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Growing into one of the largest pet food manufacturers in Australia
Advanced Pet Care of Australia is an Australian pet food manufacturer specializing in dry kibble for dogs and cats. Currently, the company is undergoing a major expansion, which will add 50,000 metric tonnes of annual capacity, positioning Advanced Pet Care of Australia among the top five pet food manufacturers in Australia.
As the company prepared for its next stage of growth, its existing systems were no longer enough to manage the scale and complexity of the operation.
“The systems that were in place at that time used to work,” says Peter Atsaros, Director. “But as you grow, it becomes a little bit harder to manage like that.”
The company first moved its accounting to Xero and then began looking for a system that could handle invoicing, inventory management, production, and traceability.
“MRPeasy ticked most of the boxes for us,” Atsaros says.
The company worked with Cohesis, a Perth-based software consultancy, which analyzed the company’s processes, compared available software options, and helped configure MRPeasy around the company’s workflows. The full process, from researching software options to setup, testing, and internal training, took close to 12 months.
Better visibility for the business and more reliable answers for customers
Thanks to MRPeasy, the company can now see what stock is on hand, where materials are located, what has been consumed, what is due to arrive, and how current and future production orders affect inventory. The improved visibility supports better forecasting, purchasing, and production planning. Instead of relying on spreadsheets and manual checks, the team can make decisions based on current data from across the business.
“We often wonder now how we managed everything without this visibility,” says Atsaros.
The benefits also reach Advanced Pet Care of Australia’s customers. When a customer places an order or asks whether a job can be brought forward, the team can quickly check stock levels, raw material availability, production schedules, and lead times.
“This ensures that we do not overpromise and underdeliver, and that we keep customers happy,” Atsaros says.
The system is expected to become even more valuable as the company brings its new production line online.
“We can use MRPeasy to figure out if a production run would be more profitable on the old or the new line,” Atsaros says.
Traceability, inventory, production, and costing are central to daily use
Compliance and traceability are critical in pet food manufacturing. MRPeasy maintains the records needed to answer audit questions quickly and confidently, from when an ingredient arrived to where it was stored, how long it remained there, and which products it was ultimately used in.
“MRPeasy gives us the visibility we need to support our HACCP, export, and biosecurity compliance requirements,” Atsaros maintains.
The production team also uses MRPeasy to track manufacturing orders, BOMs, routings, and live shop floor progress.
“MRPeasy enables us to get down to the fine details,” says Atsaros.
Cost tracking is another important feature. Advanced Pet Care of Australia uses MRPeasy to connect production, invoicing, inventory values, raw material costs, finished goods, and financial reporting.
“With MRPeasy, we can check previous periods, see how costs have changed, and take appropriate action,” Atsaros says.
The new system helped manage a major crisis
While Advanced Pet Care of Australia was managing the factory expansion project, a fire broke out in one of its buildings. As a consequence, the company had to construct a new facility, replace equipment, and comply with updated regulations, all while preparing to significantly increase capacity.
“It was a tedious time, having to prove the impact of the interruption while continuing work,” Atsaros says.
Luckily, Advanced Pet Care of Australia had nearly a full year of production data in MRPeasy, and the team could quickly pull data to show what had been scheduled before the fire.
“It was very helpful in complying with a lot of the insurers’ queries,” says Atsaros.
A robust software ecosystem that supports the company’s ambitions
According to Atsaros, an integrated app ecosystem is essential for scaling operations. For Advanced Pet Care of Australia, MRPeasy provides the confidence, efficiency, and visibility needed to quintuple their capacity in a relatively short timeframe.
“Going through this major expansion, we feel that MRPeasy is the software that will assist us and guide us, together with the other applications that coexist in the same ecosystem,” he says.
This article contains information provided by MRPeasy and is intended for general use only. It does not take into account your personal, professional, or business circumstances.
