CGNZ Middle Market Solutions, Microsoft's Fastest Growing ERP Partner, Implements New Systems to Deliver Efficiencies for Both Companies NZ Fasteners Ltd, importer and distributor of stainless steel products, and AgResearch, a Crown Research Institute, are the latest companies to select Microsoft's Axapta® and Navision® business applications to become more connected with their customers, employees and partners. Both roll-outs are being managed by CGNZ Middle Market Solutions, which has achieved fast growth since its formation one year ago, exceeding its first year targets by over 70 per cent. CGNZ Limited is the local affiliate of global consulting company, Capgemini.

NZ Fasteners Expects Competitive Advantage with Microsoft Axapta
Ross McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer for NZ Fasteners, says the company chose Microsoft Axapta to replace its seven year old legacy system and expects the new solution to deliver a real competitive advantage in the distribution of commodity-based stainless steel products.  Axapta will provide a single, integrated solution to improve the customer experience by allowing managers to make better and more informed decisions, whilst ensuring that the right stock levels are being held in the appropriate locations within New Zealand.

“In the volatile commodity markets, our pricing decisions rely on our customer service representatives having quality information in a timely manner,” says McCarthy.  “Axapta will address this by providing a summary of each product's history, real-time pricing information, and the ability to handle multiple pricing methods, giving our sales team all the information they need to make sensible, informed decisions. “We were particularly impressed by Axapta's agile development environment, allowing us to adapt the system to our business needs,” adds McCarthy. “We were also won over by the excellent support for the product here in New Zealand, as well as the insight and knowledge of our business demonstrated by the CGNZ consultants.”

NZ Fasteners will be the first site in New Zealand to implement Axapta's Demand Planning module.  Many of the company's orders are for products to be used in projects - often with lead times of up to six months - which require complex demand planning tools. CGNZ also developed a Shipment Management Module to meet NZ Fastener's requirement for complex shipment management.

Microsoft Navision Key to Managing Projects at AgResearch
AgResearch is New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institute (CRI), with some 1200 employees.  It has selected Navision as its preferred ERP solution to replace a legacy system which had been operational since 1992. Kevin Elliott, Systems Accountant at AgResearch, said that Microsoft Navision was chosen after a competitive tendering process that considered a number of different solutions, encompassing both tier one and tier two systems.  “Seventy per cent of our business lies in project and contract management,” says Elliott.  “Navision offers rich functionality and flexibility around costing and pricing projects, supported by strong features around billing.   The ability to tailor a solution to our individual requirements around contracts and projects was a key driver in the selection process.”

AgResearch is also excited about the possibilities offered by Navision's enquiry and drill-down functionality which allow for a multitude of reporting options.  Navision's ability to integrate with other Microsoft products has impressed AgResearch users. AgResearch selected CGNZ's team based on its broad experience in rolling out solutions to project management companies. The CGNZ team has been able to leverage its existing Navision experience to enhance the implementation, for instance, by developing an Advanced Project Management Module to manage fixed fee contracts.

CGNZ Experiencing Significant Growth
NZ Fasteners and AgResearch are the latest success stories for CGNZ's Middle Market Solutions team, formed one year ago to deliver Microsoft ERP solutions for mid-market customers.  During this period, CGNZ Middle Market Solutions has garnered 12 Microsoft Business Solutions clients. Michael Murphy, General Manager for CGNZ Middle Market Solutions, explains that the team that they have assembled has completed more than 30 Axapta implementations and more than 50 Navision implementations, both in New Zealand and overseas.   “I believe our success in the market is a validation of the strength of our team, which is the most experienced Microsoft Business Solutions team in New Zealand, with a combined experience of over 80 implementations,” says Murphy.

David Guy, Partner Manager for Microsoft Business Solutions New Zealand, says CGNZ's success is an endorsement of how Microsoft is helping companies to integrate their existing systems and position themselves for future growth.  “AgResearch and NZ Fasteners are the latest organisations taking advantage of Microsoft's business management solutions to streamline and introduce new efficiencies into their business processes.”

About CGNZ Middle Market Solutions
CGNZ Middle Market Solutions specialises in the implementation of business solutions for small corporate and middle market companies.  The core activity of its team is the implementation and support of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), E-Business solutions and related technologies from Microsoft Business Solutions.  Its primary focus is on the implementation and support of Microsoft Axapta, Microsoft Navision and Microsoft CRM.  In support of this core activity, the team draws on the general systems implementation and integration capabilities of CGNZ. More information can be found on http://www.cgnz.com/middlemarketsolutions

About Microsoft Business Solutions
Microsoft Business Solutions, a division of Microsoft, offers a wide range of integrated, end-to-end business applications and services designed to help small, mid-market and corporate businesses become more connected with customers, employees, partners and suppliers. Microsoft Business Solutions' applications optimise strategic business processes across financial management, analytics, human resources management, project management, customer relationship management, field service management, supply chain management, e-commerce, manufacturing and retail management. The applications are designed to provide insight to help customers achieve business success. More information about Microsoft Business Solutions can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

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