SAP Customer Success Story

Quick Facts

Why SAP Business One

Benefits

Company

Challenges and Opportunities

Objectives“We wanted to make sure that we had a solution that was nearly bullet proof after our experience with our bespoke system and provider in the past.”

David McKernanFounder & OwnerJava Republic

Headquarters: Dublin, IrelandBusiness: Coffee Roasting and DistributionProducts and Services: Coffee ‐ Coffee Beans from Farm to Coffee Bag to Coffee CupTea ‐ Award winning speciality teasChocolate ‐ The Other Bean, real hot chocolateOthers ‐ Coffee Equipment & Barista TrainingWebsite: www.javarepublic.com

Affordable, integrated single application covering all business needsFlexible and scalable technologyEstablished brandReporting capabilityIntuitive user interfaceProcessing speed

Full control of business operationsFull visibility across operationsIncreased efficiency across the businessIntegrated and efficient reporting outputInterlinked business areasSupported substantial growth

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Manufacturing and Distribution

Implementation Partner

Intelligent Information Systems

Inaccurate and untimely management informationLack of visibility across operationsDisparate systems causing inefficiencies due to lack of interlinking

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Integrate production, stock, sales and general ledger for reportingImprove accuracy, efficiency and reliability of stock controlGain full visibility with easily accessible insightful reports

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Java Republic

Managing Growth and Setting New IndustryStandards with SAP Business One

Dublin, Ireland based Java Republic Ltd, specialist coffee roaster and

distributor, was set up in 1999 by David McKernan, a passionate

coffee enthusiast, whom having visited the famous Caffe Roma

back in 1995 on Columbus Avenue in San Francisco became

inspired, developing aspirations to own his own café and roastery

one day.

Since 1999 Java Republic has grown from strength to strength

setting industry standards for ethics in coffee and developing the

world’s first purpose built Carbon Neutral Coffee Roastery in 2008

where you can now enjoy a cup of your favourite handroasted

beans in the adjoining Cafe whilst observing operations in the

coffee roastery.

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OVERVIEW

David McKernan, founder and owner

of Java Republic secured funding for

the company in January 1999 having

left his position within the Campbell

Bewley Company the previous year.

By May of 1999 they had moved in to

their first roastery and in September

they began trading. In their second

year of trading, they became

profitable and over the subsequent six

years they grew from strength to

strength, expanding their product

range and their range of distribution

across the whole of Ireland.

After December 2006, following a

majorly disruptive stock issue, and on

the back of further extensive growth,

David McKernan made the decision

that the whole program of operations

needed to be reviewed and ultimately

changed.

“Prior to SAP Business One we had an off the shelf system which wasn’t up to speed and wasn’t giving us end of month reports.”

David McKernan, Founder and Owner, Java Republic

With further growth anticipated and

after the serious stress and disruption

caused in 2006/early 2007 David was

resolute it was necessary to invest in an

integrated solution that they could rely

upon going forward.

SELECTING THE RIGHT SOLUTION

David set out to find a solution that

would integrate operations across the

business including production, service,

asset management, dispatch and

finance.

Java Republic carried out a

comprehensive analysis across the

business, brought in an external

consultant and reviewed the 5 top

systems. Amongst the bespoke systems

the standardised yet flexible and easily

customisable SAP Business One was

suggested.

Having arranged a meeting with the

leading Gold Partner, Intelligent

Information Systems (IIS), David

developed an immediate rapport and

relationship with Morgan Browne, the

Managing Director.

David and his Managing Director, Grace

O'Shaughnessy, visited a number of IIS

customer reference sites to see SAP

Business One in action and the decision

became an easy and obvious one.

Based on the reputation of IIS and the

SAP Business One brand, the good

word of customers, and the easy

relationship with IIS, they choose to

implement SAP Business One.

“We wanted to make sure that we had a solution that was nearly bullet proof after our experience with our bespoke system and provider in the past.”

David McKernan (Pictured below)

"The fact that the system is fully integrated aided an effective and efficient rollout as key controls were held through the general ledger from a checking point of view. "

Jeffrey Long, Finance Director

SMOOTH AND EASY BLEND

The transition from the old disparate

systems to SAP Business One was

supported and driven by Jeffrey and

Grace who drove the implementation

of the system once selected by David.

It was the commitment of both the IIS

team and David’s key personnel that

ensured a seamless changeover to

Business One across the business.

“I wasn’t involved with the implementation directly. Jeffrey and Grace took over the planning and from my perspective the implementation was flawless”.

David McKernan, Founder and Owner

HARVESTING THE MAJOR BENEFITS

Implementing SAP Business One has

brought Java significant benefits in

terms of stock accuracy and

information output.

The flexible solution met their

requirements and supported them

during their steep growth period,

providing clear visibility, improving

efficiency of operations and ensuring

everything “gelled together”.

Complete management information

can now be readily accessed with the

strong reporting capabilities of the

system and the screen layouts,

processing speed and intuitive user

interfaces have been well received

across the organisation.

Since the implementation Java have

continued to expand their product

range which now encompasses a wide

selection of specialty real leaf teas and

hot chocolate! The company also

provides various different services and

products outside of the consumables

including a range of coffee machines

and equipment and Barista training

which all support their core focus, ‐

producing the highest quality and best

flavoured coffee possible, sharing

their passion!

Operations have become more complex

since the initial implementation of SAP

Business One but the solution has

provided the ideal steady, flexible and

scalable platform, powering business

development and allowing Java to take

their business to the next level.

“The implementation cost the business at the time but we believed that long term it was going to work for us and here we are!”

THE FUTURE

Java are planning to take SAP Business

One even further with Intelligent

Essentials allowing them to get even

more from their solution.

David is also waiting in eager anticipation

for full interactive functionality from the

SAP Business One iPhone & iPad App.

“Sales employees need to able to access and update live data whatever their location. Following trends, watching sales orders and staying up to speed with where their customers are at is essential.”

With further innovative plans and

aspirations for the business, David

remains safe in the knowledge that they

will be supported and made possible by

SAP Business One and IIS allowing them

to do what they do best, even better!

Email: sales@iisystems.net Call: IRL: +353 (0) 12860200 UK: +44 (0) 8456025804

NL: +31 (0) 268 200 261

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"The previous system was not integrated in terms of production, stock, sales and the general ledger for reporting purposes.

The fact that the system is fully integrated aided an effective and efficient rollout as key controls were held through the general ledger from a checking point of view.

One key learning from Java Republic’s point of view is that in hindsight there was nothing more important than the scoping document, whether bringing functionality from the old system or looking to add functionality with the new system."

Jeffrey Long, Finance Director