Discover How Adventure Operations is Streamlining National Logistics with MachShip

Starting out as a merger of two family businesses, Adventure Operations is a growing collective of Australian camping equipment brands – including OZtrail, Companion, and Campfire – encouraging families to enjoy the outdoors.

As their audience and product offering continues to grow, the volume of consignments has become increasingly complex. A few years ago, they realised they needed a new freight solution that could keep up, according to Systems Administrator, Andrew Whittaker.

“Basically, the challenge we had was how do we combine three Distribution Centres (DCs) across Australia for freight and all things logistics?”

“The biggest challenge we had was freight. Freight bills were getting excessive. The number of carriers we were using, and just being able to get visibility over costs from multiple DCs,” Whittaker said.

“It had just got away from us – the carriers, the rate cards and rising cost of freight. It was out of control. I looked at a number of different integrations, but none ticked all the boxes. We ran with a broker for 12 months and outgrew them very quickly with the number of carriers and complexities that we had. So we made the call to go directly to MachShip.”

NetSuite integration: A scalable, streamlined solution

The true game-changer for Adventure Operations has been MachShip’s Netsuite integration.

“Previously, our business used a custom-built Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. When we expanded due to a merger, the ERP system no longer sufficed. We transitioned to NetSuite, which unlocked a lot of administrative capabilities for us, including the integration between NetSuite and MachShip, which provided enhanced reconciliation reporting and other essential functions.”

“The complete version of MachShip has enabled us to access crucial data, which was previously exclusive to our admin, a broker. This data includes freight metrics, rate tables, and surcharge items, all of which are pivotal for making informed decisions about carrier selection.”

“Managing our orders is complex – not just due to the volume, but also the diverse and often challenging nature of our products at Adventure Operations. Our inventory includes a wide array of outdoor equipment and accessories, some of which are large, unwieldy, or fragile. And others that are potentially hazardous. Certain items, like bulky rooftop tents, don’t fit into standard parcel sizes, which creates additional shipping and handling challenges.”

“To address this, we’ve integrated these constraints into MachShip, enhancing our carrier selection process, and making it more streamlined than ever by ensuring only viable carriers are considered for each unique shipment.”

Unprecedented visibility across their carrier network

“The key thing MachShip has given us is insight into the logistics and being able to have the conversations with the carriers where we are on the front foot.”

“MachShip has got a plethora of carriers with all the predefined freight labels, notes and dangerous goods data. It’s got everything you need to transact with the majority of carriers in Australia. And it just makes life easy,” Whittaker said.

This visibility over crucial data has, in turn, incentivised their carrier network to improve their offering, resulting in more reliable fulfilment for customers.

“From a carrier point of view, it’s giving us the power to turn around and say, ‘okay, sharpen your pencil on these lanes and you’ll get the business.’ It gives us the power to negotiate with carriers with some facts and figures behind us, whereas we didn’t have that previously.”

“Several carriers have approached us, asking what steps they can take to improve their business relationship with us. The answer is straightforward: meet criteria X, Y, and Z, provide us with rates and delivery windows, and once we integrate that information into MachShip, your business will naturally benefit.”

“From a multi-warehouse point of view, it gives us control over the carriers, across multiple sites. We’re now sitting on 95% accuracy for reconciliation. Based on the costs MachShip produces from its reporting to what the carriers are charging, which is a big improvement.”

“Now that we’re running MachShip independently, we’ve got the direct setup, the rate cards, the surcharges, and all the little different variables that come with setting up a carrier. Having the insight into that allows us to select the right carrier and keep the carriers honest with things like tailgate surcharges, fuel surcharges and so on. We carry dangerous goods, so we’ve got dangerous goods surcharges.”

“All those things, MachShip is recording and, because of NetSuite, we can feed that data directly into MachShip. We’ve got specific customers that have to have tailgate trucks, so that’s built into NetSuite on their account.”

Round-the-clock support from onboarding to ongoing troubleshooting

A major point of difference for Adventure Operations since moving to MachShip has been the support team.

“During onboarding, the MachShip team conducted several Zoom sessions to facilitate a smooth transition. While our previous experience with a broker gave us a solid foundation, MachShip ensured comprehensive Day One go-live training sessions to familiarise us with their general structures. Beyond this, we had weekly check-ins, followed by monthly meetings with the financial team and freight controllers. These sessions covered freight invoice reconciliation, managing surcharges, and more.”

“During implementation, I’ve never met a crew that responded and actioned things so quickly as MachShip. The responsiveness, the knowledge, and the attention to the detail. It’s a testament to the team they have. It was seamless, it really was.”

“From the get-go, they were attuned to our specific needs and challenges, working to configure the system in a way that would streamline our operations. The initial transition phase – which can often be marked by teething issues – was precise and efficient.”

“Now, we’re empowered to navigate the system independently. But the support team has always remained accessible. Any issues are typically addressed within 24 hours following a quick email.”

MachShip’s multi-carrier NetSuite Inc. integration allows businesses to eliminate clunky manual processes and seamlessly streamline shipping, despatch and customer service into one simple function. Our integrations team is on hand to ensure a smooth and rapid implementation.

Discover How Adventure Operations is Streamlining National Logistics with MachShip

NetSuite integration: A scalable, streamlined solution

Unprecedented visibility across their carrier network

Round-the-clock support from onboarding to ongoing troubleshooting

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