FWD Expands with Markinson

FWD Motors Pty Ltd is an Australian owned and operated company supplying a diverse range of 4WD spare parts to the Australian and overseas markets. With over 25 years in the industry, FWD Motors is one of the original 4WD spare parts suppliers in Australia.

FWD Motors distributes a comprehensive range of Land Rover, Range Rover, Toyota Hilux and Toyota Landcruiser genuine and after-market 4WD parts through a network of distributors throughout Australia and overseas. FWD motors workshop services Landrover 4x4's and 6x6's for the Australian Army. Additionally, the company rebuilds transmissions and front and rear axle assemblies for the Army’s Landrovers.

“We have been achieving excellent growth over the last few years. Since 1999 we have achieved between 15-30 percent growth each year and we are on track for a good increase this year too,” says Ray Ambrose, Director, FWD Motors.

MomentumPro Provides Effective Inventory Management for FWD

“We now have over 8,000 different product lines that MomentumPro keeps track of.” MomentumPro is an Enterprise Distribution Software solution developed and supported by Brisbane-based Markinson Business Solutions. According to Ambrose, “MomentumPro keeps a record of our supplier information including unique supplier part numbers. Over 30,000 product lines are included in just one of these supplier databases.”

“MomentumPro handles our inventory very well. At any time we have well over one million dollars tied up in inventory across the 8,000 product lines we carry. MomentumPro keeps track of everything,” says Ambrose. MomentumPro provides one of the most comprehensive stock control systems on the market today to ensure that businesses have complete control over this vital business asset.

Importing Efficiency a Major Benefit

“We import our products from the U.K, Italy, India, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and China. Because of this we deal in a wide range of currencies. The Importing Module in MomentumPro factors in currency variations and helps determine landed costs,” says Ambrose. MomentumPro provides all the necessary facilities to order, control, cost and accurately report on multi-currency imported products.

“The reporting facilities in MomentumPro are excellent from my point of view. I can crunch out a full set of figures at any point in time. If the bank comes in and asks ‘How’s business?’, I can tell them instantly. When they ask about the accuracy of the information I give them, I can be confident that it is accurate,” says Ambrose. MomentumPro has a full suite of tightly integrated financials that give you the information needed to make decisions with confidence. According to Ambrose, the fact that functionality built into MomentumPro protects financial and other important information from viewing by unauthorised users is important.

“One advantage I have found by using Markinson software is the opportunity to speak with other MomentumPro users. I find the User Group Meetings very beneficial in talking with other users,” says Ambrose. In addition to the support Markinson provides MomentumPro users, Markinson also encourages users to organise meetings so that they can discuss relevant issues independently from Markinson. Markinson also conducts a User Conference every 18 months as a commitment to MomentumPro users as their long term technology partner.

FWD Recognises the Importance of a Long-Term Partnership

“We’ve been using Markinson software since 1987 and have an ongoing long-term relationship with Markinson. We began using MomentumPro in 1998 and we couldn’t operate without it. We looked at other products before going with MomentumPro, but we went with Markinson for the local support they provide us,” says Ambrose.

“We use most of the modules in MomentumPro, including the Job Costing module. We’re happy with Markinson and MomentumPro. The cost of implementing MomentumPro over time was less than putting on a storeman. For us, the decision to go with MomentumPro simply just made sense.”

“The functionality of MomentumPro is far superior to other software systems, including Markinson’s previous system. For a company our size, the number of lines we carry and our set up, we couldn’t function as a business without MomentumPro and Markinson supporting us as we continue to grow,” says Ambrose.