Murray Goulburn milks efficiency gains from document manager
The dairy products exporter has boosted staff productivity and improved information flow by extending the capabilities of its existing Lotus Notes and Domino software...
Murray Goulburn Co-operative, based in Brunswick, Victoria, is Australia’s biggest exporter of dairy products, which it makes under the Devondale brand.
It ships to approximately 100 countries and currently accounts for 9 per cent of global dairy trade. Established in 1950, it has 3,109 suppliers and currently represents about a third of Australia’s dairy production.
Minimising document search time
With approximately 2,200 employees spread across eight production sites throughout Victoria, the co-operative needed a document management system that would minimise time spent searching for files and unnecessarily reworking them.
Staff stored and recorded documents according to their own work habits, making it tough for colleagues to track them and share information. Documents were stored on PC hard drives, file servers and sometimes in multiple locations.
Paper documents were spread throughout the co-operative’s offices and operations – even in remote sheds. Searches for documents could take hours or days, taking staff away from their work and reducing productivity.
A telling example of how much the co-operative needed a new document management system occurred when it decided to purchase document management software from Coordimax.
The co-operative sent a purchase order to start the process, but after it got permission from its board of directors, the co-operative wasn’t able to locate the original purchase order and the software developer had to send the co-operative its copy.
Integrating correspondence and data
The co-operative needed a way to give workers in its head office and production sites the ability to integrate all correspondence, data and documents. It wanted a standardised process for managing documents that was easy to use.
Furthermore, the new system needed to better capitalise on existing Lotus Notes software. It had to reliably interface with existing accounting software.
Extending Lotus Notes capabilities
The Murray Goulburn Co-operative worked with IBM Business Partner Coordimax to extend the capabilities of its existing Lotus Notes and Domino software.
IBM Lotus Notes and Coordimax Domino Document Manager enable more efficient and effective information flow. These products provide an enterprise-wide interface that can be securely accessed both inside and outside the organisation.
Coordimax implemented its own suite of document management applications by the same name, which is powered by IBM Lotus Notes and Domino. The implementation of the new system took approximately 18 months.
"What they needed from Domino, and what they absolutely got, was the ability to seamlessly replicate changes to documents and templates across the organisation. That gives worers the most up-to-date information," said Martin O'Connor, managing director at Coordimax.
IBM’s software portfolio delivers the necessary building blocks for an information infrastructure, enabling organisations to capture, order, integrate, and analyse information for greater insight.
Employees benefit
During implementation, the focus was on showing staff how they would benefit from the new document management system. Teams from the co-operative’s head office, factories and treasury department took part in training programs.
“Workers are better organised and more productive because they work from a wholly integrated, reliable information platform,” said Maurice Fanning, project manager for the document management system roll out at the co-operative.
“By storing documents and emails within a single, reliable repository they can employ search engines to help locate files and correspondence within seconds.”
With about half of the co-operative’s head office staff now using the document management system, the organisation is able to reduce its storage capacity needs eliminating the large number of duplicated documents.
“We know who created a particular file and when. We can search emails and find attachments,” said Fanning. “That gives workers up-to-date information and helps put a more professional face to our operations.’’
Automated customer relations database
In the coming months the Murray Goulburn Co-operative plans to have its remaining staff start using the document management system as it enters more of its physical files onto the system.
The organisation is also considering adopting Coordimax’s customer relations management system. The automated system would track client contacts, helping the co-operative’s sales team tailor communications to each customer. It would provide a platform for mobile sales staff to enter and extract data while working at remote locations.
The co-operative has taken a step toward improving efficiency and productivity. It now plans to conduct surveys that will determine the cost and time savings resulting from the new document management system.
For more information go to www-07.ibm.com/businesscenter/au/istart/index.html
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At a Glance
Murray Goulburn Co-operative needed a document management system that would minimise duplication of documents as well as the time staff spent searching for specific files and emails. Its goal was to boost efficiency and to project a more professional image to its customers and suppliers.
The solution
Murray Goulburn Co-operative implemented a proprietary document management system from IBM Business Partner* Coordimax, which is powered by IBM Lotus Notes and Coordimax Document Manager. The new system provided a content management solution that acted as single repository to store emails and documents. It would also seamlessly replicate changes to documents throughout the organisation.
The benefits
The new document management system introduced a search engine that dramatically reduced the time it took to locate specific correspondence and files. Instances of documents going missing were reduced and employees such as sales staff had access to up-to-date information, helping the Co-operative present a more professional image.
