Supplier reconciliation automation with BEST at Foodstuffs South Island

New Zealand grocery retailer Foodstuffs South Island cut reconciliation staff requirements by 50% and reduced 300-vendor reconciliations from 1.5 days to just 25 minutes through BEST’s SAP-integrated automation.

Foodstuffs South Island

Foodstuffs South Island (FSSI) is a leading New Zealand grocery retailer recording over $3B in annual revenue. With a highly manual and labour-intensive process done outside SAP, vendor reconciliations were a major pain point. By implementing BEST’s SAP integrated solution, FSSI achieved reconciliation automation and dramatic productivity gains.

Our approach

FSSI wanted a system with a SAP look and feel. They processed over 2.4 million invoices from 3,600 vendors annually, with 35,000 payments and reconciliations handled manually.

BEST delivered an automated approach integrated within their SAP ecosystem to simplify this immense workload. Easy-to-use tools facilitate high match rates, while robust reporting provides visibility.

Results

Post-go-live in late 2020, BEST reduced reconciliation staff requirements from 12 to 6 FTEs purely through efficiency gains. 300 vendors can now be reconciled in just 25 minutes compared to 1.5 days previously. Such dramatic time savings allow skilled staff to shift focus towards more value-add analysis and vendor relationship management.

With a project delivered remotely amidst COVID-19, BEST’s implementation was timely and budget-conscious. The intuitive software saw high adoption rates from FSSI’s AP team. Murray Trim adds, “The project ran on budget, on time, and our ROI was significantly better than we anticipated.”

For FSSI, BEST empowered a shift from manual, opaque, and inconsistent processes towards reconciliations that are automated, transparent, and globally leading. The co-op looks towards further optimising processes with BEST GL solutions.