How Endeavour helped Axis Health modernise their operations with MYOB Acumatica

Axis Health is an integrated healthcare equipment and services provider for the Australian and New Zealand healthcare market employing just over 50 staff across its offices and warehouse locations in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. With a diverse range of approximately 20,000 inventory items, Axis Health delivers thousands of items—from small consumables to capital equipment.

As Axis Health grew, it faced challenges due to its reliance on a DOS-based ERP system. They needed a scalable system that could effectively manage multiple warehouses and incorporate business intelligence (BI) tools. Hearing positive word-of-mouth, Axis Health reached out to Endeavour for assistance. With over 35 years of industry expertise and a solid reputation, Endeavour recommended MYOB Acumatica to meet their evolving needs.

The challenge: Outdated systems and growing pains

“Our focus has always been on simplifying healthcare delivery, and we needed a system that could keep up with the demand for our products across multiple regions,” explained Andrew Forrest, General Manager of Axis Health. However, they were experiencing significant challenges due to a lack of visibility and efficiency in their operations while managing multiple warehouses. Their legacy system offered limited reporting capabilities and required manual quoting and inventory management processes, leading to inconsistency in their CRM. 

Andrew highlighted the clear impact of these challenges, noting that, "Productivity was really difficult, and what it's led to is an overstocking of the warehouse that we need to now start pairing back because people didn't necessarily have visibility to sales orders when they were ordering product." This large inventory overrun needed to be addressed.

With offices and warehouses in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, Axis Health recognised the limitations of its existing systems and understood that they needed to adapt to their growing needs. So, the leadership team at Axis Health began discussions about their needs. Axis realised their need to find a robust, scalable solution to support their planned expansion, including opening a new warehouse, said Tom Howard, ERP Team Manager at Endeavour. “The main driver was the need to move off outdated systems. Security, accessibility, and reporting were significant challenges they faced.”

The solution: MYOB Acumatica - the scalable solution that transformed operations

“We were looking for a solution that would not only support us now but would grow with us as we expand further in the future,” explained Andrew from Axis Health. After thorough discussions with Endeavour, Axis Health opted for MYOB Acumatica—a cloud-based ERP system renowned for its scalability and capability to manage complex operations. MYOB Acumatica provides intelligent software that adapts as businesses grow, integrating functions across finance, operations, CRM, warehouse and people management. This integration allows Axis Health to streamline processes and enhance productivity, ultimately optimising operations for future growth.

Endeavour’s team worked closely with Axis Health to facilitate a smooth migration from their legacy systems to MYOB Acumatica ERP, including the implementation of a Warehouse Management System (WMS) designed to enhance efficiency across their warehouses in Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. The collaborative effort is rooted in Endeavour’s values reflecting their commitment to honesty and collaboration while addressing the unique challenges faced by Axis Health.

Yet, the scoping process revealed some initial challenges. "The Endeavour scoping process was fine; it was professional and complete," noted Andrew. "But Axis Health struggled with its internal scoping, which led to some gaps in what was needed."

Despite this, the implementation itself proceeded smoothly. Tom from Endeavour reflected, "For Axis Health, it was probably one of the smoothest implementations I've worked on." 

Despite a few features and needs being left out of the initial project scope, Endeavour’s responsiveness was key in addressing these challenges. “The team was incredibly responsive to our requests,” Andrew stated. “They investigated our needs and validated the solutions being developed to ensure they met our requirements.” This commitment to open communication built trust, with Andrew noting, “Trust is generated through their actions and the solutions they provide. So far, everything they’ve suggested has worked out well.”

The results: Streamlining operations with MYOB Acumatica

Axis Health's operations span across multiple regions, managing approximately 20,000 inventory items and serving around 1,500 direct customers as well as numerous retailers. On average, the business processes around 5,000 financial transactions per month and ships close to 50,000 products each month, making operational efficiency crucial.

They needed a solution that could manage this volume while improving accuracy. With MYOB Acumatica, Axis Health gained a system that not only digitised their warehouses across Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia but also improved accuracy in inventory management and significantly reduced manual quoting errors. The new system allows seamless scaling as the company continues to expand.

Andrew advises other businesses seeking an ERP solution to first thoroughly understand their needs and define the scope of their requirements. "It's not just about saying you need an ERP system; it's crucial to consider what you want it to deliver and how you will transition from your current processes to the new system," he emphasised. He stressed the importance of involving a diverse project team from various departments—such as warehousing, customer support, finance, and sales—to ensure all perspectives are considered. "You can't just dump it and say thanks very much, ERP. It requires a project team to guide the implementation," he added.

The partnership with Endeavour has played a significant role in enhancing Axis Health's operations. Andrew appreciated the responsiveness of the Endeavour team, sharing, “If we send a query across to Endeavour, we generally get a response the same day. We're not waiting four or five days for them to get back to us wondering what's going on. They’re very responsive, which is important in a partnership, particularly when I'm running a $20 million business here. So having that responsiveness is absolutely key to doing what we need.” He emphasised that effective communication and transparency from Endeavour played a vital role in their successful collaboration.

Looking ahead: Operational clarity marks a new era for Axis Health

Transitioning to MYOB Acumatica allowed Axis Health to achieve full digitisation of their warehouse operations, improving the accuracy and speed of inventory management. The warehouse team now also pack orders using digital devices linked to the new system. The new system also consolidated their CRM processes and, through AP automation and other improvements, streamlined financial operations and ensured consistent and professional sales quoting. The sales team is also now utilising Acumatica's CRM for all quotes, significantly streamlining what was previously a more manual process.

Since going live, Andrew said, “I’ve heard no issues, no complaints. Everybody is very responsive and open in exploring the options and advising us on how the solution can meet our needs rather than us dictating how we want it to be. It’s really a partnership that’s developed quite nicely.” He added that the guidance from Endeavour was instrumental in using the system effectively.

Endeavour’s core values played a crucial role in this transformation. Their commitment to collaboration fostered a deep understanding of Axis Health's specific challenges, enabling tailored solutions to emerge. Throughout the implementation process, the focus on integrity and transparency built trust, making the transition smooth and effective.

Looking ahead, Axis Health plans to integrate its Shopify website for B2C operations and continue enhancing its warehouse management system, ensuring it remains at the forefront of healthcare delivery in Australia and New Zealand.

If you’d like to learn how modern ERP solutions like MYOB Acumatica can transform your business operations, get in touch today.