connectors, cloud-based without server maintenance and those associated overheads, and capable of scaling from our current to our future needs.”

Multitenancy for multiple companies and subsidiaries was also a necessary specification.

With a clear understanding of requirements, a comprehensive market test led CAMEX Civil to MYOB Acumatica. “It ticked every box: field service management, standard contracts and case management, project management, along with the more standard ERP modules like financial, inventory and customer management,” Lambly notes.

“We also wanted some customisation, so we didn’t want a system set in stone; our requirements are complex, and while there is a balance in adjusting to a system it should also be adjustable to specific needs. And MYOB Acumatica clearly stood out.”

As did Avanza Solutions, as recognised by Mark Watkins, Chief Financial Officer at CAMEX Civil. In commending the Avanza Solutions sales team he wrote, “You did a great job presenting your product, without being afraid of talking about competitor options and their positives and negatives. You outlined the ERP establishment process and didn’t over promise.”

Continuing, Lambly's initial reservations gave way to enthusiasm. “We were a little hesitant as we have in-house expertise, but meeting with the team rapidly demonstrated they understood what we needed and offered an excellent knowledge base from prior projects which translated into multiple recommendations and insights. We quickly recognised that this expertise would serve us well, not only in the initial implementation, but as we sought to mature our systems.”

Avanza Solutions National Sales Manager Wayne Potgieter says the foundations for success were laid early on. “CAMEX Civil understood that this project was a transformative building block for their future and assigned the right team to the job from the start. A clear appreciation of the significance of the partnership - and the desire to move towards a shared set of goals and outcomes - resulted in the assignment of appropriate resources, time and intent. This is an organisation which puts in the mahi it takes for a great outcome.”

After planning and configuration taking four months, the switchover to the new MYOB Acumatica ERP was achieved in a highly compressed time. “This was a large implementation, and we needed confidence in the team for rapid turnaround. In just three days we pulled years of data into the new system with no room for any error,” Lambly confirms.

“A great system really enables a focus on our core business – which is delivering projects. It’s been amazing. I can’t recommend Avanza enough.”

Kyla LamblyCivil Performance and Services Manager

Results

Now live for several years, CAMEX Civil and Lambly have had ample time to reflect on the outcomes of the migration to MYOB Acumatica. And the news is good.

“It’s been amazing. I can’t recommend Avanza enough,” she enthuses – noting that a good ERP implementation depends on implementation as much as the software product.

With MYOB Acumatica fully operational, management of more than 500 assets and handling upwards of 40 projects annually, she confirms that the intended outcomes have eventuated.

Broadly, this is a consolidated system with, to date, two subsidiaries integrated onto the single system. “We’ve got two on with another two to go. And every time we migrate a company or a function, we switch off legacy software, saving money while benefiting from reduced work getting data from one system into another.”

It also means the ready access to information necessary for the effective management of a much larger organisation. “A great system really enables a focus on our core business – which is delivering projects,” she says.

Notably, CAMEX Civil actively works on maturing its Acumatica platform. By getting the fundamentals solidly in place – backed with change management, user training and support – it is now progressing on to implementing integrated payroll.

More than that, the company and its team can now get into what Lambly calls ‘the fun stuff’. “There’s a lot of extras we’re discovering, with Avanza’s guidance and support,” she says. “That includes AI data, dashboarding and visualisation. The more we understand the system, the more we can explore the capabilities and put them to use for us.”

She says ERP success depends on a conscious and sustained effort. “Be clear in what you want. And if you don’t have a clear vision, it’s best you have a partner which does. It takes dedicated time and effort. And when people ask me ‘how did you guys do it’, I just say ‘talk to Avanza’.”

Founded in 1998, CAMEX Civil has become a leading civil construction company in the North Island with over two decades of experience.

They started with a vision of excellence and have since earned a reputation for high-quality, innovative projects that surpass client expectations.

Growing from a small family business, they now excel in various sectors like land development and infrastructure. Their commitment to safety, integrity, and sustainability has built lasting client relationships and allowed them to handle prestigious projects.

Looking ahead, they continue to focus on their core values and embrace new technologies to maintain their exceptional service standards. CAMEX Civil values its team's contributions, recognising those who have helped shape its success and those who have moved on to other opportunities in the industry.

For more information visit www.camexcivil.co.nz

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