Challenge
When Davette Lightbourne joined AML Foods as CFO, she recognized an opportunity to expand the business’s use of data to drive decision-making and unlock additional value. Key information was stored across financial systems, point-of-sale (POS) systems, and logistics software. While these systems supported reliable financial reporting, they also presented a challenge - to consolidate this data and uncover deeper insights into the drivers behind the business’s performance.
“We produced quality financial statements, but we wanted to dig deeper,” Davette explained. “Our goal was to understand the patterns and trends that could help us make smarter decisions and maximize our potential.”
Recognizing the untapped potential of their data, AML Foods decided to take a proactive approach. By deploying Sage Data & Analytics, by Zap, they aimed to leverage technology to modernize operations, streamline processes, and establish a competitive edge in their market.
AML Foods sought to enhance their ability to make data-driven decisions and improve operational efficiency. One key challenge was the fragmentation of data across multiple systems, which required significant time and effort to compile and analyze.
For example, preparing board materials for quarterly meetings involved a highly manual process. Davette and her team spent up to a week gathering and updating data across various sources to create comprehensive reports and presentations. While the results were thorough, the process consumed valuable time that could be better spent on strategic planning.
Additionally, the company recognized an opportunity to go beyond traditional financial reporting. By integrating and analyzing data from logistics, retail POS, and financial systems, they hoped to gain insights into metrics such as days on hand, inventory turnover, and sales trends. These insights would empower AML Foods to optimize inventory, better understand customer behavior, and respond more proactively to market demands.
Solution
AML Foods partnered with Zap to unify their data systems and create a centralized platform for reporting and analytics. Starting with Sage 300, they gradually integrated other systems, including POS and logistics applications, to deliver a comprehensive view of the business.
SD&A’s user-friendly platform allowed AML Foods to hit the ground running with minimal disruption.
“I’m not a coder or programmer; I’m an accountant. But I could easily follow along in the demos. It wasn’t a huge learning curve, which was really important for me.”
— Davette Lightbourne, Chief Financial Officer, AML Foods
- Consolidated Insights: Unified data sources into a single platform, offering a 360-degree view of operations
- Automated Reporting: Board pack preparation, which previously took a week, was reduced to minutes by creating automated reports that updated in real-time.
- Exception-Based Alerts: SD&A enabled proactive management by generating daily alerts for critical issues, such as low inventory levels or operational errors.
- Inventory Optimization: By analyzing data on days on hand and product movement, AML Foods prioritized fast-moving products, identified items sitting idle, and optimized stock levels across multiple locations.
Outcome
AML Foods’ partnership with SD&A transformed their operations, delivering measurable outcomes while establishing a strong competitive edge in the Bahamian retail market:
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$5 Million Liquidity Boost: By leveraging insights into key metrics such as days on hand and inventory turnover, AML Foods optimized stock levels, reducing inventory by 20% and freeing up $5 million in working capital.
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Proactive Management: Exception-based reporting allowed the team to transition from reactive problem-solving to proactive decision-making. Automated daily alerts flagged low stock levels and operational issues, ensuring timely action and minimizing disruptions.
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Streamlined Reporting: Automating board pack preparation reduced the process from one week to minutes. This efficiency freed up significant time for strategic priorities and improved accuracy across reporting.
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Customer Insights: Enhanced visibility into customer trends and behaviors enabled AML Foods to identify profitable segments, laying the groundwork for loyalty programs and targeted marketing initiatives.
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Improved Operational Efficiency: Centralizing data from financial, POS, and logistics systems eliminated redundancies, reduced manual tasks, and enabled smarter resource allocation across the business.
“We’ve really transitioned into somewhat of an exception-based reporting system. Every day, we get alerts on the exceptions. For example, if there was an error in our inventory receiving, it immediately shoots out to the team. They wake up, and the report is in their inbox.”
— Davette Lightbourne, Chief Financial Officer, AML Foods
Through SD&A, AML Foods unified its data and unlocked actionable insights that not only improved efficiency but also provided the agility and foresight needed to remain competitive.
By embracing data as a strategic asset, AML Foods has redefined its approach to operations, using insights to improve efficiency, optimize resources, and gain a competitive advantage.
“SD&A gave us the competitive edge we needed to outpace our market. From reducing inventory by $5 million to streamlining board pack preparation, Zap’s been a game-changer for AML Foods.”
— Davette Lightbourne, Chief Financial Officer, AML Foods