Bushfires prove acid test for Trans Tank International

The acid test for Trans Tank International’s newly deployed Dynamics platform came during the Christmas break when a customer wanted to take delivery of a fire fighting system to help protect his property from the fast-approaching Gippsland bushfires.

Trans Tank International (TTI) was able to fulfil the order and expedite delivery helping the customer save his property and neighbouring houses when the fires raced through the area.

Streamlining the business and meeting customer expectations are two prime drivers for the digital transformation underway at TTI, a family owned business based in country Victoria, which employs around 55 people and manufactures a range of polyethylene tanks designed for diverse agricultural and industrial applications including fire-fighting, spraying and liquids haulage.

In order to streamline the business, inject efficiencies and ensure information transparency the company has worked with Microsoft Gold ERP Partner Fenwick Software to deploy Dynamics 365 Business Central, initially on-premise with plans to move to the cloud over time.

It has also deployed Fenwick Gold apps which integrate with Business Central to meet specific business needs and plans to use Power BI to analyse data and create actionable insights that can further improve the way the company operates.

TTi has 13 Fenwick Gold apps deployed thus far with keys modules being Graphical Production Scheduler which provides a visual of the production timeline that can be used by planning teams to identify lines which need production moved around due to production constrains, planned maintenance or line disruptions and Ship-It which identifies which freight partners are most cost effective for delivery of specific products.

According to Ross Buchner, TTI general manager; “None of us have a crystal ball we can look in, and as a leader in a business one of your greatest fears is what’s tomorrow going to look like?

“We needed a system that we could grow into rather than one that we were constantly stretching the boundaries of,” he explained.

“In the ideal world we’d have one system that did the end to end of business and Microsoft I believe has as close as anyone’s going to get to having that end-to-end offering. One of the next things to tackle is our phone system. And that’s a question of whether we invest in Microsoft Teams or an alternative. But again, Microsoft does have an offering on the table for that.”

Fenwick Software Consultant, Jesse Clarnette said that the deployment was completed in nine months – a period which also included the development of the Ship-It with SmartFreight app originally developed for TTI. “We couldn’t have jumped into a more inviting environment because often we jump into an environment that is slightly hostile and nobody wants the system. But that’s really why it worked because everyone at TTI wanted to help us, wanted to make it work and I really think that’s what made it such a success.”

According to Michael O’Keefe Business Group Leader, Business Applications, Microsoft Australia, the collaboration between Fenwick Software and TTI serves as an exemplar of the impact that partners can have. “Fenwick Software worked intimately with TTI to deeply understand the business challenges and also the opportunities for improvement. It has a clear understanding of Dynamics 365 Business Central, as well as its own suite of apps to allow the solution to be tailored for specific applications, and in TTI it found a customer that was willing to innovate – in this case leading to the development of the Ship-It app. This is a real win-win partnership for both organisations.”

About Trans Tank International

Victoria based TTI has for more than 20 years manufactured polyethylene tanks for a wide variety of agricultural and industrial applications. An authority in water cartage, TTI also offers a diverse range of product including spraying equipment, fire-fighting equipment, diesel units, water trucks and associated equipment.

About Fenwick Software

Founded in 1976 Fenwick Software is a Microsoft Gold ERP Partner and works with small and medium companies in Australia to develop tailored solutions that leverage Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and its own suite of Fenwick Gold apps that integrate with Business Central, ensuring the platform remains relevant as the business grows.